Ducati’s long-awaited DesertX Rally is ready to take on anything. This new model is a Desert X on steroids, an adventure bike that’s certainly ready to race, with high-quality reinforced suspension, just like a race bike – but it’s road-legal, of course.
Ducati has repeated what it has been doing for decades: what it learns in racing, it transfers to the customer – even if in a slightly diluted form. Ducati has had some racing success with the DesertX (winning the twin-cylinder class of this year’s Iron Road prologue at the Erzberg Rodeo), adding longer travel suspension, higher ground clearance, lighter and stronger wheels and more crash protection, as well as other modifications such as a raised front mudguard. The Rally 2024 is basically a homologated version of the race bike and a very different model from the DesertX we already knew.
HIGH!
The 910 mm seat height is high, the highest of any current production bike, while 250 mm and 240 mm of suspension travel, front and rear, and 280 mm of ground clearance are also attractive figures. But if you want a bike to work off-road, these are the measurements you have to take into account. After all, the Ducati Panigale V4R is an impressive sports bike, but it’s not comfortable. If you want an adventure bike ready to compete, it will have to have a high seat and long-travel suspension. You can always install a lower seat, which lowers the height to 885 mm, but it will still be high. There’s no hiding, the Rally is a big bike!
For reference, I’m almost 1.72 cm, and if the seat rise wasn’t as scary as I expected, mainly because the seat and bike are narrow, it means I can safely put one foot on the ground while reaching for the rear brake or gear selector with the other. Checking the specifications, it’s also a slightly heavy bike, similar to the competition (203 kg dry), but you don’t feel it, even when it’s fully fueled. However, I found it a challenge to remove the side stand while seated – my legs simply aren’t long enough – and I think even taller riders might struggle.
TOP-OF-THE-RANGE SUSPENSIONS
However, I’ll put up with a slightly annoying side stand because the Rally is one of the best adventure bikes I’ve ever ridden off-road. 90% of our two-day test in Morocco was off-road, ranging from open and fast terrain to slow and rocky sections, sand and a few jumps, and the suspensions proved impeccable.
Ducati has invested in quality suspension units from KYB. These are so sublime that the Rally when off-road rides almost as if it were on a paved road. You can feel the KYB units working hard, but at the same time everything is controlled, with no jerking of the handlebars or bouncing at the rear.
I consciously tried to test the settings by closing the throttle on the bumps to activate the extension: no problem. Hitting rocks when braking with the hem compressed: again, no bumps. Even taking decent (for me) jumps: it absorbed everything and without fail. Throughout the journey, on both days, the KYB suspension made the ride easy, not too tiring or exhausting. And I felt comfortable on the dirt at 110 km/h. Even in deep sand, I simply stood back and let the front wheel find its way. I can’t remember ever riding an off-road adventure bike with such confidence in the chassis and suspension.
As you’d expect, the front and rear units are adjustable, with the rear featuring high and low speed compression damping and remote preload adjustment. I never adjusted the suspension, and few riders at the presentation did, as they work perfectly as soon as the bike comes out of the box. Only heavy or light riders who compete at a very high level, or on high-speed terrain, will want to modify the suspension.
FUNCTIONAL ELECTRONICS
The Rally and Enduro riding modes are genuinely useful options, along with the riding aids. I look ahead, see a more problematic area and select Enduro mode, which reduces power and increases the level of intervention of the driver aids.
Then, watch the course open up, close the throttle, switch to Rally, do a few rides and keep having fun. All done in real time, without the need to stop and reconfigure the driving aids.
The off-road ABS has saved me on two occasions, possibly more. Being able to ride off-road, with specific off-road riding aids that at the lowest settings are designed to work with off-road tires (unlike the base DesertX) is impressive.
Our test bikes were fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Rally dirt tires, which means it’s difficult to give an accurate impression of the Rally and what it will be like to ride it on everyday roads. The only road riding we did was at a relatively slow speed and the Rally was composed, even for a tall adventure bike that didn’t seem clumsy at all. It also climbed some mountain passes with ease. The base DesertX impresses on the road and I’m sure the Rally will too, but we’ll need a longer, more thorough road test to be sure.
The various riding modes are easy to choose and ride, and change the character of the bike, not just the range! And, surprisingly, everything can be done on the move, which means you can constantly change modes to suit changing terrain and conditions with an optimized setting – even during a short trip. I hadn’t ridden a DesertX for six months, but the new Rally immediately felt like my bike, with easy-to-understand switches and various modes at my fingertips.
The throttle response is almost perfect at low speeds, inspiring a fuel-injected L-twin engine. And while a peak of 110 hp may not sound particularly impressive, the Testastretta’s wide torque distribution makes it seem more so. Combine that lovely torque distribution with quick gear changes with the effortless two-way quickshifter, and you have the perfect recipe for a thrilling ride. However, it’s worth noting that 90% of our test was carried out off-road in Morocco, meaning that we only occasionally exceeded 110 km/h – even though this was clearly not a touring test.
MORE DETAILS
The new footpegs are worth mentioning, as they are wide, solid and very grippy even in the wet. With the rear brake pedal set to the off-road setting its positioning is perfect, allowing you to use the rear brake with finesse, even in off-road boots. In Rally mode, there is no ABS at the rear and the precise rear brake allows you to make the most of this factor.
On the road, I can only imagine that the Rally will be very similar to the standard DesertX, with sufficient comfort and wind protection on longer rides, even with the windshield unadjusted. Cruise control is standard, as is connectivity, but not heated grips – just the button!
As you’d expect from Ducati, the level of finish is high, with quality components such as Brembo, Öhlins (steering damper) and Excel (rims). After a few days in the desert, with dust and stones thrown at the Rally, it still looked like new. There was no apparent sign of wear from the sand-covered enduro boots rubbing against the side covers, and the forged carbon fiber crankcase guard looked flawless. Some of the off-road rides were tough, but there were no reports of dented rims or even punctures.
There’s no denying that the new DesertX Rally is an expensive bike with a price tag of €21,745. But it’s a model supplied with high-quality components that help justify the high asking price. The KYB closed-cartridge chainrings are the first on a production Ducati, possibly the first for any production bike, and similar to those on Meo’s racing bike – buy them separately for your adventure bike and they’ll be in the range of €4,500, plus another €1,500 for the rear shock. The Excel rims with steel and carbon spokes don’t come cheap either, and the Rally also gets an Öhlins steering damper (non-electronic) and a forged carbon fiber sump guard. So, although the asking price is high, it’s easy to see where the money has been spent!
VERDICT
I wouldn’t refer to the new Rally as a better DesertX, as it’s a very different bike and I honestly don’t know what it will be like on the road, although the indications are excellent. However, what I can say is that the new Rally is possibly the best “big” homologated adventure bike I’ve ever ridden off-road. The suspension is probably the best I’ve ever experienced on off-road terrain. The Rally remains unflappable on any terrain and is genuinely ready to race as soon as it comes out of the box, which, away from the tarmac, should put it head and shoulders above the competition. This is not, however, an extreme adventure bike aimed at a rider-only audience; the aids and riding modes, together with the friendly power delivery, make it flexible and usable for a wide range of riders. It can even be adapted for A2 license holders! On the one hand, with the road-legal components removed, it’s ready to race, but equally an inexperienced rider could spend days riding standing up in the spacious areas of Morocco, just enjoying the challenge and navigation.There are downsides: 910 mm of seat is quite a lot, it’s an expensive bike and the side stand is a bit of a pain, especially for short riders like me. But on the other hand, the DesertX Rally is hard to fault as an off-road adventure bike.