Ducati’s just dropped their long-anticipated, race-ready off-roader for this Episode 3 of their World Première 2024! Woohoo!
Meet the DesertX Rally, the first Ducati bike to carry 21″ front rim and 18″ rear rolling duty; we’re told that the rollers were put through their paces in Marrakech, Morocco, where Patrick Niesser and Antoine Meo spent three days blasting through geological wonders like the Atlas Gorges – efforts that certainly made for a fantastically dynamic debut vid.
Naturally, Ducati’s renewed dedication to off-roading excellence means that the all-new 2024 DesertX Rally has been dressed for more rugged adventures. Suspension duties have been severely tweaked with longer travel (the same as that of Meo at the Erzbergrodeo), which results in a 910mm saddle height that equates roughly to that of the tallest seat option available on a pre-2023 BMW R 1250 GS Adventure model (via ZigWheels).
We’ve also been given a reworked chassis with more motocross inspo (and slightly less homage to the ancestral Cagiva Elefant), totaling a neat 280mm in ground clearance. Add a slew of features that now come as standard (and enough ride modes to start a small novella), and we’re still only partway through the recent press release.
2024 DesertX Rally Features
(* = exclusive to the Rally)
Engine
- Testastretta 11° – a 937cc heart capable of 110hp @ 9,250rpm and 92Nm of yank @ 6,500rpm (the Rally also has a longer 6th gear so that higher-end speed gets sufficient torque)
Frame
- Tubular steel trellis frame with a cast-aluminium double-sided swingarm
Wheels
- Spoked rims with billet hubs 21” x 2.15” and 18” x 4”, carbon steel spokes and high-strength Takasago Excel rims with inner tube *
- Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres
- 90/90-21 at the front
- 150/70 R18 at the rear
- Alternatives include: Pirelli Scorpion Rally, Pirelli Scorpion Trail II
Suspension
- KYB Ø 48 mm closed cartridge fork, 250 mm travel, adjustable compression and rebound, Kashima Coating treatments on the fork tubes and DLC on the sliders *
- Machined fork clamps *
- KYB shock absorber with 46 mm piston, 240 mm travel, adjustable in compression at high and low speeds, in rebound and preload *
- Adjustable Öhlins steering damper fixed to the handlebar *
Electronics / Ride Modes
- Ducati Link App support and turn-by-turn navigation
- 6 customizable Riding Modes (Sport, Touring, Urban, Wet, Enduro, Rally)
- 4 Power Modes on 3 power levels
- ABS Cornering Bosch adjustable on 3 levels
- Ducati Traction Control adjustable on 8 levels
- Ducati Wheelie Control
- Engine Brake Control
- Ducati Cruise Control
- Ducati Quick Shift Up & Down (DQS)
On top of all of the above, we’ve got a 447lb-dry weight ranking, a 5.5-gallon (21-liter) tank capacity, a high front mudguard (complete with a Rally-exclusive split brake line), a handy utility bar, a full LED lighting system and prudent, 5” TFT instrumentation that opens with Ducati Link App support and turn-by-turn navigation.
Not bad at all, Ducati.
On the convenience side of things, Ducati’s Testastretta package means that riders will be able to enjoy 15,000km/24-month service intervals and 30,000km valve clearance checks; the brand is even going to pull out a 45hp, restricted variant of the Rally for A2 license holders, adding versatility to the new hardcore ADV portfolio for the new year.
Suffice it to say that Ducati’s proud of their newest forage into bumpy topography, and we can expect the 2024 Ducati DesertX Rally to hit our dealerships at an MSRP of $22,995 USD as of March of next year (2024).
If you’re keen on keeping up with the Ducati World Première 2024, here’s our coverage of previous episodes to date:
Ducati World Première 2024: Episode 1 – The 30th Anniversario Monster
Ducati World Première 2024: Episode 2 – “Tour Your Way” with the Multistrada Grand Tour
Curious about what Ducati has in store for future episodes? Here are our guesses for Episodes 4-6:
What’s Ducati Planning for the Rest of Their 2024 World Première?
What do you think of the new DesertX Rally?