Behold the Ducati DesertX Disovery, Bologna’s latest answer to the current boom in adventure bike popularity.
The DesertX Discovery is a sensible, middle-of-the-road machine aimed at the rider who’s looking to put some miles on their bike, but also wants to protect their machine while they do so. It isn’t as rad as the DesertX Rally, but it does has several upgrades over the basic DesertX model.
These include hard parts like reinforced handguards, protecting both your knuckles and levers; a tougher skidplate (stronger than the base model’s bashplate); crash bars to protect the engine and also protection for the water pump and a screen that guards the radiator.
Ducati also bolted up a larger windshield and added heated grips as standard equipment, for comfort over long highway miles. And there’s also a centrestand included. This adds to the weight of the bike, and some off-road enthusiasts may not want it, but it does make it a lot easier to service the driveline or repair a rear tire puncture.
The Ducati Multimedia system is included as standard equipment, offering turn-by-turn navigation capability through Ducati’s Link app and your mobile device.
Note that the hard bags seen in several of these photos are not included with the DesertX Discovery. This is probably just fine with many riders, who may have their own preferred aftermarket luggage choice, whether it’s hard bags or soft bags. Of course, Ducati is happy to sell you its own OEM bags at extra cost (but guess what? They’re probably made in the same factory as your aftermarket bags).
The engine is the same 937cc L-twin as the standard DesertX model, and it appears the suspension and fuel tank are also unchanged.
In Canada, the DesertX Discovery sells for $23,095 plus taxes and fees this year. For more info, check out Ducati’s website here.
