Ducati Desert X - Full Review and Road Test

[@skiint1978]

Great review as usual - one thing I don't see in any reviews of this bike is showcasing the four year warranty - I think that is a great selling point

[@mancavemoto]

Thats a good point, the extra 2 years for free on this and the Multistrada is a useful addition

[@paul.vanhout57]

Impressive review style and detail. I have owned my DesertX about 2 months and I think you are spot on with your comments. Service costs are not optimal but if the bike holds up in terms of reliability and durability I am OK with the investment.

[@mancavemoto]

Thanks, and to be fair a few other brands have similar servicing costs. It’s the Labour that makes up a big part of the valve check. It is only every 18k miles so I reality how many times is a typical owner going to have to do it.

[@verdonrocksphotography3510]

for sure this is one of the most best looking bikes, agree w everything what you said , pricing and servicing is steep but also is top heavy.... maybe is just me, KTM spoiled me with saddle bag tank...lol, excellent as always, ps: stay away from that pesky farm!!! Cheers V!

[@bobz1736]

Excellent review sir 👍 At first I thought 14k seemed a lot but I can see where the money has gone. Just don't like them servicing costs...

[@mancavemoto]

Cheers Bob

[@davidz8]

You were spot on about the side stand as Ducati have issued a recall to have them replaced for a slightly shorter version.

[@mancavemoto]

Ah interesting, thanks for the info

[@infinityphotorob]

I am bummed it has a metal tank. Especially how offroad capable it seems to be in other reviews. I hope to ride one at some point. It is an exciting bike 100%.

[@spencertheboxpitintexas]

I have an 2017 AT which I love to death. But like with this bike the valve service every 16k is roughly $ 1000.00 at the dealer as well. Absolutely crazy. So I’ll do it every 24k. Also the access to the air filter is not that easy as well. You need to take off the fairing. At least not the tank. But love the looks of this Ducati as well. Great great review you have provided. Down to the point without too much bla bla. That is the way to do it.

[@mancavemoto]

Thanks for that, yep the AT was what I was thinking of when I mentioned other bikes. Dealer technicians Labour charges are pretty high these days

[@gilvietor1918]

Going 80mph for an hour straight it was getting 50mpg (legal where I live in Wyoming USA). Lower speeds I was seeing 54mpg, really impressive.

[@AdventureGlide]

*_Damn, that's a good-looking bike. I would love to get one on my channel. Thanks for sharing._*

[@mancavemoto]

It sure is, and no problem thanks for watching

[@jamesfairmind2247]

Great bike, pity it is so heavy but the main put off is the Desmo valve service because as a Ducati owner of 23 years experience, I know that no matter what the apparent qualifications of an official Ducati trained mechanic might be, the result can vary and that is a problem if you are going around the world. Big problem. Stupid really because with modern valve springs the Desmo system is totally unnecessary, it harps back to a time when valve spring metallurgy was inferior. Just look how much higher many other manufactures' bikes rev, nearly double. It is a traditional marketing thing not a real requirement, just like the single sided swing arm on the 916 that Foggy proved was costing him 1.5 seconds a lap when he had his team replace it with a conventional one but Ducati would not allow him to change for marketing reasons.

[@grizzlystr3445]

Looks like a nice bike, but for more road use why not take the V2s which has more manageable seat height & all the stuff this has albeit no real off road pretentious. Great review as always 👍

[@mancavemoto]

Given I don’t do much off road, id take the Multi V2s over this if I was just choosing between the two

[@IanTed]

I did, love my V2S.

[@frd-kj5qu]

V2S is a great bike but doesn't offer enough confort when it comes to move your butts front and rear due to its shape. If you are tall guy, the angle of the knees is closed, which hurts me when long distance rides. She's quiet more expensive. She doesn't offer big differences in term of wind protection. The best point of this bike is her seat height which is lower. Worst to mention resell value which is low due to low sale volume (everybody wants the V4S).

[@marcusrichardson3472]

Great review, in fact I think this is the best one I’ve seen for this bike. Quite tempted to test one, which probably means testing the Multi too, then an Africa Twin, and some KTMs for good measure. All because of being tempted by this. Cheers

[@mancavemoto]

Thank you very much! Haha, nothing better than a few rest rides ;)

[@frd-kj5qu]

I have done your test + Tiger 900 Rally Pro and conclude that DDX is the best choice for me.

[@mancavemoto]

@@frd-kj5qu 👍

[@Desmo904]

I'm sorry, a GRAND for a valve check??? WTF? It's a great bike (and a great review!) but a GRAND??? Jeez-o I used to do my own on my old 900ss.

[@MrSimonfoz]

I sold my Multistrada Enduro for that very reason, crazy money.

[@sebkorsnes]

It really gives me pause and considering all the competition in this segment I don’t get why the still do desmo. At best they let you know at the dealership, at worst you get hit with a huge surprise charge. It’s a cool bike but it’s a real deal breaker for me.

[@bmc8989]

That's crazy. I wish more manufacturers would implement prepaid servicing packages....like BMW does.

[@anxiousappliance]

@@bmc8989 yeah - nice thing about those prepaid packages, is if you sell your bike, you've still paid for service...

[@anxiousappliance]

Every18000 miles - but the 18000 miles check also involves belts, full check of all the systems and bolts and bearings, oil change, etc...

[@cpuuk]

All Desmo are eye watering on the major service.

[@mancavemoto]

Yep a massive chunk of it is labour costs.

[@ianross225]

Good, honest review as ever. The rear subframe area looks unfinished to me or is this a ruse to encourage the additional of the auxiliary tank? As if……

[@AdventureGlide]

*_Great Review. You covered everything very well. That's really weird that the kickstand is so tall. LOL._*

[@mancavemoto]

I know, right?

[@AdventureGlide]

@@mancavemoto Yeah, it's a bummer. It's a pain if you are adventuring and don't trust getting on and off the bike a lot. My Pan America was similar. Kickstand sucked on it.

[@shassabo]

Ducati just replaced my side stand for free with a revised shorter kickstand. Much better now.

[@dave8549]

I love Ducatis, I've owned 2 of em. A 900SS and a Darmah. But that was back in the day when servicing costs were reasonable. Now, I would never buy a Desmo due to the valve check costs. Impossible for a mere mortal to service themselves. Perhaps it's time Ducati considered valve springs.

[@mancavemoto]

Yep, a big chunk of that cost is in Labour. They are probably not that far off charging £100 an hour

[@ciocanelwar]

From what I talked with my local dealer they will change the side stand with the one in the lovering kit. I am at a crossroad in my life l, I have to choose between the Desert X and the 18 liter Africa Twin. I have two issues with the Desert X and 1 ca be fixed with the extra fuel tank, the wind protection not so much... I also have two issues with the Honda, they can easily be fixed with a steering damper and a tubless kit. Hard choice...

[@mancavemoto]

Yep a tough choice indeed and you’ve nailed the key issues

[@stepheneldridge6998]

Good review Tony, it's a fab bike, but I see it as a 'posh ' version of my brilliant T7, with 10 times the running costs!. The valve check costs are just daft. And the air filter access will be an issue on dusty rides. It will be interesting to see the bike in a different colour scheme..a full on Dakar one maybe ! Cheers, Steve

[@mancavemoto]

That’s a good summary Steve, the electronics are very good, but you’re paying a lot for them…

[@bikecommuter24]

Nice bike but those service costs could go towards another bike's payments but I consider Ducati a premium brand like BMW, Mercedes, Audi etc you pay for all the luxury and tech. I live in the USA and Harley-Davidsons can get up there with service costs as well in some cases an oil change can be $300.00 USD. If someone likes the bikes and doesn't mind the costs then go for it.

[@MrSimonfoz]

Have you ridden the Tenere 700 world Raid at all ? Wonder how compares ?

[@mancavemoto]

No, I’ve struggled to get hold of Yamahas

[@alrightdave6135]

Less power and more weight.

[@flamintasty]

Lower spec too

[@triskelworkshop2855]

Hi, Question, hope you read this. As i can tell from this video, your gopro on the helmet is attached OFF-CENTER, what makes the camera lens CENTERED. I wonder how you did that. Any sugestions on adaptors ? Thanks thanks thanks

[@mancavemoto]

It’s very very slightly off centre, but of course the lens is to one side of the gopro and given the field of view you have some leeway. I used a curved arm and stuck a mount on the side of the chinbar

[@1990-t1j]

Certainly a very good-looking bike in this class. Expensive. Good fuel capacity. I like the dash. Reliability? Or am I out of date? Laughable I should question the X's reliability given I have had two KTMs and a Buell, none of which broke down. But the demo-valve check price would cancel any interest I might have had, if I didn't have this in-built mistrust of Ducatis in the first place. Excellent review, Tony.

[@roverroko306]

Hi, Man Cave moto. I am wondering how come you didn’t mention anything about the gearbox, because I know from my experience with Italian bikes. Almost always the gearbox is clunky, not overly smooth and not precise. Many of the Ducatis I have ridden always had problems with false neutrals and I have heard that quick shifter is way smoother on the Husky Norden 901 for example? These 2 are actually the two bikes I like the best and I am still deciding which would be a better choice? I am a German car and bike guy so naturally I am leaning more towards the Husky 😊

[@mancavemoto]

I didn't mention it as there was nothing to report to be honest. It was pretty slick with a positive action, I never had any false neutrals or missed shifts. I did exactly what i would expect it to do.

[@roverroko306]

Ok Tony thank you much, I didn’t ride the Desert X yet. In my country unfortunately very hard to come by demo rides, hopefully I will soon. But I did try the V4 Multistrada. The gearbox on it wasn’t as bad as I had expected, but it still wasn’t perfect and smooth, just not as precise as the gearbox on the Norden for example. Might be they are finally significantly improving in their gearboxes. Still don’t understand why so many people reviewing the Desert X explicitly mentioned the clunky gearbox… Still worries me. I know I have go on a demo ride to see for myself, but I also appreciate your opinion. So how would you compare it to the Norden 901?

[@mancavemoto]

Its pretty similar to ride to be honest.

[@christianmouraux7269]

Nice bike but I don’t see what it brings more than a KTM 890 Adventure that would justify the delta price..? Thank you for the video

[@mancavemoto]

I would have to agree and the KTM has better suspension in my opinion. It’s subjective but the Ducati is prettier if that’s an important part.

[@yiannishayabusaofficial]

AWESOME VIDEO AMAZING FANTASTIC ! ! ! ! ! !

[@mancavemoto]

Cheers

[@theeschatechannel2854]

Is this compatible to the Africa twin? If so, which would you pick?

[@mancavemoto]

This is a bit lighter, and slimmer, but I think the AT looks and sounds better. I may be a bit biased as I am a big AT fan, especially with DCT. I know what I’d pick 😉

[@theeschatechannel2854]

@@mancavemoto same. I like the styling of both but Hondas reliability and global service network can’t be ignored. AT all the way! You should do a comparison video.

[@toltod]

Air Filter access is an issue for regular offroad riding

[@marcusgeorge1825]

Great review as always Tony. Thank you for putting this together. As I’m considering adding a bike like this one to my collection. My main question for you is I’m 6’3” (so no problem with the seat height), just the non adjustable screen. Would I be getting an abundance of turbulent air hitting me in the face or is the screen high enough? 👍😎🇦🇺

[@mancavemoto]

You might be ok, but I think they offer a taller touring version?

[@marcusgeorge1825]

@@mancavemoto A taller screen may not be as pleasing to the eyes though.

[@IanTed]

Prefer my Multi V2S, much lower and in my opinion a lot better looking, if I wanted to off road it wouldn’t be on any Ducati and I’d choose something a lot lighter and smaller, they share an awesome engine though. Servicing is expensive but then it is every 9000 miles and overall I think it’s comparable with other premium brands.

[@anxiousappliance]

It is really every 18,000 miles. Changing oil in a wetsump is essentially one bolt and a filter.

[@tennispennis7579]

Does it wheelie? And while it seems to be well designed not sure its worth 15K , 9 yes 11 maybe but + tax its not my cuppa. You can get a transalp for under £1500 that will do this and more....

[@mostlikely...]

🏁🏆

[@D.E.X]

Ducati nailed an over-priced, complicated to maintain, perfect ADV. It's perfect if you are rich and pay people to work on your bike. Now, we just need someone like Suzuki or Yamaha to duplicate everything easy to maintain at a price that's half that of a Ducati, while fixing the engineering faults that make it hard to maintain by a wrencher.

[@anxiousappliance]

Top line Suzuki vstrom 1050 costs the same. It's not out of line for the norms in this class.

[@tracey38999]

Reminds me of my 2013 super tenere . only 100 pounds lighter!

[@RealHooksy]

It’s not an adventure bike if you can’t change the air filter yourself without taking the tank off. Sorry if this information triggers anyone, but I can’t help that. It might be ok in the uk perhaps, but here in Australia it will probably be reserved for wealthy posers who only ride on bitumen.

[@KevinofWessex]

What a looker.....

[@paulg4213]

21 litres of petrol is circa 15.75 kg

[@mancavemoto]

Petrol weight can vary depending on octane rating, anywhere from 71g to 79g per litre. But dry weight also means no oil or other fluids, so add that in and thats where you get the fully wet weight.

[@paulg4213]

@@mancavemoto I realise that’s a typo but 71 to 79g/litre. Is that after atomisation? 😂. And don’t forget the windscreen washer fluid.

[@BobberRider]

I'm sure it's great utility bike, but... to me, in the white colour, it looks like fourteen grand's worth of fridge. It leaves me cold. ;-)

[@mancavemoto]

Ha, I see what you did there 😂

[@lyndonp3391]

£1200 to change the oil and a valve check!. Hell😖

[@marksimpson5218]

Yes, that is a crazy price. You would not want to do many miles on that bike.

[@defylifeadventure]

And worse, there's not service manual for it, so you're on your own if you decided to forgo the dealer service. Fine for some, but possibly quite daunting for others.

[@anxiousappliance]

@@marksimpson5218 At 36,000 miles you would have had 2 services, and traveled almost twice around the world. Not bad - but any bike has service charges, the question is what is the difference between them - maybe a few hundred squid?

[@TheSweetasanut]

They are having a laugh over £1000 valves total joke unrealistic africa twin much better and running costs normal

[@anxiousappliance]

How much s an africa twin valve service?

[@andrewsoldan6050]

Ducati pricing is crazy, they're nuts. I mean it's a not a BMW after all. Build quality is even lower LOL

[@mancavemoto]

They are pricey, but build qulaity and finish is very good

[@andrewsoldan6050]

@@mancavemoto like that have to zip tie some parts? :)

[@bcinspectorman]

"all the reviews seem to be positive", hmmm, wonder why...did everyone get invited, all expenses paid, for by Ducati, to "review" this new bike?

[@robfearonphotographyhillwa9583]

Im sorry but the Africa Twin is a much better all round accomplished bike and much better looking, in my opinion anyway, i think its bland just my opinion

[@mancavemoto]

I would have to agree with you on the AT

[@robfearonphotographyhillwa9583]

@@mancavemoto Thanks for reply, for me it just lacking in looks I'm sure its very good, but we different. good video again thank you

[@sanjosejeff]

Two things. Heavier than an 890 and the air box crap is a deal breaker. What if I wanna go on a long dusty ride and be gone in the bush for a week??? Come on Ducati. Your not dealing with cappuccino sipping Italians taking day rides into the forest. KTM gets it. Your dealing with ex dirt bikers or still riding them. Same with Africa twin or the tenere.

[@mancavemoto]

I’d take the 890 over this…..

[@kozatas]

I'd prefer my $5000 1150 GSA over this one.

[@flamintasty]

Other poor people probably feel the same way. LOL

[@shamuso1596]

Compared with africa twin, errrrrrr looks too plastic electric bikeish. Not a looker.

[@mancavemoto]

The AT is hard to beat