2024 Ducati DesertX Rally Confirmed in CARB Filings
A more hardcore DesertX awaits
For a brand best known for its exotic sportbikes, Ducati sure impressed us with the DesertX, its first modern off-road dedicated adventure bike. With its torquey 937cc engine, 21/18-inch wheel combo, and long-travel suspension, the DesertX was our runner-up for the Best Adventure Motorcycle of 2022 behind the Aprilia Tuareg 660. Thanks to an executive order published by the California Air Resources Board, we now know the DesertX will be joined by a new Rally variant for 2024.
The executive order, dated May 31, 2023, certifies the engine and emission control systems for the 2024 DesertX. While the data is unchanged from the 2023 executive order, a new 2024 Ducati DesertX Rally was added to the list of certified models.
Unfortunately, the executive order doesn’t tell us much more about the DesertX Rally, or how it differs from the regular model. The Multistrada V4 also comes in a Rally variant, but many of its upgrades like longer-travel suspension and wire-spoke wheels are already on the base model DesertX. With the DesertX positioned as a more capable off-road model than the Multistrada, we expect the Rally variant to lean even more in that direction.
We assume the DesertX Rally will come standard with several items from Ducati’s accessory catalog, such as a beefier skidplate and protective bars, similar to the bike we had equipped for our recent adventure tour in South Dakota. The accessory 2.1-gallon tail-mounted auxiliary fuel tank may also be part of the package, as actual rally racers come equipped with extra tanks to handle the long distances.
We expect Ducati will announce the DesertX Rally along with any other new or updated models in the fall, again in a series of online presentations leading up to EICMA.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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