Ducati DesertX Rally Launched At ₹23.71 Lakh

After its global launch last year, the Ducati DesertX Rally has finally landed on our shore. An even more hardcore iteration of the already extremely capable DesertX and it will set you back by ₹23.71 lakh (ex-showroom India). Distinguishable from the standard adventure bike with its dedicated livery, and a longer list of features, including specific wheels – the DesertX Rally has been engineered to cater to hardcore off-road enthusiasts. 

While the trellis frame with cast aluminium double sided swingarm setup is the same as the standard DesertX, in the Ducati DesertX Rally instead is suspended with premium 48 mm KYB closed cartridge forks and 46 mm KYB monoshock. Both units get adjustable compression and rebound, and the compression on the shock absorber can even be adjusted for high and low speed behaviour as well. Additionally, it also features adjustable Ohlins steering damper that is fixed to the handlebar, and machined fork clamps. All of these updates have further helped increase ground clearance. So, the Ducati DesertX Rally stands tall 280 mm off the ground, which is 30 mm more than the standard DesertX. Moreover, Ducati has also collaborated with Pirelli to come up with new Pirelli Scorpion STR tyres that will be available exclusively with the DesertX Rally. 

Mechanically, the DesertX equips the same Testastretta 937 cc, L-twin engine as the standard Desert, but it produces 2bhp more at 110 bhp, and the peak torque output has remained the same at 92 Nm. To ensure this added performance is tapped adequately, the DesertX Rally gets six customizable ride modes (up from five): Sport, Touring, Urban, Wet, Enduro, and Rally. 

Safety is paramount, and with the DesertX Rally, Ducati has equipped 3 levels of cornering ABS adjustability, eight levels of traction control, Ducati Wheelie Control, cruise control and Engine brake control, as standard equipment. The controls for all this features can be accessed via the 5-inch TFT instrument cluster. This unit also supports smartphone connectivity via the Ducati Link App, and thereby it also gets you turn-by-turn navigation, call/SMS alert, and music playback control as well.