Ducati DesertX (2026) - Technical Review

Ducati hasn’t made any secret of the fact it’s original DesertX – based around the 937cc Testastretta 11° engine – has been living on borrowed time since it became the last machine in the range with the old-generation twin. Now its replacement has been revealed in full and while the appearance is instantly recognisable as a DesertX the technology and construction underneath is entirely different to the machine that started the DesertX line back in 2021.

Pros & Cons

2026 Ducati DesertX - Price & PCP Deals

At launch Ducati has given the 2026 DesertX an introductory price of £14,995, slipping below the £15,195 starting price for the previous-gen version despite the improved tech and reduced running costs of the latest iteration.

That tag is only set to be available until June 30th 2026, though, before the offer expires. After that, the RRP is expected to rise by £500 to £15,495.

Where the previous range included the more expensive DesertX Discovery at £17,295 and the top-of-the-line DesertX Rally at £19,295, the 2026 lineup starts with just a single model, so you’ll have to delve into the options list to spend more and raise the equipment levels.

There’s no choice on colours, either: it’s Matt Star White Silk (that’s simply ‘white’ in plain English) or nothing, and bikes are due in dealers in April this year.

2026 Ducati DesertX- Engine & Performance

By adopting Ducati’s 890cc engine the DesertX now shares its powerplant with the rest of the company’s current liquid-cooled twins – bringing a commonality of components that’s got to help keep costs down when it comes to production and parts supplies – but it’s in a DesertX-specific state of tune.

The engine, which does without the evocative Italianate names of its predecessors in favour of simple ‘V2’ branding, steps away from the company’s recent heritage by ditching desmodromic valve actuation, a tilted ‘L-twin’ layout and belt-driven camshafts. Instead it’s a more conventional 90-degree V-twin with two chain-driven camshafts per bank and conventional coil-sprung valves. It does, however, have variable inlet valve timing – something that none of its direct rivals can claim.

The benefits of the new V2 engine go beyond economies of scale. It’s lighter and more compact than earlier Ducati twins, and helps dispel the idea that Italian bikes are maintenance-hungry by offering huge service intervals: 15,000km (9,000 miles) or two years between oil changes and 45,000km (28,000 miles) between valve clearance checks. The old bike needed its valves doing every 30,000km (18,000 miles) so you’re getting another 10,000 miles of use before facing that bill.

The bare performance figures are very close to the old, 937cc Testastretta 11° V-twin: the new motor claims 110.3hp at 9,000rpm where the old bike managed 110hp at 9,250rpm, and torque peaks at an identical 68lb-ft, albeit at 7,000rpm instead of the previous model’s 6,500rpm. Ducati says 70% of that torque is on tap from as little as 3,000rpm, though.

It should feel like more, because the new bike has shorter gearing for the first four ratios, helping its acceleration and low-speed, off-road ability, paired with a longer sixth gear for relaxed cruising and improved fuel consumption.

2026 Ducati DesertX - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The new engine isn’t the only big departure that Ducati’s taken with its recent machines and the time-proven steel trellis frame has been another casualty as the company turns towards cast aluminium monocoques. The DesertX follows in the footsteps of other recently-revised ‘V2’ models – the Monster, Hypermotard, Streetfighter, Multistrada and Panigale – by adopting just such a chassis.

It’s a design that, like the trellis before it, Ducati is aiming to claim as a signature of its bikes, as the company’s V4 machines follow the same thinking, leaving only the Scrambler range and the new ‘Heritage’ line (currently a single model, the Formula 73) using steel frames.

Ducati points out that the monocoque frame, which houses the airbox, gives easier access to the air filter on the DesertX, making it simple to remove and clean after those desert rides, as well as being more compact and structurally rigid than older designs. At 209kg wet (but with no fuel in the tank), the new model is 1kg lighter than its predecessor.

The suspension at either end comes from KYB, with fully-adjustable, 46mm USD forks and a rising rate monoshock that’s also fully adjustable for damping as well as featuring a remote preload adjuster. Compared to the previous DesertX, Ducati says the new forks are smoother and better offroad than before.

The bike’s offroad intentions are telegraphed by the 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, both wire-spoked and fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Rally Street rubber as standard, with the option of other Scorpion variants to give either greater offroad prowess or a more road-biased setup.

Brakes? It’s a Ducati, so they’re from Brembo, with the well-proven M4.32 radial calipers at the front on two 305mm discs and a two-pot Brembo caliper and 265mm disc at the back.

2026 Ducati DesertX - Comfort & Economy

The adventure bike riding position means there’s no shortage of space onboard, although the standard seat height is a lofty 880mm that could be too much for some. If that’s the case, there’s a low suspension and seat kit that can drop that figure to 840mm.

The fuel tank is made of plastic and both slimmer and lighter than the old version, with an 18-litre capacity instead of the previous 21-litres. It promises to give more scope to move around on the bike, shifting your bodyweight for offroad riding, and because it’s narrower should help make the bike feel wieldier than before.

The reduction in fuel capacity is partially offset by the improved fuel consumption, which goes from 50.4mpg for the previous model to 52.3mpg on the new one. That means there’s a theoretical range of 207 miles from brimmed to empty from the 18-litre tank, where the old model would have managed an equally hypothetical 233 miles if you could achieve the quoted economy figures and were prepared to run the tank dry. In the real world? You’ll probably be stopping well shy of 200 miles to fill up. If you need more range, you can opt to extend the fuel capacity with a rear-mounted auxiliary tank that adds another eight litres to bring the 2026 bike’s total to 26 litres.

Where the previous DesertX had a portrait-oriented TFT dash, following a trend for ‘roadbook-style’ instruments on adventure bikes, the new version has a more conventional, landscape-oriented layout that promises both improved visibility and more space to mount your own navigation instruments above it if you so desire.

2026 Ducati DesertX - Equipment

That TFT dash has three display modes – Road, Road Pro and Rally – plus day and night versions for each, and can be switched via the left bar controls, with emphasis on different readouts depending on the selected mode.

The ‘modes’ theme continues to the rest of the electronics. There are six riding modes – Sport, Touring, Urban, Wet, Enduro and Rally – each customisable and able to tweak the throttle response and the bike’s rider assists, which are typically comprehensive as we’ve come to expect from Ducati. There’s cornering ABS and cornering traction control courtesy of a six-axis IMU, plus wheelie control and engine brake control. Again, each can be tailored to suit your own preference with several levels of intervention.

An up/down quick-shifter is standard, too, and like other recent Ducatis it uses internal sensors instead of a shift-linkage load sensor, promising more direct feel and faster operation than other systems. It also means there’s less exposed gadgetry to damage or clog with dirt.

2026 Ducati DesertX - Rivals

Since virtually every motorcycle manufacturer on the planet is gunning for the adventure bike segment there’s no shortage of options in the ‘inspired by Dakar’ class – but many are road-oriented machines that are more style than substance when it comes to real offroad ability, and few have a brand name as strong as Ducati’s on the tank.

However, if you’ve got the DesertX on your shopping list, you might want to consider these alternatives:

BMW F900GS Adventure | Price: £14,060

Read more

Power/Torque

105bhp/68.6lb-ft

Weight

246kg

Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE | Price: £13,895

Read more

Power/Torque

89bhp/81.1lb-ft

Weight

230kg

Honda Africa Twin | Price: £13,399

Read more

Power/Torque

100.5bhp/82.6lb-ft

Weight

231kg

2026 Ducati DesertX - Verdict

At its sub-£15k introductory price the new DesertX looks like something of a bargain, given the level of equipment, brand-name components and performance on offer. Ducati has been going from strength to strength in recent years, boldly ditching conventions and straying from elements of its heritage (like that Desmo valve train) without shedding customers in the process, and there’s no indication that the 2026 DesertX won’t be just as substantial an upgrade over its predecessor as other latest-gen Ducatis have proved to be when compared to their ancestors. You can be pretty sure more versions will be coming in the future, too, to replace the old Discovery and Rally models.

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2026 Ducati DesertX - Technical Specification

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