Yahoo Autos 2024 Ducati DesertX Rally is one tough, powerful off-road motorcycle
In 1990 and 1994, Edi Orioli won the Dakar Rally on Cagiva Elefant motorcycles, each moto powered by an air-cooled V-twin of around 900 cc supplied by Ducati. Cagiva didn't make what were considered big bike engines for the time, and it owned Ducati, which did. It wasn't until Ducati launched the Multistrada in 2003 that the Bolognese brand took to the trail on its own. Another 20 years later, with the launch of the 2024 Ducati DesertX Rally, it's possible the Bologna company — owned by Audi since 2012 — could be considering a trip back to Dakar with a machine all its own. The DesertX Rally is an upgraded version of the standard Ducati DesertX adventure bike introduced for the 2023 model year, a two-wheeler designed for aggressive trail riding. The DesertX was the first Ducati in the modern era to fit a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel, it's low-gear ratios are perfect for slow off-road riding, and it has six driving modes, each of them tweaked through multiple levels of engine power, engine braking, traction control, wheelie control, and cornering ABS.
