Can This New Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled Do It All On-Road AND Off-Road? First Dirt Review 

I live in Wyoming, 12 miles from the foot of the mountain. My desert sled is my most prized possession.

Another noticeable difference between the Desert Sled and the Ktm is that the Ducati looks awesome...

I’ve ridden my 2015 Ducati Scrambler Classic, rebuilt like the Enduro + (stock suspension) over 13,000 miles with at least 40% off-road. I’ve done gnarly stream beads, muddy horse trails, 8 mile, baby-head rock, wide single track etc., It’s just a matter of tires. At 5’6”, 142lbs., 51yo, and a former amateur mountain bike racer, I scramble my Duc places weekly most Adv. bikes Never go. With any of the top 50/50 tires, the Desert Sled should be a blast on 80% of the roads, streets, trails, paths, jeep trails, logging roads etc……. Just get training, always practice, join a club, periodically take classes in all disciplines of motorcycling etc

Bought a new Desert Sled in 2020. After a couple of months I bought a spare front wheel hub and had Buchannan's lace a 21 in rim to it. Got appropriatly sized DOT knobby tyres and slid the tubes up the tripple clamps to where both boots touch the ground at the same time. Now the handling is like my '67 TR6C but with incredible suspension, brakes that work, clearance I haven't found the end of yet, unending usable power, and an ABS OFF system that electrically adds 2 teeth to the rear sprocket. Think I've got a keeper here - but then I've still got my 1955 Velocette, too.

Pretty honest review. I have a 2018 DS for almost 3 yrs now. On road is really comfortable and the bike can definitely ride on the hwy. If you get any lighter it is going to just blow around on the hwy with trucks. I've also taken it off road. Easy to run high speeds on dirt roads/gravel. Suspension has a good range of adjustment for off road to on road performance. Fun factor is ear to ear grin!! PS I also have a Multistrada and I still love riding my DS.

Great review. I’m in my 50’s and am done with motocross bikes. This is the type I would buy and just change the tires to a more aggressive for off road. The riding you did in this vid is what I would be doing. Seems perfect for my needs. Thanks again for the review 👍👍

Good review! I like the desert sled enough to be interested how it does on/off road. You answered the question. Thanks for posting this!

Good stuff! Love the Scrambler!

Fantastic- my Yammy XT-500 re-invented with double the capacity and an electric start (no more sprained ankles)! SOLD!

Fantastic review, TFL on 4 and 2 wheels 💪🏻

I love your videos, and also live in CO, so it's cool to recognize the trails.

Great video. I love my 2019 DS. I finally saw some dirt on a small section of the TET (Trans Euro Trail). The TET is about 51,000 KM of mostly off-road riding through Europe and parts of the UK. We have a vacation house in southern Spain, so I can take a ferry to North Africa, so that's on my bucket list.

Hip and ass comfort is important to us over 50 dudes

Nice video Rom

I loved your video. Thanks!

Just love the way their bikes look

70% road and 30% off road is exactly what I want.

5'5" here. I have this bike now for two months and have put on about 3,500 mi. I have ridden in the rain on country roads, rural highways, and interstates about 6 times now. The motorcycle never slipped in the rain or proved hard to stop. I have traveled about twenty miles on gravel and the bike does fine. I have ridden up a very steep rural highway hill and had no trouble reaching 103 mph doing it. Due to my short legs (29" inseam) I cannot flatfoot unless I have my butt more or less hanging off the side of the seat (obviously with only one foot down). [I have the lowered seat and the dealer dropped the suspension about a quarter inch. New lowered seat only lowered things by less than an inch, so all-n-all the seat height has only been dropped by about an inch, maybe an inch and a quarter on a good day.] I dropped the bike three times on the first day, because I forgot to check which way the ground below me slanted .......put the wrong foot down and kirplunk! Once the bike reaches a certain tilt, forget it, you ain't getting it back [If you have short legs, anyway.] I haven't dropped the bike since that first day, and now at stop lights I actually have fun teetertottering left and right, using my tippy toes to push off, left then right etc. It is VERY easy to ride this bike while standing up on the pegs. My biggest complaint is that finding a true Neutral can be difficult. It will usually just go into a "......." on the gear indicator screen. It is kind of a false Neutral, so if you let the clutch out or put the kickstand down, it shuts the engine down. It's starting to act funny sometimes in First or Second gear, when the engine is racing but I am barely moving. I do not know if something needs to be adjusted (clutch?) or the transmission will be an issue. Soon I also will have my friend weld a short piece of metal onto the kickstand, so I can find it easier with my heel when I want to kick it up to get going. As it is, the kickstand is hiding beneath the gear shift lever, so us short-legged riders have trouble even finding the kickstand with our heels. This is especially an issue when I am just trying to hold the bike up on slanted ground, and have to kick at the stand five or six times until my heel finally finds it. Hint to short riders: Always try to get on the bike on level ground, with the kickstand still down, step on the left peg (left foot) and stand up on that peg. From there it is really easy to throw your right leg over the seat and sit down. Then tilt the bike to the right, balancing then on your right foot, and use your left heel to kick up the kickstand. I think the best feature of the bike is that I can go from road to dirt/gravel without thinking much about it. The more I ride it, the easier it becomes to manage the weight and height. It is all a matter of clutch and brake (front and back) control, and keeping your body center of gravity in accord to the bike's.

great review.

Just the review I was looking for to see how this bike handles fire roads. I live in an area with fire roads that are quick to get to from the hwy. I could get in a quick 2-3 hr loop on this bike. Also, a Scrambler Icon would be doable since I have years of riding dirt bikes.

Awesome bike 👍

I like this model but not to replace my VMAX for the terrain you rode on in this test the tyres were more than adequate I have used those same tyres on a Yamaha TT350 enduro bike and the previous ones on my TT650 on far worse terrain.

Can TFL Bike do a Review of the BMW r9t scrambler, not many reviews on this new 2021 model or r9ts period, So it would be great if your team could do a review of the r9t models 2020 or 2021...

Check out the Ducati Korea Enduro videos. Definitely put the desert sled through it's paces and more.

I have an 02 Ducati monster 750SIe. I love my Ducati but the upkeep and pretty much everything is so expensive. I do all the work myself so can save some but even parts are costly.

Probably my next bike.

I’ve been looking at a Ducati desert sled left over at a local dealership. Have you taken any passengers with you at any point? How’s it feel with a second person on it?

I think this has the Harley oil cooled algorithm for when Davidson gets warm. I believe Ducati riders might still have to lane-split after certain period?? It's too bad they couldn't keep the weight of the Icon.

Did Roman sell the Triumph Scrambler?

The KTM 690 has similar horse power but it’s 100 lbs lighter. The KTM 890 weights the same as the Desert Sled but has 30 more HP, larger tank and wind protection. This Ducati was tempting for me with its retro vibe but the facts are incontrovertible. By the way, I’m told you have to remove the exhaust mid pipe and muffler to change the oil on the Ducati.

2:46 don’t worry. If you ride off-road you are going to lose the license plate bracket. Attached by three points. The rear attachment point is to the plastic fender. The 2 front points are through the frame into weld nuts. I misjudged a transition and hit a drop too fast. Besides knocking my fillings out it snapped the plastic mounting point and the weld nuts. Bought a fender eliminator kit and to be honest looks way sexier without that huge plate hanging out the back. ‘18 DS with a few accessories. I have been riding and racing since the eighties. I can honestly say this is the best all around bike I’ve ever owned. Also, dead sexy. Daily rider bought new and after 4 years I still get “sweet bike” every couple weeks……

Looks wise, good Looking bike. Right now, the adventure type bikes I'm interested in is the KTM 890 Adventure R (more off road biased) and the new Husqy Norden 901. THink the Ducati you're paying for the "Ducati tax" so, not sure itit is a trade of, though smooth engine. and if you want a Ducati, its fine. Just think the KTM endura may have been a bit better off road, , not not so on road. THe 890 ADv. & Norden, though, those are good road bikes. On KTMs, you need to pay extra for the Ergo seat! as far as tire,s, you can Change easily. I had a 390 Adv. back when it came out in 202, and replaced the TKC70s with TKC80s (a bit more nobby) and that along with dirt bike pegs, and a bar raiser, made that 390 a superb off road bike! still good on road. (also had to get a proper engine guard, b/c it came with a crappy plastic one) you could easilly fix some of the problems with the "sled", like tires, but I like the snap of the KTMs engine for off road. you don't need it on road, but it helps. Ducati does makes good looking bikes!

I wish this bike could be upgraded for more dirt capabilities. I notice the big round front tire sucks in most situations in loose dirt and sand these bikes will loose traction and the rider crashes. I saw a guy say his Susuki DRz400 SM was great in the dirt and the first bit of loose gravel he hit and he immediately nose dived. With a KLR the suspension is more dirt capable and the tall narrow front tire anchors and supports the riders in looser gravel and sandy trail conditions.

Shootout with the XC?

What is beter you opinion , this scrambler desert or Ktm 690 r enduro ???

What happened to the triumph 1200 scrambler?

If I were to ride offroad often I would just get a dirt bike or an enduro, people seem to pretend too much from their vehicles, you just can't have it all, you've got to sacrifice something. That being said the Ducati is a nice little bike that could definitely bring you off the beaten path.

Whats this trail called and what state? I'm on SoCal, that trail looks awesome

What foot pegs are on that desert sled? Those do not look like the OEM pegs.

Why am I so infatuated with this bike 😁

Nice balanced review. I'm thinking of getting a second bike next year to sit next to my R6. Want something primarily comfy and road focused, and would really like cruise control, but not a heavy pig that handles poorly. Thinking tenere 700 and aftermarket cc, or if I stretch the budget maybe a Bonneville bobber. Had a CB500X and want something with a bit more poke than that. Thoughts?

I always wonder how does the desert sled compare to the triumph scrambler 1200xc when it comes to off road riding, because on paper both these 2 bikes have 200mm suspension travels, the triumph is heavier but has got the big 21inch front wheel. I can't decide, but leaning towards the triumph.

The gloves brother. I want them. Brand? Link?

Where was this your riding ?

Is it really a TFT? Great-looking bike.

Sounds like the capabilities are more akin to the T7 than the 690. Italian flair, and that sound, vs Yamaha reliability and off-pavement chops. Today's motorcycle buyers have tough choices to make!

Need a pure sound of this bike...no has done it yet.

I can do the same thing on my Harley Sportster. All I'd have to do it swap tires and rear shocks. The shocks take ten min nutes to swap out.

This or a Husqvarna 701 supermoto? Light commuting, reliability and fun that's all I want from a bike.

FYI a seat concepts seat for $300 would have fixed the shit seat on the KTM

You should test the equivalent Moto Guzzi v85 TT

I'm tore between this and the T7. I'm saying DS even for offroad stuff as the suspension is so good. But missing the 21/18

@4:27 This is definitely a beginner bike, unless you are a bloody beginner. Beginner always come in different flavours. :)

Looking for a new toy. This is on my list

How are you riding through that river without getting your boots waterlogged???

Roman, The proper term you were looking for at the 1:10 mark in the video was L-Twin engine. Some may even accept v-twin, or twin cylinder in a pinch, but "dual cylinder", while technically correct, just sounds so wrong. At least you didn't claim it was a parallel twin, or an I-twin engine. I hope you enjoy your new Ducati. I know my wife and I have been enjoying ours since we started buying them back in 2007.

Is the triumph still in the stable?

The exhaust is to low to go in water! You got lucky

Sorry. ABS will always come back on. Doesn't matter what brand. Just the way it is.

Do You wheelie?

Getting it wet! Good for you!

KTM 690 doesn’t cost 9k new. More like 11k

Sorry old chap, I think your 2015 KTM690 was a better bike. Surprised you didn't mention the weight of the Desert Sled (425Dry/460Wet but complained about the weight of the KTM690R (315dry/340wet)? As for tall seat you easy shave the seat down or get a low and wider seat, switch to a lighter/cooler exhaust, and get KTM ABS dongle. However, perhaps he'll like the CRF450L better.

Mr. fancy-glasses.

Great video but I'd rather see the Honda monkey

I don’t follow no man, Roman. But, man oh man, I’m very pleased to know we got the same taste. Got a Toyota 4Runner and Ducati desert sled myself.

This or the Triumph Scrambler?…you can only have one

Thanks for the review. You definitely want to default to ABS on and you want to go through the effort to turn it off because 95% of riders are on the street.

Roman.... You look like a super hero from the Avengers!

They eat chains and sprockets! Why?

Okay, I've gotta comment. . . .the SEAT is one of the biggest differences between a 690 and a Sled ?? Dude, buy an aftermarket seat for ~200. and your 690 will be plush too. The differences between these two is too vast to sum up in a paragraph. . .such a huge difference that the two bikes can't be compared, practically. A big, off road thumper vs. a small, roadie twin.

No

Does your boot still rub on the mufflers…you went IMHO from an extremely capable off road motorcycle in the KTM to road bike

Someone has been watching too much yammy noob

i think its a downgrade going from the ktm to this. if you were more of a city guy then yes but off road the ktm was golden

Why are you sitting while crossing the stream (and almost everywhere off-road)?!?! Don’t complain about the less- than tallest tires /wheels/ tread pattern when you ride like a lost Harley boy!

Let it rip tater chip

There are much better bikes for this purpose, ktm, Yamaha tenere and so on. This is just an italian over styled vehicle...

you are not old Roman just out of shape... there are guys way way older then you and ride big bikes...

Great bike but clearly not the best off-road motorcycle - it looks cool but weighs the same as the moon. Do you have a stalker? Why else would you need to wear that bullet proof clothing?

You ARE NOT riding OFF-ROAD, you are riding on a dirt road! Single-track trails are off-road. What a newbie!