I ride a 2020 Harley Road Glide Special but I'm gonna attempt to review a bike way outside what I normally am comfortable with. This is the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled!
That Desert Sled is a Scrambler, super fun, a great bike if you do lots of different types of riding but can only have one bike. A Swiss Army knife for sure
Thanks for the review! I think your impression is pretty much on point. I have a 2022 Desert Sled and love it! Its a second bike to my street bike (2018 Kawasaki Z900RS) and its nice to have both these bikes to choose from. I replaced the Desert Sled's seat with a Sargent and now the bike is as comfortable as can be for all day riding.
If you like cruisers… you’ll never enjoy a bike that forces you to work off of the geometry of anything else. Cruisers require zero skill. If however you enjoy becoming an extension of the bike to navigate curves etc., you’ll love everything except a cruiser. I personally get bored on them and would just assume be in a car.
the desert sled can only be superlight to a harley rider...its about 50kg heavier than a Ktm 640 and heavier than my Speed triple...it is a beautiful & enjoyable bike but needs a serious diet
I never understand why people leave those ugly stickers on the frames and tanks of bikes. First thing I do when I get a new bike home is to borrow the wife's hairdryer and melt every single one of them off. They serve no purpose as the Police and Customs are trained to ignore them for ID purposes and only inspect the stampings on the steering head. Any dealership will do the same. When you have a beautiful red trellis frame why would you want it covered in stupid stickers?
A well reasoned road test from a rider willing to try something different. Kudos. On the chance you may do this again allow me to suggest you leave it on the side stand and get on it like a horse - boot on the peg-swing a leg-get it on the wheels-fold up the stand. This thing is top heavy when stopped, can be balanced easily on either foot, and will track through some terrible terrain from 1st gear on up with few surprises. Yea, I'm a 'short' guy too. . . This bike answers the question of those building desert sleds out of Triumphs, BSA, Norton, Honda, Yamaha, etc. back in the 60's. Good times, I remember 'em well.
If you put a gear lower in all the situations in your clip (I mean, where you used the 4th gear, use the 3rd next time), then you‘ll feel the sexyness of the Ducatis :) Duc‘s like to be reved very high…
What a great bike! The design team at Ducati just knocked it out of the park. Super great ergos with this bike. Many aftermarket company’s make a luggage set ups for it. That bike must be about 40 pounds lighter with the cat off that sits under the swing arm. You want big power, and luggage… try the Ducati multistrada v4. Love the Desert Sled!
Good for you getting this out man. The Scrambler bikes are like a throw back to the bikes that weren’t really meant to go off road in the 70’s and 80’s. It’s 100% not an adventure touring bike. Just like the Harley - the Ducati Desert X Adventure bike is almost double the cost and has all the gear you talked about. This is all about throw on the Kevlar jeans and hit the road, any road. I grew up riding on my dad’s Harley’s and 70’s Japanese 750’s like the Virago and this brings back memories. It’s like modern tech and engine on the old school ride. I have a new Ducati Monster Street Bike now (basically a naked sport bike) that can not go off paved at all and for the price of the Ducati Scrambler, I am thinking about this as a second bike to hit up some gravel and mountain roads - but for more hard core off road riders, you can definitely get a KTM 890R for a couple grand more and do it all if you don’t mind a bike that looks like it came out of an 80’s Tron movie. Cheers from Canada.
I might try the Desert Sled because it supposedly sits up higher than many other bikes. If it is reliable, I'd ride it to work and rack up the miles while having something between my KTM 990 SMR and Honda XR650R. Haven't done my research yet so I am wondering if this Scrambler has a decent motor when considering longevity and simplicity.
Is that a Mod on the tail light? I don´t see the back turn signals. Does this bike have a modification or does did they just take the back turn signals away?
I've got the scrambler classic. Not as much off road but it'll do it. But on the back twisty roads. The Multistrada is the adventure bike 175 hp and no desmo service
I am 5'5" with only a 29" inseam. I got the lower seat, which drops the seatheight 1/2 inch, and the dealership lowered the rear shock by 1/4". I must tippy toe it at stops. On the first day, I dropped it three times because I kept forgetting to stop on a flat area. I made the mistake of trying to lean to the side which the ground was lower, and my foot never found the ground. However, since then I have gone at least 2,000 miles and never dropped it again. I got use to the tippy toe thing. At traffic lights, I make a habbit of leaning slightly to the right tippytoe, then bounce those right toes and shift the bikes weight over to the left side (left tippytoes); I go back and forth like a slow titter-totter, making a balancing game of it. I have never dropped the bike doing this. The best tip for getting on the bike and going: With the kickstand down, use your left foot to step up onto the bike, swinging your right leg over the seat. Sit down on the seat, now with both feet on their pegs (kickstand is still down). Now lean your weight slowly to the right, until it starts tipping right. Quick put your right foot down.... well, actually, it is only your tiptoes, because your foot will be aimed down. Now, with the right toes down and the bike tipping slightly right, your kickstand should be off the ground and you can use your left heel to kick it up and out of the way. Yesterday, my friend welded a 4 inch metal piece to my kickstand (About half way up); This makes it even easier for my short legs/left foot to find the stand and kick it up with my heel.
I bought a 2017 used in good condition 3500 miles for $6k. I am the same height as you 5 foot 9. My heels are up off the ground a bit but not bad at all on the height. I have been riding offroad since 2010 so experience helps with taller heavier bikes. This ducati would be a tough bike to learn how to ride offroad on, for a smaller sized rider. If you're an experienced offroad rider it shouldn't be an issue...Just my opinion...
"Maybe I'm getting older, but the summers are way worse..." OF COURSE PEOPLE LOL climate change is hitting like a ton of bricks it has to be hard not to notice all the extreme heat, flood, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, etc 🤣🤣🤣
Just a thought, you might want to read a manual before you jump on a bike for the first time. I know it's going to be a big stretch for you, just an idea.