On a scale of one to frantic hand gestures, how much emozione does the Desert X have? Also a huge shout out to Kent and Scott for bringing this bike down for the day!
Spite, for doing adv tests (as an addict of taking heavy bikes off-road) I would advise including a deep sand section in your off-road ride test. The weight distribution and the standing position makes such a huge difference in how you can glide through deep sand and it's good to know what these machines offer in that regard. And I mean deep sand - like when you sink down to your brake calipers deep ;)
Spite your channel is getting more views on average than every video Yammie has put out since letting you go. Hope you know you were the heart and soul of that channel and it shows since everyone is coming to yours and leaving his. Keep it up man! You're doing great!
Spite is actually getting more views? Funny. I unsubbed from YN and never looked back. Dudes ego is clearly out of control and that cannot be rewarded. Assumed the channel was too big to fail though, maybe not? I think the whole team over there was capable of creating great content together. It's a shame things turned out like they did. Truly. Feel a bit bad for Josh and Whitney. Hope Yam gets a clue for his own sake.
I'm still subbed to him but barely watch a video now. He's doing 15k-35k a video down from a 65k-100k average. He really made a bad decision and I'm sure he's feeling the heat. His add revenue must be really down and I'm sure that's hurting his new warehouse payment. I hope he doesn't start letting his team go to cover expenses, must of been a dream job of theirs and now it could all be ruined because of a bad decision from a boss.
@@kleinbottled79 I think you are correct about him being to big to fail but his views r def dropping off and Spites vids r ABSOLUTELY killing it with views! But that other guy puts out way more vids I think that's what gonna keep him rolling. But we all know who got that channel to point it is at! Spite is def on his way to big big numbers
Rather than posting things like this, not mentioning Y-guy honestly is better use of your time. Every time you say his name, it means extra recognition.
Good job. We need more reviewers like you. Keep going! I found the DesertX to be very, very capable offroad. But, do you want to damage it, do you want to maintain it, pay for the service, deal with Ducati's lack of service manuals, the inaccessible air filter, etc. That's the issue. Amazing bike to ride, and will make many owners happy, just not the DIY types.
We need a Big Rock Moto/Spites Corner crossover! I really love the Desert X looks but Ducatti really makes working on things yourself so hard to do. And after looking around for months for a T7 I landed on the Tuareg 660 and couldn't be happier 🤟🏾
I ride this bike for one year straight now on a 50-50 road / off-road basis. It's the best bike I have ever owned, especially off-road. But it's dream come true also on tarmac. A true all-round adventure bike for enduristas❤ The Desmo is brilliant, and has the longest service cycles in the industry. BTW I have been riding motorbikes for 40 years now...
Well said. 👍 I started riding dirt bikes in the late '70s (2 strokes), then rode dirt and street in the '80s (2 Strokes/XT-600/GSX-Rs). Didn't ride for 3 decades. The DesertX changed that. I picked mine up in May and already have over 2k miles on it.
Your channel is in my top 5 favourite channels on this platform, thank you for sharing your content with us! Greetings from Latvia, looking forward to more uploads.
Didn’t watch YN all that much because, let’s be honest, he’s kind of a DB. Having said that, watched a bunch of yours the last couple of weeks. You’re a natural at it, easy to watch and enjoy. Keep em coming.
Love this type content man. Your presentation style is entertaining but not scream-y and childish like the other channel you were a part of. Keep it up brother.
The Ducati has two handlebar settings, for on road and for offroad. It is marked clearly on the bars. Off road is a higher position slightly more forward, if you are tall this is best for onroad as well. It cures the issue you had.
I am so glad you are still making content! You have a solid take on bikes and I truly appreciate your opinion and find myself not only agreeing with you, but using it to make better decisions in my motorcycle world.
I really like how deep in depth you go on your reviews!! I can listen to these reviews all the time because you can tell that you actually care about the bikes!!!
I own an Elefant 900 and it’s amazing. I’ll add one of these to my garage someday as well once these old Starbucks riders start getting rid of them in a few years
I too grew up with the Elefant and set-up a 1999 Cagiva Gran Canyon 900 as my ADV bike. With knobby's and suspension tuning it is a great bike and very close to the Phant. The motor is outstanding for ADV touring and the torque and sound is amazing..
For a middle weight adventure bike, I fell for the Moto Guzzi V85TT. 6 gallon tank, SUV utility with the boxes that come with it, adequate power, easy maintenance, all the tech stuff with the exception of a quick shifter, and still has the great Italian style.
"An excellent bike that I don't want to buy" is a perfect summary! I would go 890 adventure for the extra torque vs the Tuareg, but the 890 just feels great to ride with the low fuel pods.
I did the same, buying a 890R instead of the excellent Tuareg660, while the excellent DesertX is insanely expensive, and the 890R still better for cheaper (having tested them all, I sold my 701E and will keep my 500excf beside the 890R )
@@gillesgenete9598 Gilles, I needed this comment. I'm currently having the dilemma of to go 890 Adv R or not. I have a 18 300 XC-W, a 23 500 EXC-F, and a 08 KLR650 (heavily modded, both suspension and power). The KLR I'm trying to daily and occasional touring and BDRs. It's just not very fun. Low power and crappy brakes. I think the 890 will be more fun and better in every way other than cost and possibly reliability. Hop on Advrider and the 890 seems to have considerably more issues than the 300 and 500s. Would love to hear your experience so far. I had also considered the 690/701 but bought the 500 instead.
Olá a todos, quero começar por dizer que noto uma clara evolução na qualidade geral dos vídeos. Estes pequenos apontamentos de humor que o Spite introduz no início dos seus vídeos trazem uma nota de alegria necessária para que se tornem distintos dos restantes canais de motociclos. A edição do vídeo também parece estar a evoluir bastante e posso apenas desejar que se mantenha neste caminho para se tornar um canal extremamente relevante para todos os motociclistas. Boa semana para todos.
The vertical orientation of the TFT is so fun, Kubrickian 2001 monolith vibe, in addition to Rally-map homage. The KTM 890(R) seems like the move price wise
Getting fired from Yammi Noob is the best thing that could of happened to you. You're producing videos that real riders/adults want to watch.. Thank You
God I love the looks of this bike! The price is fair for the upper adv market. But the Desmo service and replacement parts cost scares me away. That’s why I think the Africa twin will be my adv of choice.
Short stroke on a shift lever makes it really hard to get into neutral, but really smooths out a quickshifter. If your gearshifter has an adjustable linkage, you can change this for each situation...
Man what a machine. Super glad the boys in Big D brought this exclusive Duc down for you to review . Sounds like just the bike to hop on the freeway and head for some Colorado exploring. Great review Spite, gonna go find the Toureg now .
I've watched my KLR backflip back down a 50' hill after catching a rut the wrong way. Once I finished sliding down the hill I picked it up and did it right the second time. I didn't even feel bad hosing it down with krylon and slapping a few Etsy decals on it.
I never took my 1st KLR off road, but I did forcibly park it in the side of a Van at one point.. when I got the salvage back it was 6 inches shorter front to back but it still fired up, I wen't out and bought another one soon as I could ride again :)
I crushed the rear subframe on mine in the first few weeks "Sticking a Landing". The footpegs tore out of the frame and the rear subframe didn't like my 300+ coming down on it. I remade the subframe with sch120 9 chrome and welded the peg brackets to the frame after I drilled and tapped the footpeg bolts to 3/8 24.
That intro was hilarious and awesome! Judging by the joy in your voice it seems like these Italian ADV bikes are a lot of fun. Amazing that you got one of these to ride and review, it shows the power of loyal grassroots support over the more “corporate” approach to RU-vid, and I love to see it.
Ducati, for people who love motorcycles but want to hate the one they own while still somehow inexplicably thinking they're better than everyone else for loving (but secretly hating) a motorcycle that consistently makes them hate motorcycles. guilty
On behalf of all euro trash like myself, thank you for adding the whole kg nm and seathight thing. We appreciate the time you’ve invested into doing that. Respect my man! Little tip: we do the whole seat hight thing in mm. Basically just remove the “.” 😂 I hope subscription numbers explode soon. Happy to see you’re doin fine!
Here in Canada the diffeence between the Desert X and the base Africa Twin is about $2000. For that you get tubeless rims, a quickshifter, better electronics and better suspension. As the current owner of a Multistrada and '16 Africa Twin, i can say that the maintenance costs are similar, and the build quality is noticeably better on the Ducati than the Honda. I love both of my bikes but am thinking the Desert X might finally be the 1 bike to replace them both. 🤔 But can I live without the 150 hp rush of the Multistrada???
Major props to the fan who lent you the bike. That's awesome. I'm torn between the DX and a KTM 890 Adventure R for my next bike. The DX ergonomically is basically perfect for me, and comes highly recommended from some folks I trust. But I do tend to thrash big bikes in technical off-road environments. And I expect the DX will be pretty expensive to fix. I'm also a DIY guy, and the fact that they won't be offering a service manual just p*sses me off. But I know ow the bike will be amazing and fun to ride. On the other hand, the KTM 890 has well-documented mechanical reliability issues. Given where I ride, I am really wary about a bike that can be like flipping a coin if you are going to get a lemon. Also, the KTM is great to ride and will be better off road, but the ergos aren't as good, and KTM's "gotta pay extra to turn on the features already on the bike" model also p*sses me off. Hard to say which way I'll go.
Agree 100%, i rode the Toureg and DesertX back to back and felt that the Toureg was just easy. The DesertX required more effort and is closer to the Tiger Rally Pro or Africa Twin than say a Tenere, 890R or Toureg.
Would love to see a review of the Honda 750X Transalp when it comes out - keen to see the DCT version especially. Also, would be very keen to see any options for short riders (800mm seat height ideally) preferably automatic transmission.
Thanks for the cool video Spite! Good one at the beginning, i was laughing my arse off😂 And keep the thing with the kg., so i dont need to ask google to convert the weigt from lbs all the time! Your doing great with your channel/the videos dude, thanks a lot for it! Would like to see more of the travelling stories too, like the one with the Ducati that yot drove to the festival. Balls to the wall man (got to listen to the Accept Song instantly if i hear that saying). Rock on, greetings from a Metalhead from Germany🤘
Interesting comments you make, Spite. I bought a DR650 because I knew I'd fall off, and didn't want to be crying about it. Sure enough, I came off spectacularly, but it was still rideable (bent bars only real damage, despite flipping). I also wanted something relatively light and simple, capable of going where I wanted to go. The DR has been perfect after suspension and fuel tank upgrades - and it was still a cheap bike even with those extra costs. I can ride all day at the speed limit, on tar and dirt. If I get a say, my next adv bike will be lighter still. As for noise, years ago we road a Conti equipped bevel Ducati across Australia. It was loud. Normally, you'll see lots of wildlife on that trip, roos, birds, etc. We saw SFA because the racket scared them away!
Dude - love your work. In fact since you peeled off from Yam I’m watching you way more than him. Don’t tell him I said that. Ok so you’ve now done almost every bike I’m interested in for my next purchase. I know the last one will be crazy difficult to find, because they are made here in Europe and we struggle to find them. It’s called an AJP PR7 (yeah - super sexy name) and the one and a half guys I know who have ridden one are so effusive about it I really have to know from a sensible man who’s done everything else (that’s you, by the way) is it as good as they say? They describe it as a 150kg Tenere but better. Please try and find one… I reeeeeeeeally want your view on it.
The "Softer brake" on the Desert X and Tuareg might be from the larger wheel giving more rotating mass. Many would understand that feeling from putting larger tires on a lifted 4x4. Physics.
@@spitescorner What's got smaller rotors and calipers? The Tuareg has dual 300mm discs in the front, 260mm in the rear. The DesertX has dual 320mm discs in the front and 265mm in the rear, so a little larger than the Tuareg, though the Aprilia is also a little lighter. But to compare to a naked sportbike, an MT-09 has dual 298mm discs in the front and a 245mm disc in the rear. Of course, the MT-09 is a bit lighter still than either ADV, but it has similar power to the Ducati, and the Ducati setup has Brembo M50s, so it should be a pretty strong performer, and the Aprilia has Brembo M4s I think. So both should be good brake sets. Not sure why you were feeling so underwhelmed.
The trails out there look nice! Never taken a bike off road (and the street twin is probably not the best tool for that) but this is getting me interested. Don't know what off-road options we have in Massachusetts though.
Just watched a video LA to Las Vegas Duel sport ride, and there were two of these in the event and the guy filming it was on one, looked like he was having a good time.
Key point in the video, IMHO, is the cost vs. throwing it on the ground offroad. This is the problem I have with all the bigger, spendier adv bikes: unless you're really well off, you're going to really struggle with having fun off road. Crashing a 17k bike in rocks? This is what makes the KLR, the T7, and the the Taureg so great - the low buyin and (at least for the first two) super cheap, readily available parts and simple system - lead to a bike that's both more likely to make it home, and if you smash it up in the process... So what? Yeah. I have to agree this, like the majority of the big adv's, is a bike really designed as a touring bike that's (maintained) dirt road friendly. It sure is cool though, and the factory upgrades like the auxiliary fuel tank are really neat.
It might be just me, but the DesertX looks to be more a BMW F 850 GS Adventure competitor than anything else. the power & torque figures are almost exactly the same, and yes you pay the Pasta premium for the Ducati, but you also get some extra ponies along with it. BMW's advantage is that you wouldn't care if you dropped it on the trail. In fact if anything it would probably make the BMW look cooler. I can easily see an office where the CFO rides the F 850 GS Adventure & the Marketing Director rides the DesertX.
@@EscurKo 🤣🤣🤣 Um. No. As an owner of a Kawasaki 650 for the last 16 years and having previously owned a few midsized Ducatis, including a 1984 600 Pantah, I can tell you from experience that every Ducati I've owned is a much better riding experience. Even the Pantah was a better handling bike than my ER-6F, although the brakes were very 80's, despite being 22 years older. The only advantage the Kawasaki has is reliability. In the 95,000+ KM (59,000+ miles) that i have ridden it the only issue I've ever had is a blown Stator, and the replacement I got from a wrecker has been going fine for the last 7 years.
I had a deposit on a DX until they completely let me down on delivery. I test rode the Tuareg and DX back to back. I rode the Aprilia first and was impressed with the punchy torquey motor along with the comfort. The DX did not feel torquey or punchy. I didn’t like the gear box as it was almost violent 1st to 3rd. The lack of maintenance at home is a big turn off. I bought a slightly used 2020 790 Adventure r and so far love it. Quite punchy and reasonable torque. The gear box is beautiful and smooth and I like the suspension and seating position. Easy to access all maintenance points is a big factor for me. So happy so far.
You said the bike you were showing, with factory farkles, was $20K+. And that doesn't include the lower case crash bars, metal reinforced handgrip protectors, double take mirrors, taller windscreen, or the heated grips. And then, there is the periodic DESMOS maintenance. And I've heard the parts supply chain isn't quick. Kind of priced right out of my budget. However, if someone gave me one, I would not cry.
Nice 2 vids on the Tuareg and DesertX. Some of my fav roads when I lived in ATX too. Kinda miss it sometimes, but the riding in N Central Az is awesome and endless off road stuff
A princess bike is like a Trophy Wife Expensive and High Maintenance. That's why I'm still riding my KLR. Nothing a can of krylon a handful of zip ties and a welding machine won't fix. Take it out and flog it through the woods and swamp, 200 miles at 90mph burning a quart of oil, load it down, drag crap, whatever whatever you want to do it's down to roll. I never even wash it unless I'm getting into the engine for the clutch, valves, dohickey etc so I don't drop crud in the engine.
Desmo service is very pricey for sure - here in Canada, expect $2000 every 25,000kms - But on my Monster that had 2 desmo services, it NEVER ONCE needed to have the valve adjustment shims replaced! So, I believe the Desmo service was actually just there to add $$$ to the dealership's pockets. If you have the skills to do your own servicing... then you can likely expect to do 50,000 kms before actually needing to even check your valve clearances.
At that price I would definitely look at doing the clearance checks myself. There is a good book, look up “Red Baron Ducati manual” that I’ve used on my 2 valve head Ducati. You don’t need any special tools. I think the 4 valve head models would be more fiddly.
I just got my Desert X. (First Ducati) I like it, however I don't get the location of the dampener, very obstructive for an adventure bike knowing we need to put gear there. There is a cross member right under the handlebar preventing easy install of mounting brackets for GPS and phones. Along with the button but no heated grips issue there is no connectivity between the TFT and phone without buying the $240.00 Bluetooth module. (My 6K Royal Enfield Himalayan has Bluetooth capability.) The other missing item is an owner's manual. All my bike came with was a service record book, and nothing online that I can find anyway. So, for a premium priced bike these nitpicky things are a big deal. Other than that, the power and handling are great, love the retro looks. Agree on the awesome sound of the bike. as of today, 10-31-22 I only have 63 miles on it. Won't take it off road yet until I get the engine guards that are currently on order.
i got the tiger 900 gt recently and i dont think id ever take it off road. but i guess thats why they made the 900 rally version. the desert x sounds like a great competitor being between the 900 gt and the 900 rally.
GT is the street bias version (like the XR for the 800s). I own an 800xc and ride mostly off-road and I have doubts I want to do the same with the 900 rally - too much weak ass plastic all around
If i were shopping for an ADV bike, i think i would have to think really hard about the Tuareg. Everything else about it is right on except Aprilia reliability worries me a bit.
Aprilia can actually be quite reliable.the 750 engine is used by the police here.660 is known to be a very reliable one.v2 rotax are praised for their reliability as engines and v4s apart from gen 1 seem to be robust too.I'd worry more about the electrical stuff in it than anything,same as ktm.Yamaha will be more reliable but everything else aprilia is above,even if slightly.
Hi Spike, I think in these high end bikes the only "real" variable to consider is what Apple (Mr. Jobs I believe) use to call "wow factor", the specs are always formidable.
Great video Spite. Very balanced and realistic review of a bike that has had a lot of hype and anticipation behind it. I agree that for price, weight and feature set, the Tuareg is the better option. What I'd be curious to know though is given you see it more at home in the company of the full size ADV bikes, would you take the Desert X over say a Pan America, KTM 1290 Adventure or BMW GS? Personally I think those bikes are all too big, heavy and expensive and would probably take the X over all of those.
