Well the Ducati 26 unveiling at the EICMA in Milan this evening was as exciting as a wet blanket. Was looking forward to getting a good look at the 26 Desert X. Turns out the Desert X unveil is not until Feb 26 with bikes in the dealers May 26. The chap talking about is mentioned the bike being 206Kg wet (without fuel), its apparently ‘more slim’, the front fork and rear shock have had some work, something about the shock not working directly with swing arm but some sort of bracket…. it’s hard to tell as the chap filming it decided this was the best time to turn the camera around to tell us he was going to film the bike later. ‘Trust me the improvement is very big’ the chap on stage said. It looks to be the road biased version and not the Rally I hoped they would launch alongside it. They did launch 2 versions of the Hypermotard so why not the rally as well…. Desert X stuff around the 27 min mark.
Yeh bit disappointing as it was the one bike release I wanted to see. Still better to do it properly than rush it.
Had a good look round it at the NEC yesterday. Also had a chat with the DRE Academy guys. They reckon many of the changes are ones they asked for. New forks, shock, frame, engine. Progressive rear linkage, dash, air filter placement. They will have 14 of the new model at the Academy next year.
Same horse power, 110bhp at slightly less revs, less torque, 90Nm at slightly more revs (down from 92Nm) and 4kg lighter, kerb weight (no fuel), 206kg vs 210kg. Andy
Bugger. I was hoping I wouldn’t see the point in changing. It looks like a proper evolution correcting the few issues on the current bike. And still looks like a Desert X.
I'm very happy with the new look and features. The optional higher mud guard and the stock split brake lines down each fork is a massive win. I've had one on pre-order since Nov and might even have a VIN allocated which might even mean a build slot has been allocated . Roll on May. Now just need to find the budget for a Rabaconda tyre changer and yet another luggage solution. No way am I putting the boxes from the Multi on this.
Does make you wonder why the new model ‘changes’ weren’t done from the off???? But then we’d never buy a new model I suppose P.S. Any weight loss is always welcome.
