Looking at the Desert Sled as a winter bike to plod round the Peak District, my question is did anyone compare the DS against the Triumph Street Scrambler 900 and the Scrambler 1200 XC, so would like to know the pros and cons of these options against the DS if you own one or have had a test ride on any of them?
Can't help with any personal experience myself but there are some good comparison videos on YouTube. I chose a Desert Sled as all the reviews I read were overwhelmingly positive, plus IMO it looks great and its a Ducati! Got my bike arriving tomorrow.
The Black Edition looks the best in my opinion! The small tweaks/upgrades on the 19/20/21 models though make another tough call as I want the upgrades but would love it in that colour scheme, 3rd world problems hey! I can always have it wrapped black and then buy the tank side panels etc
I test road the first generation DS and for me at 6’4”, my legs were too long to get a comfortable knee bend, my knees were too weak to stand up on the foot pegs and the saddle was masquerading as a telegraph pole. Andy
My bike was registered April 19 - I think it has the upgrades but I'm not worried if it doesn't as I wanted a Black Edition. From what I've read a lot of people don't like the colour scheme but IMO black with the gold wheels and stripes looks ace. It seemed like a good modern alternative to some of the 80s Paris Dakar bikes which I'm a big fan of.
I don’t have that problem as I’m 5ft9 and I sat on the new model at the dealership recently and it fits me well and the 21 model has a so called improved seat, a test ride will tell as soon as we are allowed a test ride, I will also try the Triumph scrambler options, hopefully all on the same day!
I think I would find the desert sled a better option simply on weight alone. The DS is 191kg dry whereas the Triumph is 230kg dry. That’s 39kg/6 stones plus more!
Yes the lower weight of the DS is a big plus, also I like it being air cooled, even though they run hot that will be a plus using it throughout the winter
I’ve ridden both, the Sled is the better bike IMO, although the Triumph is a better bike than the figures suggest, I mean the later 2019 model onwards with the hotter cam, prior to this they were borderline underpowered.
