1,178 mile Road Trip to COTA for MOTO GP 2023 / Review

DESERTXATL said:

THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION, not factual statements.

I just finished a long road trip and I have mixed feelings about the Desert X. In total, I road 1,178 miles in three days.

Setup:

2023 Ducati Desert X
Ducati Performance off road kit
Ducati Performance panniers
Giant loop Rogue Dry Bag
Giant loop Armadillo Bag (2L)

Austin, Texas to Atlanta, GA
Day 1: 512 miles
Day 2: 395 miles
Day 3: 271 miles

I have mixed feelings about the 21-inch rim at higher highway speeds. For anything over 75+ mph, the front end doesn't feel planted and stable. I also felt a lot of wind around my neck and shoulders. I have the Ducati touring windshield with a PUIG visor. I will install the PUIG windshield in hopes of reducing the heavy winds up top. I have to absolutely fix the pegs as they are not positioned for long distance traveling. I'm also looking at using highway pegs attached to the crash bars.
One of the worst ideas was riding with the Ducati Rally Seat. It has to be the most uncomfortable seat I have ever ridden on in a long time. I know that it's meant to be used off road but unless you live next to a trail, then you have to commute there. It also sucks with a passenger. So, I might have for sale a used rally seat in the next week or so.

The panniers were absolutely amazing and very convenient. The Giant loop fuel bag saved my butt from running out of fuel in the middle of Alabama.

In terms of passenger and panniers at the same time, the bike could see a power improvement.

I got compliments everywhere I went which is why I decided to mix the traveling between highway and local roads.

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BigPappa said:

Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed COTA! I was there myself but we only drove (not rode) down from Tulsa, so not nearly as long of a trip!

I guess the way I see it is that Ducati made the DX to be a more focused off-road machine, prioritizing its dirt performance over its touring capabilities. I see the Multistrada line being much better suited to long distance travel. I too have found the DX to be a little uncomfortable when I've ridden it for long periods of time, especially over long stretches on the highway. For me, that's not much of a problem because my primary purpose in owning the bike is to take it off-road as much as possible. For that purpose, it's incredible. I'm not really one to tour much. I think if I was, I would have kept my V4 Multi.

Great review! Thanks for sharing!

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