Just wondering DicatiBart if you tried a different tire on the front of your Desert X ?, or did you just run the stock tires. I have had no experience with them, but they don't look the best for the offroad conditions I will be seeing in Britsh Columbia. A set of Motoz Tractionators currently sitting under my work bench.Thanks for the kind responses. I'm still going to stay on this forum as I'd like to see how things develop with the DDX.
Just for clarity, I did not buy an KTM 890 to replace the DDX. I already had the 890. Sticking with the 890 does make me a bit nervous as the issues you mention @Carlito are real. I too know a couple people first hand who have had major failures with their 790s. In one case the guy had to pay for the repairs out of his pocket and it was at huge cost.
I've not heard of as many or frequent problems with the 890 so I'm hoping that'll be the case.
I do not currently have a plans to buy anything else. I'd like to try the Tenere 700 but from what I've read it feels top heavy due to fuel placement. So I'll just ride my 890 and see what develops next.
Just wondering DicatiBart if you tried a different tire on the front of your Desert X ?, or did you just run the stock tires. I have had no experience with them, but they don't look the best for the offroad conditions I will be seeing in Britsh Columbia. A set of Motoz Tractionators currently sitting under my work bench.
Very interesting. Thanks for posting thisthough we don’t want to hear it. Lol.I just sold the DDX. Luckily with people waiting on one, I was able to get "list price" for it. Sure I still lost some money on Tax, Reg, and Set-up.
Why did I sell it? In a nutshell, it just didn't work for me. Specifics and back history below.
If you look back to one of my first posts, I stated I already owned a KTM 890 Adventure. I'd sell which one didn't work for me, the DDX or the KTM. Unfortunately, the DDX doesn't work for me. I say unfortunate, as I'm a long time Ducatista. I've owned Ducatis since 2002. In that time owning a total of 3 Multistradas (First Gen, 1260 Enduro, Multi V4S travel and radar). As well as all manner of their Sportbikes and Nakeds). So I'm no Ducati-hater or first time Ducati Owner. Nor am I a first time ADV'er. Since I started riding ADV bikes some 10 years ago, I've owned 10 different ADV bikes. So I'm not new to ADV bikes. I say all the above as I know some are thinking that I'm a KTM fanboy (My 890 is the first KTM I've ever owned), or that I don't know Ducatis or I'm new to ADVs and don't know what I'm taking about.
Let's be clear. I'm not saying the DDX is a bad bike, I just doesn't work for me.
What I didn't like about the DDX (Again, my perspective, YMMV)
- Handling. Everyone said how amazing on-road the DDX handled with a 21" front tire. For me even with the suspension settings adjust as much as they could be given the lack of range of adjustments, I couldn't get enough weight on the front tire. So, for me, the front-end was vague, and somewhat mushy when in the canyons. Never felt connected to the road. Very disappointed with this as just about every other Ducati I'v owned has ALWAYS handled amazing. The one other Ducati that didn't handle well was the first gen Multistrada.
- My KTM also has a 21" front tire and it rides like it's on rails in the canyons and also handles excellent off-road
- Off-road maneuverability. With the longer wheel-base it's not as maneuverable in slow tight technical spaces. With the longer wheel base the rear tends to come around a little slower and tighter. At a reasonable pace it's good with the exception of the suspension (mostly the rear).
- Suspension - The rear shock is WAY undersprung. As I stated in another post even without the rider, setting preload with just the bikes weight has the preload knob at max. Suspension with just the bike uses close to the 30% which should be with rider onboard. Given this once you add bags and gear the suspension is not going to give you the preload you need. I know some people say they have no problems with the rear shock, but seriously, do some research from some of the top-notch suspension gurus and you'll see the shock is also undersprung. I raced for many years and that lack of preload doesn't put enough weight on the front end causing the vague feel.
- Bar position and height - Agreed this is PURELY personal preference. There was something about the bar height and width that didn't work for me. I don't know if it was my reach to the bars especially when standing and on a steep climb. Felt too close to me that I could lean on them to add weight to the front end. If everything else worked for me. I'd have played with the bike in this area.
- Lastly Buffeting - Again, I agree purely based on the rider. I could never get the buffeting to even be tolerable at highway speeds. I ride 50/50 and that 50% onroad is just trying to get to good offroad places. I also went over this in a separate thread. I tried the WRS Enduro windscreen, Ducati Touring screen and even mounted those wings on top of the windscreen with only minimal changes or benefit. I even tried different helmets, Peak, no Peak, round shape like Arai, Shoei Neotec II, Roadracing helmets, with no clear benefit. I'm not tall either. I'm just under 6' tall (I'm actually shorter but I have a long torso which puts my affective height at 6' when seated).
So in the end, my KTM 890 does everything I want from a mid-weight ADV bike. Again, no hate on the DDX, it just didn't work for me.
Very interesting. Thanks for posting thisthough we don’t want to hear it. Lol.
Very interested to hear your experienced suspension facts.
I hope to address handling with a top notch suspension specialist who I trust. ($850-1000) Also moulded earplugs made up ($100) and possibly a super short screen for the buffeting. Operating use will probably be the exact opposite of you where I hope to do simple country roads, with the occasional good dirt gravel to get between those locations, hard-core riding, should be rare or use my enduro FE450.
Bar and height rider positioning i carefully tested in my 40 min test ride and I’m hopeful it will be good for me.
yes sport riding will not be be as good as my last Dukes., however, I think it will be better on road than the other comparable adventure bikes that I have ridden which is what I’m hoping for.
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Well first off with any bike wether road or offroad you get springs to suit your weight then get suspension set up by someone who knows what they are doing, secondly if you want more weight on to the front tyre you raise the forks through the triple clamps and also add more pre load to the rear, if you want to shorten wheel bast then raise forks through triple clamps or take a link out of the chain and move rear spindle forward, not really rocket science, any suspension guy would tell any rider to get springs to match the riders weight, I've done this on 200 bhp superbikes to mx bikes to my current enduro and supermoto bikes
Teething stages of a first year (and some change) bike to be sure. I would be surprised if there was ever a first year bike that touched all the bases. Indeed the DDX came close for me out of the box. But I would also bet that Ducati is taking notes from rider experiences on forums like these to upgrade the bikes to follow. I've been impressed with the mods I've made to address the concerns I've had with the DDX and suspension is definitely next up as I'm a large guy and need the shock resprung for my size + luggage. Having owned KTM ADV bikes in the past (640, 950), I passed on the KTM 890 soley on the basis that I wanted more comfort over longer distances in a true 50/50 sense and I figured if I wanted to do a lot of technical off road I'd look at maybe getting a dedicated dirt bike. I know that's not an option for everyone though.I respect your review. The KTM 890 was high on my list too as i have a 690 enduro that now has 23,000kms on it and other than a burnt out horn there have been no problems. I do realize the 890 will be the better of the two machines in the dirt. (Lower weight, better suspension ) One of the number of reasons i went with the Desert X was the spotty reliability on the 890. In my group of adventure riders I know of four 790/890 owners who have had valve and camshaft problems with them. I intend on keeping the Ducati for many many years. If i need to put a fork kit and a heavier rear spring, or even an Ohlin shock I would have no problem with that. One thing I noticed is that there are numerous manufacturers quickly adding aftermarket parts and refinements to Desert X owners. Hope your 890 works out for you and gives you many trouble free miles.
