Sorry everyone, I posted in this thread with a question a couple days ago instead of an introduction.
I started adv riding on a CRF 250 dual sport here in Vermont, a very beautiful, rural and mountainous state in the US. Vermont has more miles of dirt roads than paved, 8000 miles to 6000, and is the second-least populated state in America. Dual sports are popular because of the roads, and adventure bikes are now more common to see than any other. Exploring the dirt roads, and class-4 and fire roads up here is a total joy, especially in the mountains.
When I started a slightly longer road commute for work, I switched to the CRF 250 Rally, which while under-powered was a great bike, overall. (It's basically a dirt bike with some fairing and a windscreen). Then once the obsession started to set in, I sprung for what at the time was my dream bike, the Africa Twin Adventure Sports (2018). I've had a total blast on that bike and will always be a fan, but it's really top heavy and just feels huge, tippy, and tricky off road, overall. Excellent for touring, not so much for real off-roading, and though I have no point of comparison through personal experience, I'm aware that for anything even resembling sport riding on-road, the Africa Twin trails most of the other bikes in the category. It's basically the tractor of adv bikes.
When I saw the Norden 901 announcement a couple years ago, I started considering trading for something more like that-- better on roads, still good for dirt roads and trails, slightly smaller in stature. Then the Desert X came out, I grew interested and did a ton of research and watched just about every review video there is. I've never seen one on the road up here, but after getting to throw a leg over one at a dealership, I became kind of obsessed with it, particularly as a bike for this state.
So I have a deposit in and will bring one home in about two weeks. It'll be a tough 4-5 months waiting for the snow to melt, but I didn't want to risk not being able to find one come riding season, so it'll basically be in my living room until then.
I don't really do overnights (as much as I want to) so I'll probably hold off on racks and bigger luggage. I was intending to add the off-road package from the start, but now I'm considering doing an exhaust upgrade first. I probably won't be doing serious off-road with it until late next summer or early fall, so I don't need to rush the accessories too much right away, besides a center stand and GPS mount. I'm interested in the aux fuel tank, but realistically it's just not necessary where I live, so that would only be a vanity upgrade if/when I go for it, and I'm not drowning in money.
Finally, for me, there's a strong novelty aspect of the Ducati. Most of the bikes up here are Tigers, GS's, KTMs and Africa Twins (there are 5 Africa Twins in my town of 1500 people), so having something different will just be nice. And it doesn't hurt that I think the Desert X is probably the best looking ADV bike.
So, thanks for letting me in the forum-- it's going to be an amazing new year on an incredible machine.
