Earlier this year, we ran Vanessa Cartwright’s thoughts on enduro racing. Now she’s back with a long-term review of the Ducati Desert Sled she bought in 2022!—Ed.
The Ducati Desert Sled is possibly the sexiest naked bike on the market but is she just a pretty face? Let’s dive in and find out if maybe she’s the whole package!
The 2022-2023 Desert Sled has an 803cc L-twin air-cooled engine that puts out an impressively smooth 73 hp. For 2022, it came dressed in sparkling blue and white with a dab of Ducati red accents. Oh yeah, she’s a looker, but my personal favorite was the 2018 retro black, yellow, orange & red beauty that reminded me of a German flag. The shiny gold rims on my ’22 machine are 19 and 17 (inches not karats) and definite head turners. The high front fender and spoked rims with stock Pirelli Scorpion tires mades the Desert Sled the most off-road worthy of the Ducati scrambler line up this season.
What’s not quite off-road worthy is the trim, tidy rear fender. One should be mindful that its diminutive size lacks coverage and the bike thus has a sick sense of humor, leaving your behind looking like you have soiled yourself after even the most casual jaunt through mud or even rain for that matter.
Glancing at the cockpit, the circular instrument display is fairly simple but retro looking and relatively easy to use with the press of a button—that is, if you take the time to read the owner’s manual. Or you may choose to be a rebel like me and just wing it. One thousand kms in and I still struggle to toggle from Journey to Off-road mode which turns the ABS on and off amongst other things.The display has all the features you may wish for, such as a fuel gauge, gear selection, temperature and Bluetooth features to enable you to screen calls from work when you are out braaaping!
“You’re coming home with me, Desert Sled!” Vanessa includes a Super Dave Osborne helmet for true retro glory. Photo: Vanessa Cartwright
With a 13.5L fuel capacity, who is this gem right for and where will you go? Well, not too far with that size of tank, but true adventure seekers will figure out ways to carry extra fuel or at least sucker a friend to carry it for them! Seriously though: hipsters are the stereotypical scrambler market, taking photos of their bikes in front of local graffiti hotspots. But the Desert Sled is no ordinary scrambler. It might even be considered by the same riders checking out the Triumph Scrambler 1200 for its sex appeal and off-road capabilities. It’s not just for posing.
On the road, this bike lives up to Ducati’s reputation for fun! The throttle response offers smooth gradual power; the clutch is incredibly forgiving, making the bike hard to stall. On stock tires, it feels like a well-grounded street bike, with good handling manners. The Desert Sled’s 33.9 in.-high saddle may seem high to some, but I’m used to sky-high enduros, and it gave me the confidence to throw my 7-year-old daughter on the back; we even mastered standing up together on dirt roads. She even almost talked me into attempting a river crossing! Sorry demon child, not today!
However, seat space may be too limited for some users to take this machine out two-up. As a 5’6″ grown woman, testing out the rear passenger accommodations enlightened me on my lack of flexibility, making me feel like my hips were about to dislocate as my knees were almost touching my ears! Possible solutions: Maybe only invite passengers under 5 feet tall or those who do yoga?
No river crossing today, mom says! Photo: Vanessa Cartwright
On dirt roads, the Desert Sled handles like a 460-lb big bike and nothing like a dirt bike. It requires careful counter-steering, good throttle control and proper body positioning. After my first few rides, my friend pointed out I looked incredibly stiff and awkward going into corners. Well, that’s because I was scared shitless of dropping the most expensive bike in my garage! With a price tag just shy of 16k here in Canada, I don’t look forward to the first drop!
On loose gravel, the stock tires felt a little sketchy, given my lack of experience riding heavy bikes off-road. With no knobbies on the side walls to give you that added traction in corners, one must heed the limits of these tires when riding off-pavement. The stock foot pegs are narrow and not grippy and come with rubber inserts which are supposed to reduce vibration. These work fine on the street but fall short even with the rubbers removed for riding off-road. Luckily aftermarket options are available. If I may venture a suggestion, be sure to switch the bike into the off-road ride mode when braaaping on dirt and don’t be shy to play with the clickers on the Kayaba forks as the stock (and not yet broken-in) suspension felt pretty stiff from the get-go.
Now let’s talk about the most disappointing feature, the ridiculously low rear brake which has nowhere near enough adjustment, at least not for someone who rides a lot off-road, usually on a proper dirt bike. The design is adequate when riding on the road with flexible boots but is essentially unreachable when standing with stiff adventure or dirt boots. Maybe a ballerina “en pointe” could reach it? It is worth noting that Ducati chose a different design and more off road worthy rear brake pedal for their DesertX ADV bike so perhaps they are interchangeable? I will need to investigate.
While not as hard-core as the DesertX, the Desert Sled can certainly get you off the beaten track. Photo: Vanessa Cartwright
Continuing with the bike’s quirky ergonomics, the striking yellow shock is just that. Striking! Many riders have reported that it touches their left leg when standing and I can confirm this. It is a strange sensation as you’re praying it won’t pinch you on every jump! Also, when sitting on the deceivingly comfy looking seat, which is unfortunately hard but bearable, your right heel rests on the exhaust. This took me some getting used to; I find myself constantly moving my feet around looking for a sweet spot on the slick-feeling pegs. Some riders have even chosen to change the exhaust to a higher aftermarket option for this reason (or at least that’s that’s how they justified the expense to their significant others). IMO changing the exhaust takes away from the bike’s look, but to each their own!
You’d think after building a bike this sexy that Ducati’s phone would be ringing off the hook. But as evidenced by the very few examples I see zipping around, this sadly isn’t the case, at least not in these parts. Why is the Desert Sled not winning popularity contests? Surely it’s not just the weirdness? Well, I posit this theory. Ducati dealers are mostly found in bigger cities making the brand as a whole less appealing to some of us country folks who find comfort in having a local dealer. This is something to consider as practically every page of the owner’s manual reads like this: Air Filter—SEE DEALER, Oil Change—SEE DEALER! For some of you who are accustomed to doing your own bike maintenance, this is very annoying.
It is worth noting that there is an abundance of YouTube video tutorials for those brave enough to take apart half their bike to simply get to an air filter. Luckily, doing your own service will not void the two-year factory warranty! At least the Desert Sled doesn’t require an insane amount of maintenance.The first 1000-km service comes quickly, and this is as far as I made it on my baby this season. At this point, the Ducati dealer will do a software update and engine service (and charge a pretty penny for it, too). Surprisingly, they do not recommend replacing the air filter then, but it may nonetheless be prudent if you’ve found yourself riding sweep and eating dust a time or two. After the initial service the next hot and pricey dates with your dealer are at 12,000-km intervals thereafter, or until you decide to get something a little less, ummmm, Italian!
Overall, and despite its cons, the Desert Sled is quite an all-arounder and checks boxes in the street, dual-sport and even ADV bike categories. If you are able to see past some of its quirks and want to look good while being a jack of all trades—then let me be the first to welcome you to Team Ducati!
