ONTHEROAD
Ducati Desert Sled
I
T WAS PROBABLYnot the
absolutely ideal environment in
which to ride a dirt bike, even one
which Ducati itself sees in the “easy
off-road” sector, but you take what
you can get. In this case, that was a day
at the 2017 Distinguished Gentleman’s
Ride in Sydney. I’ve put together a
little pictorial story about it as well, but
I would guess that you have a pretty
good idea of what it involves.
That’s right, standing around
admiring everyone’s customized or
otherwise remarkable motorcycles,
going for a short ride and then
drinking beer and telling lies. Pretty
much the usual weekend activity,
except this is for charity and involves
more dressing up than usual. It’s a lot
of fun, especially when people come
up to you and admire your bike. A few
of them did exactly that, both at the
start and during the mid-ride break at
Government House.
The most common reaction was,
“Hey, the real Scrambler” or “Is this
standard?” followed by “I’ve been
waiting for this.” A really positive
reaction to the bike which, according
to one bloke, was what Ducati should
have been building all along.
I’ll add my tick of approval to the
overwhelming judgement. Not that I’d
trade my Iconic Scrambler, to which
I have become deeply attached, but if
,ZDQWHGWRJRULGHÀUHWUDLOVRQWKH
weekend and channel Steve McQueen I’d
GHÀQLWHO\EHXSIRURQH7KH¶VORRN
that Ducati is shooting for is spot on, and
even if the paint of the white bike I was
riding was quite clearly a tribute to the
Yamaha XT550 the bike has a personality
and appeal all of its own.
DESERT
DUTY
WORDSTHE BEARPHOTOS
THE BEAR/FACTORY5LGLQJLWLQWUDIÀFDQGWKHEDFN
roads of Erskineville turned out to be
enjoyable as well. You’re never going
to need the reinforced extra-strong
frame in the city, but the geometry
changes and the tougher, longer
200mm travel adjustable suspension
do a good job. There’s a 19 inch
wheel at the front. Riding position is
pretty much bolt upright with good
ergonomics. At 860mm the seat
is high, but there is a 20mm lower
alternative. The seat is what it is; it
ZDVWKHÀUVWWKLQJ,FKDQJHGRQP\
Scrambler but it’s no worse than the
seats on similar bikes.
And that brings us to an
interesting question indeed.
What, if any, are the
similar bikes?
Just about every
major brand has a
model that could be
seen as a competitor
for the Desert Sled.The Japanese ones are a lot cheaper
but lack the level of equipment and
sophisticated technology. Those from
Europe match the Desert Sled more
closely in technology and price, but
they don’t make it in nostalgic appeal.
I mean, my choice of “easy off-
road” motorcycle has long been either
the BMW F 700 (or whatever they’re
calling it this week) GS or one of
the Triumph Tigers. But let’s face it.
Neither of them allow me to channel
6WHYH0F4XHHQ«D