Ducks in the Dirt

Admin · December 22, 2021

Ducati’s original 450 R/T is in many ways the great grandfather to the new 2022 DesertX. Bevelheads, rejoice. (Ducati/)

Ducati’s new DesertX, which we reported on a couple of weeks ago, is certainly big news. And while we justifiably recognize Ducati for its long string of revolutionary streetbikes, the DesertX is far from its first dirt bike. In the mid-1960s, Ducati’s first off-road bike, which would become the original Scrambler, was called the “Motocross” in Italy. This was quite an overstatement, since its off-road capabilities weren’t even close to the real motocross bikes of the time, and it was really just a fun bike suitable for light trail riding or excursions down dirt roads.

Ducati’s ISDT Bike

Ducati’s first genuine off-road bike came about in the early 1970s when it was contacted by the Italian Motorcycle Federation. The IMF wanted to enter an Italian team in the 1971 ISDT, and they asked Ducati to develop a competitive Italian bike for them to ride.

The first Ducati 450 off-road bikes were built for Italy’s ISDT team. Ducati built fewer than 500 of them. (Ducati/)

Moto Guzzi, Moto Morini, and Gilera had already competed in the grueling event, but their singles were all limited to 175cc. The Italian Federation was aiming for the big prize, so Ducati developed a special edition of its 450 desmo single and designed a new open-cradle frame for it. Thus was born the 450 R/T (“RT” for Road and Track), a dashing machine with a yellow tank, fenders, and side covers. Seven were entered at the ISDT, ridden by a strong group of riders and led by local legend and multiple ISDT medalist Alessandro Gritti. Three of the new Ducatis finished the event in the gold.

Ducati twins powered Cagiva’s original Elefant. Both the Elefant and the original BMW R 80 G/S gave us the modern ADV bike as we know it today. (Bruno dePrato/)

The engine proved relatively competitive with its easy 38 hp and strong torque, but Ducati’s lack of experience with off-road chassis design caused the bikes to steer hard and handle poorly in rough terrain. The original Ducati 450 R/T remained in production for only one year; about 450 were manufactured in total. Thus closed the first chapter of Ducati off-road adventures.

The Elefant in the Room

The next foray into the dirt was interesting. Cagiva used Ducati 750cc V-twin engines derived from the Pantah in its dual sport Elefant. Even though Ducati only supplied the powerplants, the experience was important as it proved that the engines could survive tough off-road conditions and do so with flying colors: The Cagiva Elefant 900 won the Paris-Dakar overall in 1990 and 1994, with solid placements in between.

Desert Sled

In 2021, Ducati North America worked with off-road expert Fasthouse to develop a special edition of the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled to celebrate a win in the Mint 400. Fasthouse and Ducati entered a pair of 2020 Desert Sleds (prepped and modified by Spider Grips) in the Hooligan Open Class, ridden by Jordan Graham and Ricky Diaz.

Fasthouse Racing entered a pair of Ducati Desert Sleds in the 2020 Mint 400, and came away with a first-place finish in their class. (Ducati/)

Graham rode fast and consistently, taking the lead from the start and progressively increasing it to finish in 4:45:35, a full 45 minutes ahead of second-place Michael Allen, also mounted on a Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, this one entered by the Falkner/Livingston team. Diaz was forced to retire after an encounter with a rock destroyed his shifter mechanism.

With the right rider and some dedicated off-road mods, today’s Desert Sled does just fine off-road. (Ducati/)

The Mint bikes were powered by the 803cc version of Ducati’s “old reliable” air-cooled SOHC V-twin, which delivers 73 hp in Euro 5-homologated form. The Desert Sled Scrambler also proved that Ducati has learned a thing or two about off-road chassis, since it proved capable of dealing with both the dry-lake and the rocky sections of the Mint 400 course. Interested in one of your own? The limited Fasthouse edition of the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled is now on sale.

It will be interesting to see what Ducati has in store for the 2022 DesertX. We can’t wait to see how it performs in real off-road situations.

We can't wait to put the 2022 Ducati DesertX through the wringer in some real off-road situations. (Ducati/)