VIDEO: DUCATI’S REVAMPED 2026 DESERTX

For the inside line on Ducati’s totally overhauled 2026-model DesertX, we chatted with the Italian brand’s Australian Product Specialist, Nick Selleck.

Given that the second-generation DesertX comes with an all-new frame, sweeping changes to bodywork, big suspension upgrades, and Ducati’s much lighter 890cc V2 engine (with conventional, not Desmodromic, valve actuation), it’s clear we’re not the only ones itching to throw a leg over this totally overhauled, landmark new model.

That riding experience will have to wait a little longer though, as the 2026 DesertX doesn’t arrive in Aussie dealerships until August-September. But in the meantime, we were able to finally touch and sit on (but not fire up!) this much-anticipated machine at Ducati Sydney’s Premiere Event; the first of a series of 12 Ducati dealer visits for which Ducati air-freighted six new 2026 models (the Panigale V4 R, Multistrada V4 Rally, Diavel V4 RS, Monster, Hypermotard V2, and the primary focus of our attention, the 2026 DesertX) specially from Italy as part of the company’s 100^th Centenary.

So, what does the totally overhauled 2026 DesertX look and feel like in the flesh? Where does it differ most noticeably from its predecessor? How much have its sitting and standing positions changed for 2026, and why? Have the design and/or component shortcomings of the initial DesertX been addressed with this second iteration? And what’s it going to cost in Australian dealerships?

After Nick Selleck’s Premiere Event presentation on each of the six new models – to a cross-section of captivated Ducati fans, dealers, owners and moto media – we pulled the Ducati Product Specialist aside for a 15-minute chat about the headline changes to the 2026 DesertX, and just how much more off-road-capable they promise to make this machine.