2027 Ducati DesertX Rally: V2, new frame and tubeless rims

The Ducati DesertX Rally, the long-travel, dirt-first version of Ducati's adventure bike, has moved onto the new DesertX platform for 2027, and it was one of five new models Ducati showed in Milan on 2 November, on the eve of EICMA. The old 937 cc Testastretta is gone, replaced by the 890 cc V2, with 110 CV and 92 Nm quoted for the new bike. Ducati's launch release gives no price or arrival date for Australia or any other market. Here's what Ducati has published, then what it means once the bitumen runs out.

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A new Rally on a new platform

The DesertX Rally isn't a new name. Ducati first showed it as part of its 2024 World Première, and its US release from 3 October 2023 pitched it at adventurous riders who want tough trips and rallies. That bike used the 937 cc Testastretta 11 degree twin with desmodromic valves, a tubular steel trellis frame and a cast aluminium double-sided swingarm. Its KYB suspension had 20 mm more travel than the standard DesertX at each end, for 250 mm up front and 240 mm at the rear. It also carried an adjustable Öhlins steering damper, a forged carbon sump guard, a 21-litre tank and 280 mm of ground clearance. Ducati said its dry weight was just one kilogram more than the standard model's, though that release didn't put a number on either.

It earned its stripes in the dirt, too. In June 2024 Ducati reported that Antoine Meo set the best time among the twin-cylinder bikes in the Iron Road Prologue at the Erzbergrodeo on a DesertX Rally, a flat-out climb that gains more than 600 metres of altitude over 13.5 km. Ducati says the bike ran close to stock, with a Ducati Performance racing exhaust fitted and one of its two front discs taken off.

Then, in February 2026, Ducati rebuilt the standard DesertX from the ground up around the new 890 cc V2 and a monocoque frame, calling it the second generation of its travel enduro. That release lists the events where the DesertX family has been developed and raced, from the Erzbergrodeo to the NORRA Mexican 1000.

The MY27 Rally now joins it on that platform. Ducati's EICMA release says the new Rally sits on the DesertX family's new technical base, built around the 890 cc V2, a new monocoque frame of its own and Full Floater rear suspension. Ducati says the bike draws on feedback and experience from years of development and competition on hard terrain, and the release's opening pitches it squarely at fans of rally raids and competition. We reckon that's Ducati's polite way of saying this one isn't for the cafe car park.

The V2 engine and the new frame

Ducati calls the 890 cc V2 "the lightest ever produced by Ducati in its class", and it quotes 110 CV and 92 Nm for the Rally, with a generous spread of torque at low and middle revs. CV is the Italian badge for metric horsepower, which is how Ducati's English release prints it. The EICMA release doesn't say at what revs either peak arrives.

For a guide, look at the standard DesertX that launched the platform. Ducati's February release lists 110 hp at 9,000 rpm and 92 Nm at 7,000 rpm for that bike, and says 70 per cent of peak torque is already there at 3,000 rpm. Ducati hasn't said whether the Rally's tune differs, so treat those revs as the family's numbers, not the Rally's.

Now compare the bike it replaces. The old Rally's 937 made 110 hp at 9,250 rpm and 92 Nm at 6,500 rpm, according to Ducati's 2023 release. So on paper the peaks barely move, and the old twin actually reached its torque peak 500 rpm lower than the new one does in the standard DesertX. The gain Ducati is pointing to is lightness, not muscle. A lighter engine sitting in the middle of a tall bike is the sort of change you notice when you're paddling it around a washout or picking it up after a tip-over, and we'd take that over a few extra horses any day.

The rest of the engine story comes from the standard bike's release, so take it as the platform's spec until Ducati confirms the Rally's. In the February release the V2 has four valves per cylinder and Ducati's IVT variable intake valve timing. Valve clearance checks fall due every 45,000 km, with an oil change every 15,000 km or two years. For anyone planning long outback loops, intervals like that mean less time at the workshop counter and more time looking at a map.

The frame is the other big change. Ducati says the DesertX monocoque is unique in its segment, uses the engine as part of the structure and doubles as the airbox. For the Rally, Ducati describes a dedicated version of that monocoque and a specific chassis designed for more control and precision off-road. The old Rally's steel trellis is history.

Suspension and wheels for the rough stuff

Fork, shock and steering damper

This is where the Rally earns its badge. Ducati lists professional-grade KYB suspension with long travel, led by a closed-cartridge competition fork with Kashima Coating and DLC on its 48 mm stanchions. At the back is a fully adjustable professional shock, and up top an adjustable Öhlins steering damper. Kashima and DLC are hard, slick surface coatings, and on a fork they're there to help the tubes slide smoothly over small hits.

For comparison, the standard 2026 DesertX has a 46 mm KYB upside-down fork with 230 mm of travel and a KYB shock with 220 mm. So against the standard bike, the Rally steps up to fatter 48 mm stanchions and a closed-cartridge design. That fork isn't new to the Rally name, though. Ducati's 2023 release gave the outgoing Rally a 48 mm closed-cartridge KYB fork as well, with Kashima Coating on the fork tubes and DLC on the sliders, so the fork is only new when you line it up against the standard DesertX. Ducati also mentions increased wheel travel for the Rally, but the EICMA release gives no figure, so we can't yet say how it stacks up against the old Rally's 250 mm and 240 mm.

The rear end uses Full Floater suspension with progressive linkages. Ducati says the setup improves comfort and traction and soaks up bumps better, and that it keeps the bike more stable and precise when things get extreme. A progressive linkage firms up as the shock compresses, so in theory you get a plush ride over the small stuff and more support when you land a jump or hit a big hole at speed.

Tubeless Takasago rims

The wheels are the change most owners will feel on day one. The Rally gets new Takasago Excel professional tubeless rims, a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear, with 36 spokes on the rear rim. Ducati says the rims are lighter and tougher against impacts than traditional designs, and their narrower channels help the Rally feel more agile on difficult ground. The old Rally ran Takasago Excel rims with inner tubes, in 21 x 2.15 and 18 x 4 sizes on billet hubs.

Tubeless is a big deal on a long dirt ride. With tubes, a flat often means pulling the wheel and swapping the tube on the side of the track. With a tubeless rim, many punctures can be plugged and pumped up without taking the wheel off, which is a lot more appealing when the nearest servo is a long way behind you. Ducati hasn't named the Rally's tyres; the old one wore Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber in 90/90-21 and 150/70 R18 sizes.

What may carry over from the standard DesertX

The EICMA release doesn't list the Rally's electronics or brakes, and it gives no tank or seat figures either. Here's what the standard second-generation DesertX gets, according to Ducati's February release, as a guide to the platform:

• six riding modes, including the off-road Enduro and Rally modes
• four levels of Cornering ABS
• Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Wheelie Control and Engine Brake Control
• Ducati Quick Shift 2.0, and the bike is ready for cruise control
• a 5-inch TFT dash that becomes a navigation screen with a tripmaster in Rally mode
• an 18-litre polymer fuel tank, plus an accessory rear tank that adds 8 litres
• an 880 mm seat, or 840 mm with the lowered seat and suspension kit
• Brembo M4.32 radial calipers on twin 305 mm front discs
• 209 kg wet weight without fuel

We wouldn't bank on every one of those figures carrying across. The Rally's longer suspension could well change the seat height, and the old Rally was set up differently to the standard bike of its day. What we can say is that Ducati's studio photos of the new Rally show twin front discs and a tall screen, with a bash plate under the engine.

What Ducati's launch material leaves out

For a bike that's all about the details, there are a lot of gaps in the launch material. The EICMA release and the Rally's press kit don't cover any of these:

• the price, in Australia or any other market
• when and where it goes on sale
• the weight, and whether Ducati will quote it dry or with fluids
• the seat height and ground clearance
• the wheel travel figures
• the fuel tank size
• the brake and tyre specification
• the electronics package
• the name of the colour scheme

The press photos show a white and grey bike with black panels and red Rally graphics, but the release doesn't name the livery. There's no mention of a numbered or limited series either. For a price reference, the only DesertX Rally price in the releases we read is the old model's US launch figure of US$22,995. That's not an Australian price, and it says nothing about what the new bike will cost here.

What the Ducati DesertX Rally means for Australian riders

Ducati's EICMA launch release gives no Australian pricing or timing for the new Rally, so check with your Ducati dealer. For context, when Ducati launched the standard second-generation DesertX it said bikes would reach European dealers in April 2026, then the United States in May, with Australia and Japan following in June. The old Rally reached US and Canadian dealers from March 2024. We wouldn't read a Rally timetable into either of those.

Learner and provisional riders should know that the EICMA release doesn't mention a learner-approved version. Transport for NSW's LAMS fact sheet says a bike can only join the LAMS list if its engine is no bigger than 660 cc. The Queensland LAMS list, last updated on 7 September 2026, has no DesertX on it. If you're on your Ls or Ps, our LAMS approved bikes guide explains how the scheme works in each state.

So who's it for? Ducati's release opens by pitching it at fans of rally raids and competition, then calls it the Ducati built for adventure touring enthusiasts. Our read is that it suits riders who spend more time on gravel and sand than on bitumen, and who'd rather ride to the start of a desert track than trailer the bike there. In Australian terms, think long station tracks and corrugated outback roads, with enough motor left over for the highway run home. We reckon the tubeless rims, the 890 cc V2 and the new monocoque frame will be the changes owners of the old Rally look at hardest. Their bikes already had the 48 mm closed-cartridge KYB fork.

If you like your Ducatis with more tarmac in their diet, our 2027 Ducati Panigale V4 article covers the other end of the range.

What to do next

Before you talk price with a dealer, it pays to plan. You can browse every Ducati motorcycle for sale on Bike Domain, or look through adventure bikes for sale if you want to compare what's out there now. Our motorbike loan calculator shows what a new bike might cost each month, and if a trade-up is on the cards, listing your current bike early gives it time to sell before the new Rally lands. We'll update this article with Australian pricing, timing and the full specification once we've confirmed them.

Sources

1. Ducati, "Ducati unveils five new models and a preview at EICMA 2026", Ducati Media House, 2 November 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
2. Ducati, "MY27 DesertX Rally", press kit page and image gallery, Ducati Media House, 2 November 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
3. Ducati, "DesertX 2026: professional performance, adventuring for everyone", Ducati Media House, 25 February 2026 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
4. Ducati, "Ducati DesertX Rally: adventure without limits", Ducati Media House, 3 October 2023 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
5. Ducati, "The Ducati DesertX Rally wins the Iron Road Prologue again at the Erzbergrodeo with Antoine Meo", Ducati Media House, 4 June 2024 (a manufacturer release, so not linked)
6. Transport for NSW, "Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS)" fact sheet, PDF, read 3 November 2026
7. Queensland Government, "Learner approved motorcycles (LAM Scheme)", last updated 7 September 2026