950 Desert X - 1 Year On

Thought I would do a little post with my findings of owning the bike, from the perspective of someone who hasn't bought the bike for it's full intended off road potential but more of a do it all machine that looks great.

I have had an on off kind of relationship, in all honesty I got to the point where I was going to move it on but thankfully I am now fully committed long term to this fantastic bike.

The main issue for me (6ft 2") was the wind noise on a run; not so much head bobbing just loads of wind noise whipping around above 40mph it was deafening even with ear plugs, I tried various helmets, the Ducati touring screen, the Puig Touring screen with spoiler, the Powerbronze Touring screen, the powerbronze short screen & finally the WRS short screen.. all of which had little to no effect, (some making it worse) the Puig one in particular had so much flex that it was hitting my sat nav mount at speed so that was a non starter. I was at the end of my tether! removing the screen completly solved the issue 100% but this was obviously not an option! I decided I couldn't live with it and seriously thought about moving it on but then as a final fling I bought a £20 clip on screen extension from Amazon and popped it on the standard screen which has finally given me peace and quiet and made a long journey more than bearable, only really getting noisey in a cross wind, paired with the DP hand guards it looks ok as they have the clear plastic tops to them so it balances out the look.

I mainly use the bike for fast A road cruising & exploring Dartmoor lanes & tracks, it hasn't missed a beat, the engine is fantastic and not having to worry about washing out in gravel has given me so much confidence. I am sure down the line I will start looking into going a bit further with the off road but for now I am very happy.

Highlights for me are

1. Handling & motor - It just handles soooo well on the road, riding is believing, you forget what you are riding, bags of power where you need it, it is a hoot to ride.

2. Cruise control, love this feature, never had it before

3. Headlight - WOW! just the best headlight I have ever used on any vehicle, this thing could light a football stadium on full beam, ridiculous!

Slight Meh's

1. Termi Slip on is very expensive, the baffles are not removable, it is more sporty sounding in higher revs but pretty much indistinguishable from standard at tick over, I know I can de cat it but to be honest I am used to it now, would I have specced it again? probably not, would pay for the full system or get a Zard in hindsight but the Zard was not available at the time.

2. Some questionable decisions with finish, apart from the use of cable tie gripe my rear passenger foot pegs are strangely loose and rattle and one of the rubbers nearly worked itself out of the footpeg, thankfully I saw it before losing it.

3. nearly sliced my finger on the bash guard when cleaning it, very sharp on the inside edge!

So would I recommend it to the casual daily rider?, yes absolutely, for me it is a proper swiss army knife, looks great and smaller than the Multi which was my other choice.

Hopefully my findings may help others thinking of buying one or perhaps someone having the same issues as me.

Cheers

Jimmy