Ducati Desert X Tyre Size
The Ducati Desert X runs a 90/90/21 front tyre and a 150/70/18 rear tyre. The Desert X Rally runs exactly the same tyre sizes. You can click those links to see all the different tyre options for this bike.
Here at Two Tyres we’re motorcycle tyre specialists and can supply any tyre to you by mail order. Or you can have them fitted in our London motorcycle workshop.
One of the great things Ducati have done with the new Desert X is equip it with a 21″ front wheel and an 18″ rear, which a very common combination on Enduro and Off-Road bikes – meaning you can fit some very good knobbly tyres if you want to go off-road.
The skinny 21″ front wheel isn’t the ideal size for road riders. However if you’re purely riding on the road, we’ve also suggested some great options to give you maximum feel, grip and confidence.
Desert XÂ History
Ducati have paddled in the shallow end of the Adventure and Off-Road pool for years, with their Multistrada – and to an extent – Scrambler ranges.
Good though they are, you can’t compare a Ducati Multistrada with a Tenere 700, KTM 890 Adventure R or Aprilia Tuareg 660 in terms of off-road capability.
With the Desert X, Ducati have dived in at the deep-end. It’s a proper Enduro-capable Rally Raid machine. The fact it has a 21″ front wheel and 18″ rear further demonstrates Ducati’s thinking that this bike has to be capable off-road.Â
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Ducati Desert X Stock Tyres
The Desert X comes with Pirelli’s Scorpion Rally STR tyres as standard. Good quality dual-purpose tyres.
They also offer the option of the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 or more off-road-focused Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres.Â
We’ve not seen a manufacturer offering different tyre options as standard. Hats off to you, Ducati.
Best Tyres for the Ducati Desert X and Desert X Rally
The OEM Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres are good quality dual-purpose tyres. They are a good choice if you’re doing a bit of everything on the bike and to top it off, they look great.
However, if you’re going to be covering 95% of your miles on tarmac you can certainly fit better rubber that’ll have you bothering sportsbikes down your favourite twisty road.
At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re looking to spend most of your time off-road, there are some better options for you.
Pure Road
If you’re not taking your Desert Xdown anything more sinister than a gravel track, then these are great options for the pure road riders.
Dual Purpose
The original-fitment Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres are dual purpose tyres. They’re not the best on the road, nor amazing off-road but if you want a do-it-all tyre, they’re a good option. Here are a couple of other suggestions.
Continental TKC70 – Slightly more road-biased, central belt on the rear tyre reduces vibration on the road but if you want a slightly more off-road capable rear tyre, check out the TKC70 Rocks.
Off-Road
If you’re heading off-road often, then these tyres are capable of taking on any terrain.
Metzeler Karoo 4 – As used by the Simon Pavey BMW Off-Road School
We built a pressure gauge we wanted to use ourselves
After years of using tyre pressure gauges that were inaccurate, poorly made or awkward to fit without losing pressure, we decided enough was enough.
We worked with a manufacturer to produce a motorcycle tyre pressure gauge that met our own workshop standards. The result is a gauge that’s accurate. It’s even been featured in RiDE magazine.
We’re so confident in its quality that every gauge comes with a 3-year, no-nonsense money-back guarantee.
Whether you prefer the instant accuracy of a digital tyre pressure gauge or the simplicity of a traditional analogue gauge, we’ve got the perfect tool for the job.
Correct tyre pressures are the cheapest performance upgrade you can make. They improve grip, handling, tyre life and fuel economy—and they take less than a minute to check.
About Two Tyres
Our mission is to ensure we listen to every customer’s needs and ensure they’re riding on the right tyre. Out of the showroom, your motorbike is a compromise, designed to suit a huge range of riders and riding conditions. To get the best out of your bike in terms of handling, performance and safety, tyres make all the difference. In fact we think it’s the most cost-effective performance enhancement you can make!
We are based in London where we supply and fit motorcycle tyres and consumables in our workshop. We also mail order motorcycle tyres around the UK, across Europe and even to places as far-flung as the USA, Canada and Japan.
Need help choosing the best tyres?
Choosing tyres can be tricky. We’re here to help. We hold direct accounts with every motorcycle tyre manufacturer, so we’re well placed to give comprehensive and honest advice to help you choose the best tyres. If you can’t quite make your mind up, give us a call on 0207 205 2205 and we’ll help you narrow down your choices.
We are motorcycle and scooter tyre specialists, with over 25 years in the trade. Between us we fit 10 pairs of tyres a day in our workshop, so we have good real-world experience of what works and what doesn’t.
We ride to work, we ride for fun, we race and ride off-road. If it’s got two wheels, we’re into it.
Give us a call or drop into our London motorcycle workshop and we’ll do our best to help you.
We built a pressure gauge we wanted to use ourselves
After years of using tyre pressure gauges that were inaccurate, poorly made or awkward to fit without losing pressure, we decided enough was enough.
We worked with a manufacturer to produce a motorcycle tyre pressure gauge that met our own workshop standards. The result is a gauge that’s accurate. It’s even been featured in RiDE magazine.
We’re so confident in its quality that every gauge comes with a 3-year, no-nonsense money-back guarantee.
Whether you prefer the instant accuracy of a digital tyre pressure gauge or the simplicity of a traditional analogue gauge, we’ve got the perfect tool for the job.
Correct tyre pressures are the cheapest performance upgrade you can make. They improve grip, handling, tyre life and fuel economy—and they take less than a minute to check.
Here at Two Tyres, we stock more than just tyres. Take a look at some of our essentials for any biker.
Motorcycle puncture repair kit – Our top-rated kit includes everything you need to carry out a roadside repair and get back up and running.
Motorcycle tyre pressure gauge – Our tyre pressure gauge has been rated in RiDE magazine and features a clever design to make it easy to get accurate readings.
Motorcycle first aid kit – a DIN-rated first aid kit that’s compact and also includes extras that are handy for any biker. A must-carry in some EU countries.
HyperCharge battery charger – The HyperCharge is a smart charger that can charge lead-acid and lithium batteries and it’ll charge bike and car batteries too.
Cordless tyre pump – Small enough to fit in your luggage, this tyre pump doubles as a powerbank, so you’ll never have a flat tyre or phone battery again!
All of these products have been well tested and are top-rated by our customers.
