When Ducati first introduced the DesertX, it not an overstatement to say that it made a lot of riders’ dreams come true. Those clamoring for a bike with more serious off-road capability finally got what they wanted—and in, as per Ducati’s usual styling standards, a rather attractive package. A 21-inch front wheel was only the beginning. For 2023, the DesertX just became Ducati’s first model to get integrated turn-by-turn navigation.  

Utilizing the Ducati Multimedia System’s Bluetooth connection to your smartphone of choice, the latest version of the Ducati Link phone app and a user license activation are needed if you want to display Turn-By-Turn nav on your DesertX. From there, all you have to do is input a destination of your choosing. If you have a Bluetooth helmet communicator also hooked up, you’ll hear navigation instructions in your ears, as well as see the turn-by-turn navigation show up on your display. 

Once you’ve set your destination, you can of course stick your phone anywhere you wish, out of the way—in a tank bag, your pocket, or any other luggage you may be using. Navigation maps can be downloaded in advance if you want to save data, or if you’ll be traveling in areas that don’t have the greatest signal. If you opt to keep the phone online, though, you can also receive real-time traffic data, should you be riding in an area where that’s helpful. 

Gallery: 2023 Ducati DesertX

Ducati says that the turn-by-turn nav system will also be available on the Diavel V4, and will arrive on other models throughout the current Ducati range in the near future. For both convenience and safety, it seems like a useful addition to Ducati’s available connectivity on its bikes. 

For 2023, Ducati also updated the available liveries for the DesertX. It’s currently available both in the Matte Star White Silk colorway with which it made its world premiere, as well as the stunning new RR22 livery, which gives a sort of test-mule-camouflage look to the bike. (I don’t know about you, but we’ve often spoken amongst ourselves about how some of the test camouflage that OEMs use on their upcoming machines look cool enough that people would probably buy them as optional graphics, if any OEMs were willing to offer them up.) 

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