11/27/22
The adventure segment is on fire with more exciting and charismatic additions each year. This year, Ducati built the bike with a silhouette that ticks just about every box for a layman's Dakar dreams with all the modern tech and performance you’d expect from the Italian brand. It’s a well-played riff on the glory days of multicylinder rally racers setting off from Paris toward the sand dunes and expanse of Northern Africa. Ah, “Paris-Dakar,” it still sounds more adventurous and romantic than just “Dakar.” Much as you’d imagine your life with a DesertX.
But the DesertX is not the only recent adventure bike with a look that is a throwback, though Husqvarna’s Norden 901 does it with a more futuristic twist. Based on the same platform as KTM’s action-missile 890 Adventure, the Norden softens the sharp edges and brings livability to the table. In my first ride of the Norden 901, I claimed it could very well be the ADV for most of the adventure world. How does that hold up now that the DesertX is on the scene?
Cycle World contributing editor Seth Richards set out into the waning autumn to find out which machine fulfilled the promise of adventure better. Read his comparison of the 2022 Ducati DesertX versus Husqvarna Norden 901 here.
As always, there’s more than we can fit into this email. Check out cycleworld.com for additional tests, reviews, and news.
Ride on,
Justin Dawes
Executive Editor
