Ducati’s Desert Sled Scrambler: Living up to the hype

Strangely, ‘Desert Sled’ isn’t Latin for Yamaha XT. The term, apparently, originates from the USA in the 60s and 70s, where heavy 500cc+ bikes were modified for desert sorties. Ducati was also keen to mention its victory in the 1969 Baja rally during the press briefing – there was a tangible sense of off-road importance to this presentation, which was a good thing.