You have a choice: You can interpret the "D" in the D-90O model designation as standing either for "desert" or for "dual purpose." This new model is a development of the rally bikes Cagiv/Ducati has built to race across the vastness of the African deserts, such as in the famous Paris-to-Dakar Rally. It's also a dual-purpose machine that is fully street-legal but has numerous concessions for off-road riding-added ground clearance, high exhausts, wide handlebar, dual-purpose tires, etc. It uses a version of the 9OOSS engine, but with different suspension and bodywork. Expect it to appear at Ducati dealerships sometime in the middle of the 1993 model year. From Cycle-World 1993 Buyer's Guide Submitted by: David stiv@rice.edu