One of the oddest news reports in recent memory was the announcement that Ducati, a brand synonymous with lusty Italian sportbikes, was planning to enter the world of motocross. A race-ready prototype of their contender broke cover soon after, before being fielded in a handful of events throughout the course of last year.
Now the Borgo Panigale brand has unveiled the production version of their first-ever motocross bike—the Ducati Desmo450 MX—and we’re intrigued.
The most pertinent question is why the almost 100-year-old marque is diversifying, and why they’ve chosen the world of off-road racing as their next stomping ground. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali’s official statement offers reasons (once you’ve waded through the marketing speak).
“Over the past 18 months many people have asked me why Ducati decided to enter the world of professional off-road racing,” he says. “The answer is simple: Ducati is a healthy company that generates resources, therefore has the opportunity to grow by opening up to a new segment of enthusiasts.”
“We looked around, searching for the important uniqueness of our corporate culture and finding the one that I believe characterizes Ducati like perhaps no other company: the closeness between the world of racing and the world of production motorbikes. And discovering, at the same time, that we have an incredible resource within us in the form of so many off-road enthusiasts in the various departments.”
It’s hard not to read the first half of Domenicali’s statement as a shot across the bow of the embattled Austrian manufacturer, KTM. But the gist of it all is that Ducati is hoping to cash in on the ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ model that’s served them so well in MotoGP and World Superbike racing. And they just might have a shot.
On the outside, the Ducati Desmo450 MX cuts the same basic silhouette as most motocross race bikes—albeit with oodles of Italian flair. Every contour and angle is just that much sharper, and the red plastics match the hue of Ducati’s MotoGP contender. The graphics are subtle and there’s minimum branding, which will make it harder to distinguish this all-red motocrosser from Gas Gas and Honda’s all-red motocrossers.
Under the hood, the Ducati Desmo450 MX is powered by a 449.6 cc single-cylinder engine. It uses Ducati’s Desmodromic valve system—as featured in the Panigale V4 and the brand’s MotoGP contender, the Desmosedici GP. The Desmo450 motor kicks out 63.5 hp at 9,400 rpm and 53.5 Nm at 7,500 rpm, and redlines at 11,900 rpm.
Ducati attributes the high-revving capability of the Desmo450 to the Desmodromic system, adding that it also makes 70 percent of its maximum torque at 4,200 rpm. The intake valves are 40 mm titanium items, while the exhaust valves are 33 mm steel numbers. The maintenance schedule includes a piston replacement and valve clearance check every 45 hours, and a full engine overhaul every 90 hours.
Ducati went all-out on packing the Desmo450 MX with as much new tech as possible. The radiators are rhomboid-shaped to increase their surface area, improving their cooling efficiency while still keeping them compact.
The Desmo450 MX also sports a comprehensive electronics package—including a traction control system derived from their track racing bikes. The system monitors rear wheel slippage and data from an inertial measurement unit to calculate when (and how) to intervene. It also knows when not to act, and can be deactivated temporarily in the heat of the moment via a gentle tap on the clutch lever.
Other rider aids include launch control, engine brake control, and switchable rider modes. All of the above can be configured via a smartphone app, and a quick-shifter comes installed out of the box.
The Ducati Desmo450 MX’s frame is a perimeter aluminum affair made up of 11 pieces, each of which was either cast, forged, or extruded. The frame weighs in at a measly 8.96 kg [19.75 lbs], for an overall dry weight of 104.8 kg [231 lbs].
Thanks to its frame architecture, the bike is skinny as heck. Ducati’s engineers considered maintenance too, by ensuring that items like the rear shock were easy to get to. A cast aluminum swingarm sits out back, hooked up to a forged aluminum linkage.
Turning to the suspension, Ducati specced the Desmo450 MX with fully adjustable Showa items at both ends. 49 mm upside-down forks offer 310 mm of travel and feature a slick Kashima coating for low-friction operation, with 301 mm of travel from the rear mono-shock.
The 21F/19R wheels use Takasago Excel rims with Alpina spokes, and come fitted with Pirelli Scorpion MX32 tires. Brembo calipers, Galfer discs, and a DID chain complete the package.
If that’s not enough, Ducati has the typical smorgasbord of accessories on offer. You can purchase almost everything that the Ducati MX team has on their bikes (shy of their factory Showa suspension), plus tasty bits like upgraded hubs, billet yokes, a titanium Akrapovič exhaust, and race-spec Brembo calipers. And if you simply must match your bike, Ducati’s apparel and rider gear department has you covered.
Ducati’s press material goes deep on the Desmo450 MX’s tech—but it’s also peppered with some notable tidbits of information. For starters, Ducati casually mentions that the bike will be the first in a range of off-road bikes, which means we could see the brand expand into enduro, rally, and possibly even supermoto competition.
The other major takeaway is that Ducati has clearly taken this project very seriously. Last year, they pulled their MotoGP sporting director, Paolo Ciabatti, in to run their motocross race team.
With nine-time MX world champ Tony Cairoli and Alessandro Lupino aboard the Desmo450 MX, they entered a handful of international races throughout the year, using data from those races to refine the bike. Alessandro Lupino also fielded the Desmo450 MX in the Italian Motocross Championship, which he won. So everything you see on the production bike is race-proven.
Ducati is all-in for this year’s World Champs with their newly-formed Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX team. Three races into the season, Italian racer Mattia Guadagnini and Swiss racer Jeremy Seewer are currently sitting in 7th and 11th place respectively.
If the Ducati Desmo450 MX tickles your fancy, it’ll be available in selected European dealerships from June and in US dealers from July, before rolling out in other markets. The US base price has been confirmed at $11,495—a couple of hundred bucks more than a KTM 450 SX-F.
Source: Ducati
