Desmo450 MX: Ducati's ‘First-Ever' Motocross Bike Slated for September Debut
By Somnath Chatterjee - News
Published: 12 June 2025 |Last Updated: 10 June 2025
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Ducati has announced the Desmo450 MX; it's first production motocross bike .
. The new motocross offering is due for launch in September 2025 with a price tag of AUD$16,300 .
with a price tag of . Desmo450 MX is the first model in a complete range of specialist off-road bikes .
. Highlights include an off-road spec suspension and a lightweight frame with the Desmodromic engine.
As if the Multistrada and the Desert X were not enough to satiate off-road enthusiasts, Ducati has now entered its first proper motocross bike into production. The Desmo450 MX is the motorcycle brand's latest foray into the cross-performance market, offering improved suspension, a lightweight frame and, by the looks of the first images, a heck of a lot of fun. Most importantly, the Ducati Desmo450 MX is set to hit showrooms later this year, and it won't cost as much as you'd think.
Slated for a September 2025 release and priced at a cursory AUD$16,300, the Desmo450 MX marks a new frontier for Ducati; one typified by reinvention. A cursory glance gives a clue as to how off-road-focused the Desmo450 MX really is, and the initial reports are promising.
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
Desmo450 MX Powertrain
Ducati revealed that the new motocross bike has been developed with World Motocross Champion Tony Cairoli and Italian champion Alessandro Lupino, in order to provide the most authentic trail-faring experience. The result is a 449.6 cc Ducati single-cylinder engine with Desmodromic distribution, where the powertrain has been tuned for off-road performance, allowing riders to make use of every gear ratio.
The trade-off of this is that the power delivery has been prioritised for lower revs, which means this may not be a tarmac screamer like the typical Ducati fare that we are used to, but something more sinister. That being said, Ducati claims that the Desmo450 MX will still rev upto 11,900 rpm, which is nothing to sneeze at.
'We looked around, searching for the important unique features of our corporate culture and finding what I believe characterises Ducati like perhaps no other company: the closeness between the world of racing and that of production motorcycles,' Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said. 'And discovering, at the same time, that we have an incredible resource in-house in the form of many off-road enthusiasts in the various departments. All this has allowed us to present the Desmo450 MX: an easy and high-performance bike, for amateurs and professionals alike.'
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
Weight is also the mantra for the Desmo450 MX, where its lightweight aluminium frame, whihc measures in at 104.8 kgs, has been designed to have the least possible number of welds. Further, Ducati claims that this is the first motocross bike in the world equipped with a Traction Control capable of precisely defining actual rear wheel slippage.
Of course, a Ducati will not be complete without a Akrapovič titanium slip-on silencer, with the robust suspension consisting of a 49mm Showa upside-down fork at the front and a fully adjustable monoshock at the rear. Brake power comes courtesy of Brembo, and the gearbox is a six-speed unit with a quick shifter.
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
Desmo450 MX Style
Styling-wise, Ducati hasn't strayed too far from the beaten path. The latest Desmo450 MX keeps the angular family DNA that the brand has become synonymous with, and it's not hard to see hints of the flagship Panigale amidst those sharp lines. More of the detail-oriented side, you can expect to find Takasago Excel rims laced with Alpina spokes being wrapped around Pirelli Scorpion MX32 tyres.
At first glance, the Desmo450 MX does cut an imposing figure. Compared to the previous off-road-focused machines from Ducati, this is a far more serious product, designed with the singular focus of decimating dirt trails. Make no mistake, this is not a lifestyle bike, but rather a purposeful machine designed with a clean sheet of paper, which is a huge advantage when you take into account Ducati's trademark pomp and glamour. It might be a new segment for Ducati, but the brand has kept its core appeal well entrenched in this bike.
The Ducati Desmo450 MX will arrive at selected European dealerships starting from June 2025. According to the brand, Distribution will extend to North America in July, and then to the rest of the world, with Australia slated for a September release. The new motocross bike will be priced at AUD$16,300 ride-away.
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
Desmo450 MX: Ducati's 'First-Ever' Motocross Bike | Image: Ducati
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