DUCATI’S 450CC PRODUCTION MXER…IN DETAIL!

The production version of Ducati’s all-new 450cc motocross bike, the Desmo450 MX, has been a long time coming. This landmark machine first broke cover back in January, 2024. We then bore witness to a series of candid BTS videos about the bike’s race-honed development process, culminating in its historic title win in the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship. In January this year, Ducati confirmed rumours about their intended collaboration with Troy Lee Designs and the brand’s highly anticipated AMA SX series debut in season 2026. And then in March, Ducati put all the speculation to rest by revealing the Desmo450 MX’s price tag.

Now, finally, the Italian manufacturer has unveiled images, specs and detailed information – comprehensive information, too – about the 2026-model production Desmo450 MX (along with this cool teaser promo vid), which is expected land in European dealer floors from June and Aussie Ducati dealers in September. 

So, settle back and treat yourself to a Ducati-supplied deep dive into this cool-looking, fire-red MX weapon…

DUCATI’S FIRST MX BIKE

The Desmo450 MX is the first Ducati motocross bike in history, which transfers the philosophy that has always guided the Borgo Panigale company to specialist off-road: experimenting solutions in racing competition to then make them available to enthusiasts on production bikes. Experience in races has been adapted to the needs of motocross, creating an immediately successful prototype, that is capable of winning races and championships in the Italian Prestige MX1 with Alessandro Lupino.

Ducati has made the Desmo450 MX a bike capable of amplifying the riding skills of its rider, whether professional or amateur, offering him the confidence that allows a professional to achieve superior performance, and a simple amateur to get close to the performance of a “Pro” rider, reducing the physical effort for both.

DESIGN & ERGONOMICS

The Ducati approach was aimed at introducing Ducati’s DNA on a necessarily essential bike, on which every component is conceived and designed with the sole objective of offering performance and functionality. It’s an approach that led to the design of a motocross bike with fluid, clean, taut surfaces, making the Desmo450 MX immediately recognisable as a Ducati.

In particular, keeping in mind the need to ensure maximum freedom of movement for the rider, the Centro Stile Ducati worked on the surfaces outside the rider’s legroom by introducing positives and negatives that recall the openings on the fairing of the Panigale V4.

Similarly, the clean and light rear mudguard recalls the tail of Ducati sports bikes, and the front view is characterized by a number plate that recalls the scowling “look” of the new Panigale, and a front mudguard inspired by the Hypermotard.

The side panels and side number plates, in particular, have been designed in such a way as not to interfere with, but rather facilitate, the rider’s movements in various riding situations. The front side panels are designed to facilitate leg movement towards the inside of the curve, while the lateral number holders are characterised by a change in volume in correspondence with the exhaust which, repeated on the left side, constitutes a reference for the rider when moving to a rearward position.

The side panels, frame guards and lower part of the number holders also have a texture that facilitates grip, functional to hold the inside of the thigh and the rider’s boots both in acceleration and, vertically, in jumps.

ENGINE

The Desmo450 MX engine is a single-cylinder four-stroke, with a desmodromic, twin-camshaft, four-valve distribution system controlled by a chain and a displacement of 449.6cc and magnesium alternator, head and clutch covers. The Desmo450 engine has a dry weight of 26.8kg.

The bore and stroke measurements are 96 x 62.1mm respectively, chosen to obtain an optimal valve diameter. The latter, at the intake, are made of titanium and have a diameter of 40mm, while at the exhaust they have a diameter of 33mm and are made of steel, with a hollow stem and sodium inside to improve heat exchange. The chain tensioner is hydraulically operated, so as to offer a more precise action than a conventional mechanical solution.

Thanks to the desmodromic system, which offers the possibility of managing greater valve accelerations, it was possible to achieve higher lift values than traditional systems, thus allowing the definition of more aggressive cam profiles with the same valve diameter, and as a result a more extended and sustained torque curve to be achieved. The Desmo also offers greater torque at low and medium revs, not having to overcome spring loads calculated to guarantee correct recall at high revs – as evidence of this, 70% of the maximum torque value is already available at 4200rpm on the Desmo450 MX. The Desmo rockers are coated with DLC treatment.

The piston, the design of which allows for a compression ratio of 13.5:1, is equipped with a sealing segment and an oil scrape and adopts a “box in box” scheme with a double-beam bottom to combine rigidity and resistance, reducing the thrust surfaces with the ultimate goal of reducing friction. For the same reason, the gudgeon pin is equipped with a DLC surface coating. The crankshaft is composite, while the connecting rod is monolithic.

Vibrations are contained thanks to a balancing countershaft, which integrates the water-pump control, thus reducing the number of components and therefore masses and inertia. For the same reason, the tone wheel with pick-up is integrated into the rotor.

The fuel supply is managed through a 44mm diameter circular Mikuni throttle body with mechanical control. The intake uses a Twin-Air filter. The exhaust, equipped with a resonator and made of mixed steel/aluminium alloy, complies with the FIM 2025 regulations, which stipulate an exhaust noise level no higher than 109dB (+2 dB tolerance).

The maximum power of the Desmo450 engine is 63.5hp at 9400rpm, and the maximum torque delivered is 53.5Nm at 7500rpm. The limiter intervenes at 11,900rpm, establishing a new benchmark in the category.

The radiators are not rectangular, but rhomboidal in shape. This improves engine cooling, with benefits in terms of reliability and consistent performance, thanks to a 6.5% increase in the radiating surface, while maintaining narrow and adherent side panels, which do not compromise the rider’s freedom of movement towards the front.

The five-speed gearbox, with a quickshifter in single engagement, is characterized by an aluminium drum, which makes it lighter and therefore reduces its inertia. Likewise, the clutch, with cup spring, has the crown integrated into the basket, thus being lighter and more compact in the axial direction. The chain is a DID 520, while the RK sprocket is made of aluminium.

MAINTENANCE: The maintenance intervals have been defined in order to reduce the ownership costs. The piston change is scheduled at 45 hours, along with the valve clearance check, while the complete maintenance for the engine is scheduled at 90 hours, a benchmark in the segment.

CHASSIS

The Desmo450 MX is equipped with a twin-spar aluminium frame that follows the inspiring principles of the Front Frame system used on Ducati’s road sports bikes, designed and built with innovative techniques to optimize stiffness, weight and strength. The choice of the twin spar, functional to create an engine intake duct as straight as possible and with the right inclination to optimize filling efficiency and therefore performance, has in turn determined the use of aluminium as the material for its construction.

In particular, the choice of this scheme has allowed the welding between the various parts to be reduced to a minimum, making the most of the mechanical characteristics of the material.

The frame structure is composite, with cast and forged elements, and extruded elements made of refined and high- performance aluminium alloys. The most stressed parts have been made of self-hardening alloys, with high mechanical characteristics. The front part, made by casting, is a distinctive element, and allows the number of frame components to be contained to 10 compared to the over 20 of the competition.

The scheme chosen therefore allows for a lighter frame compared to solutions based on steel tubes, enabling the amount of material needed at each point to be suitably calibrated to offer the correct value of rigidity and robustness. This has led to an extremely light frame, weighing 8.96kg, which contributes significantly to reaching a total bike weight of 104.8kg.

SUSPENSION: The Desmo450 MX suspension consists of a 49mm diameter Showa upside-down fork and a Showa shock absorber, mounted in a central position on the cast swingarm with the interposition of progressive forged linkages. The progressivity of the link was defined during the races run in the 2024 season.

The front fork, featuring 310mm travel, has an aluminium foot with 33mm offset, and Kashima coating on the stanchions and black anodized caps. The fork is a closed cartridge type with external adjusters to vary the hydraulic damping in compression and rebound. The shock absorber, in black anodized aluminium, has a 16mm stem and 129mm travel for a total wheel travel of 301mm. In addition to the spring preload, the shock absorber is adjustable in the hydraulic damping in compression (high and low speeds) and in rebound.

The fork is mounted on steering plates made of high-performance aluminium by forging, and then machined, in order to maximize the ratio between stiffness and weight of the component while maintaining a more precious look.

For the suspension, we relied on the lengthy experience in off-road racing competition of Showa, our partner for many years also on road bikes, which has demonstrated it can win already in the bike’s debut race with Alessandro Lupino at Mantua using completely standard components.

In particular, the choice of suspension with an elastic spring component rather than air was considered the best solution to meet the needs of all levels of rider, and to simplify the set-up by the latter.

BRAKES: The braking system of the Desmo450 MX, as regards calipers and pumps, is made by Brembo, a historic partner of the Borgo Panigale company, whose experience has been fundamental in the development process of the bike in a completely new environment for Ducati. The discs, 260mm at the front and 240mm at the rear, are instead supplied by Galfer, and were developed with the aim of reducing the weight of the unsprung masses, minimizing the gyroscopic effect and increasing the handling of the bike.

TYRES & RIMS: The Desmo450 MX is equipped with Takasago Excel rims with Alpina spokes, mounted on cast aluminium hubs, thus continuing the partnerships inaugurated with the DesertX Rally, intended for professional use. The same components, with the only difference of the billet hubs, are used on the Aruba.it – Ducati Factory MX Team Desmo450 MX. The tyres are Pirelli Scorpion MX32 Mid-Soft.

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT & CONTROLS

The Desmo450 MX takes full advantage of Ducati’s experience in developing electronic control and riding assistance systems. In particular, while respecting the constraints imposed by racing regulations, the bike is equipped with a suite of controls that include Launch Control, engine brake management, and above all an advanced traction control system that acts on the engine with the same result as the systems used on road sports bikes and racing bikes.

All the electronic controls are pre-configured in two Riding Modes available as standard on the Desmo450 MX. Mounting the accessory connectivity system, the Desmo450 MX is equipped with a Wi-Fi module that allows the X-Link App to reconfigure the two Riding Modes by varying the intervention levels of the controls in each of the two. Subsequently, the rider can upload the changed Riding Modes to the control unit via the Wi-Fi connection provided by the accessory module.

The Riding Modes are managed via the button panel on the left side of the handlebar, which allows the rider to change the selected mode, activate or deactivate the Traction Control or the Quickshifter, or even insert the Launch Control. The five LEDs on the button panel indicate the status of the electronic controls and the Wi-Fi activity.

THROTTLE RESPONSE: The Desmo450 engine’s throttle response can be adjusted via two different throttle response maps. Using the Smooth setting, the engine response is smoother and more progressive than the Dynamic setting, which is characterised by a more direct power delivery.

LAUNCH CONTROL: The Launch Control system, which can be set to three intervention levels, acts on the rev limiter to help the rider make the most of the engine’s power when starting off. Levels 1 and 2 indicate a less invasive intervention of the system, while Level 3 is the one that guarantees more “safe and stable” behaviour when starting off. The system deactivates automatically when fourth gear is engaged or the throttle grip is released.

ENGINE BRAKE: Engine brake management has been developed to help riders optimize bike stability in extreme corner entry conditions by balancing the forces to which the rear tyre is subjected under conditions of intensive application of the reverse torque resulting from engine deceleration. The EB monitors the throttle position, selected gear and crankshaft deceleration during more aggressive braking, and adjusts ignition and ignition advance to balance the torque forces applied to the tyre. Engine brake control can be set to two levels.

DUCATI TRACTION CONTROL (DTC): The Desmo450 MX’s traction control is a new-generation system that intervenes on the engine parameters of ignition advance and ignition based on strategies that consider engine rpm, gear engaged, throttle opening angle and other sensors. The system also manages the shutdown of the bike in the event of a fall or overturning.

The system is able to control the actual slip value, offering a tangible contribution in terms of safety and performance to riders of all levels. From a series of back-to-back tests, the DTC system provided an improvement in lap time of between 0.3s and 1.6s depending on the rider’s level, with an average of around one second. At the same time, the test carried out on bikes equipped with a conventional system showed improvements of between 0 and 0.5s, when not even worsening.

The Ducati Traction Control of the Desmo450 MX is adjustable on four levels, with a logic linked to the intervention of the system (lower levels indicate freer and less intrusive control, while higher levels are designed to increase the stability of the bike) and not to ground grip. The system can of course be disabled.

STANDOUT FEATURES

• Desmo450 single-cylinder engine, 449.6cc.
• Maximum power of 63.5hp at 9400rpm, Maximum torque of 53.5Nm at 7500rpm.
• Twin-spar Aluminium frame.
• 7.2-litre fuel tank.
• Showa 49mm upside-down forks, fully adjustable, 310mm travel and Kashima Coating on the fork legs.
• Showa fully adjustable monoshock, 301mm wheel travel.
• Cast aluminium swingarm.
• Brembo braking system with single Galfer discs, 260mm (front) and 240mm (rear).
• Pirelli Scorpion MX32 Mid-Soft tyres, 80/100-21” and 110/90-19”.
• DID chain final transmission.
• Takasago Excel aluminium rims with Alpina spokes, 21” x 1.60” and 19” x 2.15”.
• 2 Power Modes, 2 Riding Modes.
• Riding Modes configurable via the accessory X-Link app.
• New-generation electronics package with Ducati Traction Control (DTC); Power Launch; QuickShift, Engine Brake Control.
• Piston replacement every 45 hours.
• Valve clearance check every 45 hours.
• Colour options: Red.

For more detailed info and imagery (including a cool audio file of the bike’s unique exhaust note), check out Ducati’s website. 

2026 DUCATI DESMO450 MX – SPECS

DUCATI WORLD PREMIÈRE 2026 – DESMO450 MX

Want more? Check out this 20-minute video that, in classic Ducati style, offers a detailed insight into the bike’s development, component spec, distribution strategy and, of course, the passionate people involved in its journey so far…