REAL-WORLD TEST: DUCATI DESMO450 MX

“This thing is totally different to any 450cc motocross bike we’ve ever ridden!”

This time last year, when Transmoto test pilot, John Prutti, first rode Ducati’s all-new Desmo450 MX at the bike’s international media launch in Italy, he didn’t have to spin too many laps to realise that the Italian manufacturer’s first stab at a 450cc MX machine was a damn good one.

But, as is always the case at hectic media launches, Prutti’s time on the bike was a bit limited. While he was able to get a good overall feel for the character of its engine, chassis, suspension, ergos and brakes in Italy, he simply ran out of daylight before being able to properly assess what Ducati claims to be a class-leading electronics package, or to muck around much with suspension settings.

Hence this follow-up test on the 2026 Desmo450 MX, now that the bike is in Australian dealers. This time around, there were no time constraints on Prutti. And by taking the bike to a variety of Aussie MX tracks and getting feedback from riders of differing weights and abilities, he was able to get a much deeper understanding of the bike’s performance (and range of adjustment) in everything from deep sand to hardpack…

PS: Yeah, yeah; we know it’s called a “Desmodromic” valve actuation, in spite one test rider’s insistence on referring to it a “Desmotronic” valve train. Private joke, apparently.