Desmo450 MX: Production of the first Ducati Motocross bike begins

Production of the new Desmo450 MX, the first Ducati motocross bike in history, is underway at the Borgo Panigale factory.

In the aftermath of the second world podium conquered by Jeremy Seewer in the French Grand Prix, the first Desmo450 MX came off the production line. The celebration of the event was attended by Tony Cairoli, who contributed his invaluable experience to the development of the bike, and Alessandro Lupino, the rider who took the first victory and the national title with it on its debut.

Developed and race-tested to be powerful, lightweight and reliable, the Desmo450 MX is capable of amplifying the riding skills of its rider, whether professional or amateur, offering the confidence that allows them to push their limits further. A bike that, thanks to the power delivery of its Desmodromic engine, chassis and innovative electronics, is capable of offering high performance with reduced physical effort.

The Desmo450 MX is the first model in a complete range of specialist off-road bikes, designed to take the Borgo Panigale company into new worlds, speak to new motorcyclists and therefore grow the community of Ducatisti.

“We looked around, searching for the important unique features of our corporate culture and finding what I believe characterizes Ducati like perhaps no other company: the closeness between the world of racing and that of production motorcycles,” says the CEO Claudio Domenicali. “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.”

The 449.6 cc Ducati single-cylinder engine with Desmodromic distribution is unique in the specialist off-road panorama, offering the possibility of making greater use of each gear ratio, at the start and between the curves, thanks to a particularly favourable power delivery, which combines torque at low and medium revs with benchmark extension. The lightweight aluminium frame has been designed to have the least possible number of welds, to the full benefit of the solidity, lightness and rigidity of the structure.

The Desmo450 MX also represents something new in the segment in terms of electronics: it is the first motocross bike in the world equipped with a Traction Control capable of precisely defining actual rear wheel slippage, and of identifying the riding phases in which it should not come into play so as not to limit the performance of the bike.

The Ducati Performance catalogue is full of proposals to bring the Desmo450 MX closer to the bike ridden in the MXGP World Championship by Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini. The special parts on offer include Factory components machined from solid such as wheel hubs and triple clamps, but also a complete exhaust, Akrapovič titanium slip-on silencer and Brembo Racing brake calipers. The list of available accessories will be progressively expanded.

Finally, to complete the Factory look, the Ducati Performance catalogue offers a complete technical collection created in collaboration with Drudi Performance. The offer consists of an Alpinestars jersey/pants/gloves/boots set, Arai helmet, wind vest, softshell and rain jacket.

The Desmo450 MX will arrive at selected European dealerships starting from June 2025. Distribution will extend to North America in July, and then to the rest of the world.