Believe the hype! After its global debut and Tony Cairoli’s return to the race track at this weekend’s MXGP round in Trentino, U.S. dealers can expect to get the Ducati Desmo450 MX in July. But why a dirtbike and why now?
“Over the past 18 months many people have asked me why Ducati decided to enter the world of professional off-road racing. 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,” explains Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding. “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.”
“We also discovered at the same time that we have an incredible resource within Ducati in the form of so many off-road enthusiasts in the various departments. All this has allowed us to present the Desmo450 MX today: an easy, high-performance bike, for amateurs and professionals alike, which we will constantly develop through sporting activity at the highest levels, supporting it thanks to a Dealer network that speaks the language of motocross enthusiasts and truly understands all their needs.”
But is it Desmo? For the Ducatisti around the globe being a capable dirtbike is only half the equation… it had to be a Desmo to be a true Ducati!
Desmodromic Data
The Desmo450 MX started with the engine, which features the same Desmodromic system used on all Ducati racing bikes, including MotoGP. The primary advantage of Desmo Drive is the ability to produce power at very high revs while still delivering maximum torque on the bottom. Ducati engineers believed this combination would make the bike competitive right out of the gate. They weren’t wrong as Seewer and Guadagnini grabbed the holeshot in their debut race at the MXGP of Argentina utilizing a production engine.
“The Desmo450 MX delivers a strong torque curve at low revs, ensuring abundant power out of corners, with a linear delivery and unprecedented acceleration for its category. This distinctive power delivery curve provides the rider with 70% of the maximum torque at just 4,200 rpm, making the Desmo450 MX less demanding and tiring than a traditional 450… This capability stems from the Desmodromic distribution, which reduces the energy required to open the valves, enabling more aggressive lift profiles even with larger valve diameters: 40mm intake valves and 33mm exhaust valves.”
Max claimed power of the Desmo450 engine is 63.5 hp at 9,400 rpm, with a peak torque of 39.5 lb-ft at 7,500 rpm. The rev limiter is set at 11,900 rpm, establishing a new benchmark for the category. The Desmo450 MX will arrive in North American dealerships in July with MSRP of $11,495.
