Ducati Enters The Motocross Arena With The Desmo450 MX

Ducati has revealed its first motocross bike in the form of the new Desmo450 MX. The Ducati Desmo450 MX was developed with the help of nine-time FIM Motocross World Champion Tony Cairoli and Alessandro Lupino. The pre-production motorcycles were raced in the 2024 Italian Motocross Championship and the company won the 2024 Italian MX1 Championship. The Ducati Desmo450 MX will go on sale in the European markets from June 2025 onward and the base price is set at ₹9.80 lakh.

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The three highlights of the Ducati motocross bike are the lightweight aluminium frame, a custom-developed traction control system and the Desmodromic engine. The 449.6 cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine churns out 63.5 bhp at 9,400 rpm and 53.5 Nm at 7,5000 rpm. The engine's redline is set at a very high 11,900 rpm and the motor uses titanium intake valves and steel exhaust valves. The Desmo system allows the powerplant to deliver 70 per cent of its torque at just 4,200 rpm. 

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The chassis of the Desmo450 MX is based on an aluminium perimeter frame and it was selected to keep the weight as low as possible. Ducati claims that the frame just uses 11 separate elements, which is half of its rivals and thus the entire chassis weighs just 8.96 kg. The frame is suspended on a 49 mm dia USD fork and a monoshock unit; the front suspension has a travel of 310 mm, while the rear has 301 mm of travel. As expected, the suspension components are fully adjustable, and to fine-tune the production-spec suspension, Alessandro Lupino competed in many races with the stock suspension and not a race-spec unit. 

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The Ducati Desmo450 MX’s traction control system has been developed using inputs from the Italian brands MotoGP and WSBK racing divisions. The TC system can adjust the engine output based on the rear wheel slippage via sensors, offering precise interventions.