OFFICIAL RELEASE The 2026 Ducati Desmo 450 MX is here and it’s set to retail for $11,495 in the U.S.It will arrive in selected European dealerships starting next month, reach North America in July, and subsequently expand to the rest of the world…

The all-new 2026 Ducati Desmo450 MX has finally broken cover in it’s production form. At an MSRP of $11,495 the new Italian machine will be available in North America starting in July. Top features include a Desmodromic engine design, max power of 63.5 hp and 39.5 lb-ft of torque, Showa suspension, Brembo brakes, Pirelli tires, configurable riding modes, along with traction control, quick shift, and an engine brake control. The bike is claimed to weigh 231 pounds without fuel. Scroll through to see the official release.

“Over the past 18 months many people have asked me why Ducati decided to enter the world of professional off-road racing,” said said Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding. “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.”

The Desmo450 will be available in July for North American customers.

“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,” he continued. “And discovering, at the same time, that we have an incredible resource within us 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 sales network that speaks the language of motocross enthusiasts and truly understands all their needs.”

The latest Ducati sports an MSRP of $11,495.

Ducati has created what they deem as a light and reliable bike with a high-performance Desmodromic distribution engine and electronic equipment that sets the benchmark in the category. The Desmo450 MX is thus capable of enhancing the riding skills of both professional and amateur riders, providing the confidence needed to push their limits further. Due to its engine power delivery, chassis, and innovative electronics, this bike offers high performance while requiring reduced physical effort.

Antonio Cairoli has helped with the development of the Desmo450.

The Desmo450 MX features a single-cylinder 449.6 cc engine with Desmodromic distribution. It offers the ability to maximize every gear ratio at the start and through corners, which combines torque at low and medium revs with impressive over-rev capabilities.

The Ducati 450 has a claimed weight of 231 pounds without fuel.

The lightweight aluminum frame is designed to minimize welds, enhancing the solidity, lightness, and rigidity of the structure. These design choices proved immediately successful in the race with Alessandro Lupino, who became the national champion after winning the first race of the MX1 Italian Championship. The races helped define the bike that will go into production in mid-April and will serve as the best test bench for the ongoing development of the Desmo450 MX and all models that will become part of the range.

There will soon be yet another red bike on the grid.

The Desmo450 MX also marks a milestone in the segment regarding electronics. It is the world’s first motocross bike equipped with Traction Control that can accurately assess rear wheel slippage (patent pending). This system recognizes the riding conditions in which it should not activate to avoid limiting the bike’s performance. Finally, the Desmo450 MX Traction Control can be quickly deactivated by the rider in situations requiring maximum engine output, and it will automatically reactivate shortly after.

The Ducatisti is now in the off-road world.

Engine

The design of the Desmo450 MX started from the engine, which features Desmodromic distribution, the same system used on all Ducati racing bikes, including MotoGP. This characteristic provides several advantages to the Desmo450 MX, chief among them the ability to operate the engine at very high revs, which enhances the likelihood of starting faster than competitors at the gate and winning the coveted Holeshot award. The team’s MXGP riders, Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini, grabbed holeshots at the MXGP of Argentina with a production engine equipped solely with the complete Akrapovič exhaust.

The Desmo engine pumps out 63.5 horsepower.

The maximum power of the Desmo450 engine of 63.5 hp at 9,400 rpm, with a peak torque of 39.5 lb-ft at 7,500 rpm. The limiter intervention is set at 11,900 rpm, establishing a new benchmark for the category.

The Desmo450 MX also 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, which greatly benefits track performance and riding enjoyment. 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.

The Desmo engine will be the first of its kind in the motocross scene.

Thanks to the bore and stroke measurements of 96 x 62.1 mm, 40 mm intake valves and 33 mm exhaust valves were indeed possible. The former are made of titanium, while the latter consist of steel with a hollow stem filled with sodium to enhance heat exchange, thereby increasing reliability and performance consistency.

Particular attention was paid to the cooling system, featuring rhomboid-shaped radiators. These allow for a 6.5% higher radiating surface compared to a traditionally shaped solution, improving engine cooling while keeping the bike compact, thus offering the rider a high level of freedom of movement towards the front of the bike.

Chassis

The chassis of the Desmo450 MX is based on an aluminum perimeter frame. This layout was chosen to obtain a lightweight structure, which allows the engine to have intake and exhaust ducts as straight as possible, to guarantee the best performance. The technicians managed to create a structure weighing 19.7 lbs with the least possible number of welds, thus hitting the desired targets of lightness, reliability, and rigidity. The frame contributes significantly to containing the bike’s weight, which, in a ready-to-use configuration but without fuel, stands at 231 lbs.

Downdraft intake and airbox.

The frame of the Desmo450 MX consists of only 11 pieces, approximately half compared to the competition, and includes cast, forged, and extruded elements. The front section, which connects the steering column to the upper shock absorber attachment, is represented by a single cast component. This construction technology, which Ducati also employs in Superbike frames, enables total control of thicknesses, thereby utilizing only the necessary amount of material at each point and creating complex shapes without compromising weight or strength.

An aluminum frame and swingarm come standard.

The extremely compact frame design was also designed to ensure the best ergonomics for the rider while facilitating quick and easy maintenance in the workshop or on the track, where tasks like disassembling the shock absorber can be performed swiftly.

 

The latter is positioned centrally and operates using a cast aluminum swingarm and a forged aluminum linkage. The progressivity of the link was established during the races held in the 2024 season.

 

Suspension

Ducati relies on Showa’s extensive racing experience and due to their spring-based design. The fork is fully adjustable, featuring 49 mm inverted stems, 310 mm of travel, and a Kashima Coating treatment on the stanchions. The shock absorber is also fully adjustable, with a wheel travel of 301 mm. To further refine the setup, Alessandro Lupino competed in the initial part of the Italian Championship using standard suspension, confirming the reliability of the chosen equipment.

Showa suspension comes standard with Kashima coatings.

Ducati also collaborated with their long-standing partner, Brembo, to develop the braking systems, as they’ve done for many years with road bikes. It features a two-piston floating caliper at the front and a single-piston caliper at the rear. Galfer brake discs measure 260 mm at the front and 240 mm at the rear.

 

Electronics

The experience gained in MotoGP enabled Ducati technicians to introduce a real traction control system on the Desmo450 MX. Unlike the existing systems in the segment, the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) calibrates power adjustments based on actual rear wheel slip and inertial measurements of vehicle dynamics, ensuring effective, prompt, and smooth intervention. This system can recognize moments when it should remain inactive, such as during jumps, by automatically disabling itself. Additionally, if the rider identifies areas on the track where he wishes to utilize the engine’s full potential, he can deactivate the system with a light pull on the clutch lever. Control will automatically resume after a brief moment. Ducati Traction Control offers four different levels of intervention.

Electronics package includes launch control, traction control, quick shift, and engine brake control.

The electronic equipment includes Launch Control and Engine Brake Control, which, like DTC, can be configured at different levels of intervention. These features are associated with two Riding Modes that the rider can adapt to their needs and the characteristics of the track via the X-Link App. The gearbox is equipped with a Quickshifter for engagement.

 

Maintenance intervals

The maintenance intervals have been established to reduce related costs for the customer. Piston replacement and the valve clearance check are scheduled for 45 hours, while the total engine overhaul is established at 90 hours, which are benchmark values for the segment.

Brembo brakes.

Accessories

Thanks to the Ducati Performance catalog, it is possible to create a replica of the Ducati Desmo450 MX ridden in the MXGP World Championship by Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini. In fact, all the details of the 450 MX Factory are available in the Ducati Performance catalog, with the sole exception of the official Showa suspension, which cannot be purchased by privateer riders.

Cairoli in action.

The special parts offered include Factory components machined from solid such as wheel hubs, triple clamps, but also a complete exhaust or Akrapovič titanium slip-on silencer and Brembo Racing brake calipers. The list of available accessories will be progressively expanded.

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

Ducati has also already unveiled a new 250cc model which is currently being raced in the Italian National Motocross championship. We expect that bike to be released to the public sometime next year in the same fashion as the 450.

 

2026 Ducati Desmo450 MX Specifications

MSRP $11,459

Engine Type 4-stroke, single, desmodromic valve

Cooling System Liquid

Displacement 449.6 cc

Bore x Stroke 96 x 62.1 mm

Starting System Electric

Fueling EFI

Transmission 5-speed

Clutch Hydraulically actuated

Frame Twin Spar Aluminum

Subframe Aluminum

Front Suspension Showa 49mm, Kashima coated

Rear Suspension Showa Monoshock w/linkage

Front-Wheel Travel 12.2 in.

Rear-Wheel Travel 11.85 in.

Front Wheel 21 in.

Rear Wheel 19 in.

Front Tire Pirelli Scorpion MX32 Mid-Soft, 80/100-21

Rear Tire Pirelli Scorpion MX32 Mid-Soft 110/90-19”

Front Brake Brembo 260mm, Galfer disc

Rear Brake Brembo 240mm, Galfer disc

Horsepower 63.5 at 9,400 rpm

Torque 39.5 lb-ft at 7,500 rpm

Electronics Ducati Traction Control (DTC); Power Launch; Quick Shift, Engine Brake Control

Colors Ducati Red

Fuel Capacity 1.9 gal.

Weight (dry, claimed) 231 lbs.