Last week, Ducati finally released details of their MX effort, titled the Desmo 450 MX. It takes the form of two competition MX bikes being entered in the Italian Motocross Championship starting March 16th.
Interesting design elements (pipe and beak) aside, the most intriguing thing about the new bike is Desmodromic valves on the 450cc single. It'll be interesting to track both the performance and reliability/longevity of these bikes in competition.
Ducati plans to release the MX bike in 2025 after a year of testing on the circuit.
Obviously the immediate ramifications are the possibility of reusing this 450cc single platform for rally racing. Will Dakar 2025 see a Ducati Desmo 450 Rally Racer? I hope so!
I don't think Ducati will make a street-legal version of the Desmo 450 MX initially, but I have to believe they'll eventually go toe-to-toe against KTM (and Honda) in the street-legal enduro market, pitting it against the hugely successful EXC-F lineup.
Further on down the line, if the platform is successful and passes emissions and safety, we might see an official factory 450cc Sumo version.
Speaking of, this brings us to the next new Ducati platform, the high-revving 698 Mono engine, which is debuting in Hypermotard form:
Although Ducati has no plans yet in putting their new screaming single in a 690 Enduro R-type package, personally, this is what I am eagerly awaiting. 2025 launch for a 2026 model? Maybe sooner? I hope!
Anyway, for now, the bike that's caught my eye is the new Desert X Rally, which bolts on a bunch of expensive suspension components to the base Desert X model:
Lightweight Excel rims with "carbon steel spokes" (whut?), 20 mm more suspension travel front and rear, 48mm closed-cartridge forks with a DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) on the internals for less friction, and an unfortunately stratospheric sale price to reflect the inclusion of all these trick parts.
Ducati is not the only Euro marque getting big into the dirt arena above and beyond ADV bikes.
I attended the Vancouver Motorcycle show earlier this month. Unlike the Toronto show, the manufacturers were at this one, and I got to see Triumph's new MX entry in person, the TF 250-X:
All of this new-found manufacturer interest in dirt-bikes is not without justification. Although it may not be apparent to city-people, out in the rural areas, dirt-biking has become insanely popular since the pandemic:
www.theglobeandmail.com
I believe the off-road market (the real one, not the faux-ADV Pavement Princess segment) is the real future growth sector for motorcycle companies. I think KTM's land grab acquisition of Husqvarna and now Gas Gas put a lot of the non dirt-bike players on notice.
Super-excited to see what the next couple of years will bring!
Interesting design elements (pipe and beak) aside, the most intriguing thing about the new bike is Desmodromic valves on the 450cc single. It'll be interesting to track both the performance and reliability/longevity of these bikes in competition.
Ducati plans to release the MX bike in 2025 after a year of testing on the circuit.
Obviously the immediate ramifications are the possibility of reusing this 450cc single platform for rally racing. Will Dakar 2025 see a Ducati Desmo 450 Rally Racer? I hope so!
I don't think Ducati will make a street-legal version of the Desmo 450 MX initially, but I have to believe they'll eventually go toe-to-toe against KTM (and Honda) in the street-legal enduro market, pitting it against the hugely successful EXC-F lineup.
Further on down the line, if the platform is successful and passes emissions and safety, we might see an official factory 450cc Sumo version.
Speaking of, this brings us to the next new Ducati platform, the high-revving 698 Mono engine, which is debuting in Hypermotard form:
Although Ducati has no plans yet in putting their new screaming single in a 690 Enduro R-type package, personally, this is what I am eagerly awaiting. 2025 launch for a 2026 model? Maybe sooner? I hope!
Anyway, for now, the bike that's caught my eye is the new Desert X Rally, which bolts on a bunch of expensive suspension components to the base Desert X model:
Lightweight Excel rims with "carbon steel spokes" (whut?), 20 mm more suspension travel front and rear, 48mm closed-cartridge forks with a DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) on the internals for less friction, and an unfortunately stratospheric sale price to reflect the inclusion of all these trick parts.
Ducati is not the only Euro marque getting big into the dirt arena above and beyond ADV bikes.
I attended the Vancouver Motorcycle show earlier this month. Unlike the Toronto show, the manufacturers were at this one, and I got to see Triumph's new MX entry in person, the TF 250-X:
All of this new-found manufacturer interest in dirt-bikes is not without justification. Although it may not be apparent to city-people, out in the rural areas, dirt-biking has become insanely popular since the pandemic:
Tykes on dirt bikes: Motocross sees an unlikely youth boom during the COVID-19 pandemic
Young riders are the future of motocross and, this year at the Walton TransCan, there were more of these little rippers in the 50 cc dirt-bike class than there have been in seven or eight years
www.theglobeandmail.com
I believe the off-road market (the real one, not the faux-ADV Pavement Princess segment) is the real future growth sector for motorcycle companies. I think KTM's land grab acquisition of Husqvarna and now Gas Gas put a lot of the non dirt-bike players on notice.
Super-excited to see what the next couple of years will bring!
