Ducati

Ducati Desmo450 MX By Ben Purvis

Triumph isn't the only storied brand to be making its motocross debut in 2024 - Ducati has unveiled its first modern motocross bike in the form of the Desmo450 MX.

The two companies won't be going head-to-head in competition until 2025 though, as for its first year, Triumph will be competing on the world stage in the 250 cc MX2 class, while Ducati sharpens its project in the Italian MX1 championship. 

While Triumph's motocross bike reaches production this spring, Ducati's project isn't ready for customers yet, with the brand only saying that it will offer an off-road range at some stage. When they come, the Desmo450 MX will be the machine they're based on.

Its prototype status means Ducati hasn't announced details of the Desmo450 MX's specifications yet, but its name indicates that its 450 cc single-cylinder engine will feature the brand's signature Desmodromic valve system instead of conventional springs. It's a setup that's already proved hugely successful on track in MotoGP and WSBK over many years, as well as being used in most of the company's production models. By using a camshaft-operated rocker to pull each valve closed instead of a spring, Desmodromic valvetrains can avoid problems of valve float at high revs, achieving more power than might be available with conventional sprung valves, though at the expense of a bulkier, more complex cylinder head design.

In the prototype racers, the engine is bolted to an aluminium frame that looks fairly conventional, with Showa suspension front and rear, Excel rims, an Akrapovic exhaust and Brembo brakes. The production models - likely to eventually include 250 cc and 450 cc motocross machines and derived enduro models - will probably closely replicate that specification.