Ducati Desmo450 SM: New Racing Supermoto

The Ducati Desmo450 SM has arrived, and it carries a real headline. This is the first racing supermoto ever built at Ducati's Borgo Panigale factory, and it broke cover at World Ducati Week. It reaches selected European dealerships from December 2026.

It brings race-ready suspension, braking, and electronics, each one tuned for the demands of supermoto competition. For our riders, a genuine track weapon is on its way to Ducati dealerships across the UK.

A Supermoto Built To Race 

Ducati started with the Desmo450 MX, its motocross machine, and reworked it for the tarmac and kerbs of supermoto. That platform had already proven its pace, taking a debut world supermoto win with Marc Reiner Schmidt and Team Undici.

For the road-race version, the suspension, triple clamps, wheels, brakes, final drive, slipper clutch, and electronics are all retuned to work as one package. The payoff is a bike that flatters newcomers to the discipline while rewarding seasoned racers.

Showa Suspension Tuned For Racing 

Suspension does much of the hard work here, and for the first time on a production supermoto, Showa developed the settings itself. Up front sits a sealed-cartridge 49mm upside-down fork with full adjustment, 280mm of travel, and Kashima-coated stanchions. Under heavy braking it holds firm, then keeps the front precise as you tip into a corner.

At the rear, a fully adjustable Showa shock and progressive linkage give 295mm of wheel travel that keeps the bike balanced and planted through every phase of a lap.

Brembo Brakes And Race Wheels 

Braking comes courtesy of Brembo. A Stylema radial caliper bites a 310mm Galfer floating disc up front, with a 240mm Galfer disc and Brembo floating caliper at the rear.

The wheels use Excel rims, 16.5in front and 17in rear, while the Bartubeless system does away with inner tubes, shedding 1.2kg of rotating and unsprung mass. Factory Metzeler Racetec Slick SM tyres complete the setup, the same rubber found in world championship racing.

The Desmodromic Engine Advantage 

At the heart of the bike is a 449.6cc single-cylinder engine producing 63.5hp at 9,400rpm. It is the only supermoto in its class to use Ducati's Desmodromic valve timing.

The system lets the rev limiter climb to 11,900rpm, opening up a wide, usable powerband. In practice, you hold each gear for longer and shift less often. Backing it up, an active Quick Shift smooths every upshift, while a Suter slipper clutch settles the rear on corner entry.

Electronics That Build Confidence 

A new electronics package hands you real control over how the bike delivers its power. Ducati Traction Control makes its segment debut here, tuned specifically for supermoto, and you can set it across four levels or switch it off entirely.

Launch Control and Engine Brake Control add another layer of adjustment, each with its own intervention settings. Two riding modes then let you match the bike to any track, all managed through the X-Link app.

Smarter Servicing And Maintenance 

Race engines demand regular attention, and the Desmo450 SM keeps its schedule refreshingly clear. Piston replacement and valve-clearance checks fall at 45 hours, an oil change every 15 hours, and a full engine overhaul at 90 hours.

Metal and rubber gaskets replace paste seals on the covers, so routine servicing is faster and cleaner. Add the optional Com-Link module and you gain predictive maintenance, tracking component wear against the way you actually ride.

Desmo450 SM Key Specifications 

At a glance, here is how the new supermoto is put together.

Engine and performance 

Chassis, brakes, and wheels

Electronics and everyday 

Ride A Ducati At Vertu Motorcycles

The Desmo450 SM reaches selected European dealerships from December 2026, with the rest of the world to follow.

You can explore Ducati at Vertu Motorcycles and talk it through with our specialist colleagues. Browse the current new Ducati and used Ducati motorcycles for sale at Vertu Motorcycles.

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