Ducati has officially revealed the Desmo450 MX Australian price, and to our surprise, it’s not as eye-wateringly expensive as expected.

The Ducati Desmo450 MX will be available at selected dealers across Australia and New Zealand from September, starting at $16,300.00. With Ducati’s reputation for high-end engineering and premium pricing, many assumed the Italian brand’s first modern motocross bike would land in the stratosphere of pricing. Instead, Ducati has priced the Desmo450 MX at a figure that raises eyebrows— not because it’s high, but because it’s lower than anticipated.

Given the amount of premium kit bolted onto this bike, it’s a wonder the price isn’t higher. The Desmo450 MX comes with a full titanium Akrapovič exhaust system, a hand-welded aluminum frame, high-spec KYB suspension, and a race-ready Brembo braking system—gear that usually pushes the price tag north. Yet Ducati has somehow kept the cost competitive, espesiclaly when you compare it with the $17,625 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition, making it an intriguing option for those in the market for a top-tier motocross machine.

The pricing strategy signals Ducati’s intent to seriously compete in the MX world, not just with performance but also with accessibility. Now, the question is: how will it stack up against the well-established Japanese and Austrian rivals on the track? Stay tuned.

Here’s what Ducati had to say:

True to the concept of developing through racing the solutions that later will grace its production motorcycles, available to all enthusiasts, Ducati is ready to bring to the dealers the new Desmo450 MX. On the Australian and New Zealand market, the Ducati Desmo450 MX will in fact be available at selected dealerships from September starting at $16,300 (Australia) and $17,793 (New Zealand).

This is just the final step of the first chapter of the Ducati history in Motocross. After a successful season in the Italian Prestige MX1 championship, that saw the debut victory of Alessandro Lupino in Mantua, all the way to the final title clinch in Pietramurata, Ducati is in fact officially entering the Motocross World Championship for the first time.

This MXGP 2025 operation will be managed by the new Aruba.it – Ducati Factory MX Team, that will rely on experienced riders such as Jeremy Seewer and Mattia Guadagnini. The Desmo 450 MX is an innovative motorcycle, and the only one in its class equipped with the desmodromic valve control system, ensuring optimal performance and precision. This aligns with Ducati’s philosophy of transferring racing technology into production models, and the new off-road project is no exception.

The Aruba.it – Ducati Factory MX Team has already celebrated its first podium with Mattia Guadagnini at the Internazionali d’Italia MX EICMA Series in Montevarchi. The 2025 MXGP season, due to start in Argentina on March 2nd, 2025, consists of twenty races across four continents and will be broadcast in over 180 countries.

At the same time, the Ducati Corse R&D – Factory MX Team will continue pursuing its development program for the following step of the Ducati MX Project, focusing on the new Desmo250 MX prototype that will take part in the Italian MX2 Championship. Alessandro Lupino, the factory rider, will work alongside the MX legend Antonio Cairoli in order to create the best possible base for the future production version of the 250MX.