Ducati have expanded their off-road line-up with the Desmo250 MX, a smaller and lighter motocross machine that lands a year on from the Desmo450 MX – the first Ducati crosser of the modern era.
Like the 450 that started Ducati’s off-road push, the Desmo250 MX has been developed through racing. It was honed in the Italian Prestige MX2 championship by Alessandro Lupino, the same eight-time Italian champion who developed the 450.
At the heart of the bike is an all-new 249cc single-cylinder engine, complete with the desmodromic valve timing that is Ducati’s calling card. It weighs 24.7kg and produces a claimed 43.9bhp at 12,500rpm, with Ducati chasing a strong, flat torque curve rather than peak figures alone, they say.
The standout number is the rev limit. Titanium intake valves, steel exhaust valves and the precision of the desmodromic system allow the motor to spin to 15,000rpm – which Ducati claim is a class benchmark.
The engine borrows from the Panigale V4 R superbike , sharing the same 81 x 48.4mm bore and stroke, and ‘some of the most advanced technical solutions’ – apparently. Fuelling is via a 44mm Mikuni throttle body, while the all-new exhaust is designed to meet international competition noise limits.
Drive goes through a five-speed gearbox with an up-only quickshifter, plus a hydraulically operated Brembo clutch using seven plates and a disc spring.
The Desmo250 MX uses the same perimeter frame and aluminium swingarm layout as the 450, with the stiffness retuned for the smaller bike. Showa supplies the fork and monoshock, both with Kashima Coating and hydraulics developed specifically for this model, with the aim of keeping the bike neutral under braking, acceleration and cornering.
Wet weight without fuel is a spritely claimed 103kg. Pirelli Scorpion MX32 tyres are fitted as standard, with a 100/90×19 rear chosen to help the bike change direction quickly. Braking is shared with the 450 too: a Brembo set-up with a 260mm Galfer disc up front and a 240mm disc at the rear.
Another big talking point is the electronics package, taken from the Desmo450 MX and recalibrated for the 250. There are two engine maps adjustable via Ducati’s X-Link app, three-stage traction control, two-stage engine braking and three-stage launch control.
Ducati say the traction control – which is the subject of a patent and draws on the firm’s MotoGP and World Superbike experience – sets it apart from rivals. Rather than simply cutting power, the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) measures actual rear-wheel spin and trims power accordingly, for what Ducati describe as a prompt and linear intervention. It can be switched off entirely.
Like the 450, Ducati Corse have developed an algorithm that works out an engine stress index in real time and adjusts service intervals to suit, viewable through the X-Link app. That means harder-working bikes get serviced more often, while amateur riders can go longer between visits.
There are two service types. The ‘MID’ service covers a valve clearance check at 45 hours and a piston replacement at 45 to 60 hours depending on stress. The ‘FULL’ service – a complete engine rebuild – falls between 90 and 120 hours, again depending on use.
Through the Ducati Performance catalogue, owners can build a replica of the Desmo250 MX raced by Simone Mancini in the European MXGP. Almost every part of the factory bike is available, the one exception being the factory Showa suspension, which is reserved for the works team.
Availab…