- 449.6cc Desmo single; 63bhp and 53.5Nm
- Weighs 109kg without fuel
- 16.5-inch and 17-inch race wheels
Ducati Desmo450 SM has finally been revealed in production specification, following the prototype we saw earlier this year. One clarification is important, despite now being a production motorcycle this is not a road-legal supermoto. Ducati officially describes it as a competition-only machine, complete with track-only Metzeler slicks and a 16.5-inch front wheel developed specifically for racing.
India is no longer just a possibility for the Desmo450 SM. Ducati will soon introduce the model into its India-facing product ecosystem following the local launch of the Desmo450 MX at Rs. 17,23,600, ex-showroom. The SM already has its own page on Ducati India’s official website.
Since the Desmo450 MX has already established Ducati’s competition-only 450 platform in India, and the SM uses the same 449.6cc Desmodromic single while adding a dedicated Supermoto chassis setup, 16.5-inch front wheel, slick tyres, Stylema front brake and specialised electronics. The rev limiter sits at a remarkable 11,900rpm!
Ducati has altered the final gearing compared with the MX as well. SM has a 15-tooth front sprocket and 47-tooth aluminium rear sprocket, while the motocross bike runs a shorter 13/49 combination. The five-speed gearbox gets Quick Shift for clutchless upshifts, but the more interesting transmission change is the Suter slipper clutch.
Front suspension is a 49mm Showa closed-cartridge fork with 280mm of travel. It is fully adjustable for compression and rebound damping and uses Kashima-coated outer tubes. The rear has a fully adjustable Showa monoshock providing 295mm of wheel travel.
The front rim is a 16.5-inch Takasago Excel measuring 3.5 inches wide and the rear is a five-inch-wide 17-inch unit. Both have a Bartubeless system eliminating conventional inner tubes reducing rotating and unsprung mass by around 1.2kg.
Ducati explicitly states that the 16.5-inch front rim is a dedicated racing item and there are no DOT-approved road tyres available for it. The standard fit Metzeler Racetec SM tyres are track-only as well.
While the Desmo450 MX comes with a relatively small 260mm front disc with a floating two-piston Brembo calliper, the Desmo450 SM on the other hand gets a 310mm Galfer floating disc with an aluminium carrier and a radial Brembo Stylema calliper. The rear is the same 240mm Galfer disc with a Brembo single-piston floating calliper.
The Desmo450 SM gets Ducati Traction Control developed specifically for Supermoto. It can be adjusted through four levels or completely disabled. Launch Control is included too, along with Engine Brake Control and two configurable Riding Modes. Riders can further alter the setup through Ducati’s X-Link system when the optional Wi-Fi module is installed.
Seat height is 930mm, although that is 40mm lower than the MX’s towering 970mm figure.
