Sounds like TLD Ducati Racing Team is a go...

If you look at the truck there’s a “Wings For Life” logo which is a Red Bull owned and operated charity. With how protective Red Bull is over their logo I would imagine it’s possible they don’t want to allow full blown Red Bull logos until they’re racing. Couldn’t imagine Red Bull signing onboard with Wings For Life if monster is involved for the stateside program..

Announcement in a minute?

Bike is all over Instagram already 

Man…if the production bike is anything like that…?

“In” 

Kinda hard to see the lines of the bike with that color scheme for whatever reason.

Even if they don’t drag the semi to every round they should atleast bring the bike around to each round and let people look at it in person.

So I guess there’s no way to get one of these into the Nats? 

No. 

KTM who?

That looks factory!

I think you see Kenny in it in smx or maybe even before then. 

They are going to try and race it a few times this summer. 

Someone should let HEP know Kenny is bailing out of his contracts.

Love the black swingarm. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cXn4ztKwr8&pp=wgIGCgQQAhgB

Will be interesting to see who they get for staff. Who will be team manager and what not. 

Well…

Not yet. 

Noticed Josh wiesnor in the background who is currently at fire power Honda. He has a relationship with ziggy I would bet you see him there 

I don’t see it that soon. 

So who rides it next year ? Kenny, Barcia or Anderson 

Bike will be expensive. All Ducatis are. Will mx'ers wander in to Ducati dealers with check book in hand?

If any of you guys want to see it in person they'll be at the following 9 events:

January 11th: Anaheim 1 

January 18th: San Diego

January 25th: Anaheim 2

February 8th: Tampa

February 22nd: Arlington

March 30th: MotoGP at Circuit of the Americas in Austin

April 19th: East Rutherford

April 26th: Pittsburgh

May 10th: Salt Lake City

The Ducati Hypermotard is $14,895 It is a single cylinder 698cc supermoto type bike, has Showa forks and brembo brakes similar bike but obviously it has more stuff on it because it street legal.  Its hard to imagine a 450mx costing more then a Hypermotard

Not being at Daytona for bike week is a miss 

good point didn't catch the wings for life sponsorship.

With triumph and ducati, and to a smaller extent beta in the fray now, is it not surprising that 2 other brands are being shuffled out along with a much diminished suzuki. Thats basically an even swap. Triumph for husky, ducati for gasgas, and beta has added a lower tier effort which takes the place of suzukis 50% pull back. It all kinda evened out. 

Id honestly rather have it this way because now the consumer actually gets 8 different brands to choose from with honda, yamaha, kawasaki, suzuki, ktm, triumph, ducati, beta. Compared to before where we got 5 brands to choose from plus 2 re-badged bikes. Its actually better for the consumers right now, plus at this moment husky and gasgas are still around so we have the most choice well ever have right now. 

(Id love to see husky get bought back by a swedish company and them finally team up with ohlins another swedish company and make it so we get a new suspension maker in the oem’s, along with a new husky effort). One can dream. 

I guess this will read as a bit nasty, but "similar bike' is so far off it's not funny.

It's an immensely fun (and Impressive) bike, with - for a Single - a pretty wild bore and stroke ratio (116mm x 62.4mm - that stroke is 450 like) for 659cc. But, both being a single cylinder 4 stroke with Desmodromics, and, made by Ducati, is it.

However your putting up the price of it shows the MXer doesn't have to be stratospheric in price. So, well done in being informative on that.

 I'd say it will be probably the most expensive of 450s. And, indeed, if Ducati applies it's usual SP / RR etc approach, with  'blinged to the gills' models, they may have the same results with sales - so often, the "special editions" are the highest (by far) sales numbers for any model with that sort of option. Much like it's rare, in many markets, for people to buy the 'standard' BMW GS's. People just find the extra money.

Desmodromics - I've worked with them since the 70s - nothing difficult about them for me, and, Ducati's service intervals are some of the longest there are in the industry nowadays.  They've long, long since stopped requiring  Bevel level maintenance......... 

As for Desmodromics being great for high revs - well, yes indeed. But a 450 needing them to have more power than even the best of Factory Racers need / want - Nope. Being a Ducati person, I love they have decided to bring the MXer(s) out with Desmo Valves ( I thought they might go to spring valves, what with their usage on one line of the 4cylinders, and the new V2), , and, with a 250, it certainly would be useful - heck, we might see 16,500 revs like the Dixon racing YZFs from a long time ago! But, I doubt it being needed for prime performance -  it might just be a useful 'brochure point'.

But, besides high revs, Desmodromics can make for some very productive lifts, timing and duration of valves - that's the very real benefit I see for it's usage on MXers / Dirt Bikes

I work on Ducatis many days of the week, at times, between other work in my busy, supposed  retirement - I Love them, but, don't genuflect to them. I'm hoping my mate that Does work on them  / build them as his Business, buys one, so I can 'play' with it, but his recently destroying his shoulder, has him not riding in  the dirt, and it might be a permanent state of affairs for him, unfortunately. It's, I'm afraid, all Tar for him, plus his Sports Sedan class 'cage racing', now, I think. 

"But, besides high revs, Desmodromics can make for some very productive lifts, timing and duration of valves - that's the very real benefit I see for it's usage on MXers / Dirt Bikes"

Finally, someone gets it.