versus the EX's solid black,
2.25-gallon fuel tank.
Ducati claims 264.3 pounds
without fuel, competitive for a
street-legal, high-performance
450 dual sport, though hardly
featherweight.
The price? $12,995. Nobody
said owning a Ducati would
be cheap, but it's in the ball-
park. It's $504 less than KTM's
comparable 500 EXC-F, which
lists for $13,499, and $604 less
than the Husqvarna FE 501s.
However, it's a few hundred dol-
lars more than Beta's 2027 RS
430, 480 and 500 dual sports.
The Honda CRF450RL should
probably be included as well;
it lists for $10,799, $2,196 less
than the Ducati. All things to
consider, for sure.
LET'S RIDE
One of the first things that
struck me about the Desmo450
EDS was its engine. It's un-
questionably one of the motor-
cycle's strongest attributes.
The Ducati has excellent
low-end torque and an impres-
sive ability to chug along at
very low rpm without complain-
ing. You can lug the engine
down to almost zero rpm, and
it keeps pulling. Stalling was
never a concern for me, even in
extremely slow-going, techni-
cal terrain. That's important on
a dual sport, where you might
Ducati brings its road-
racing technology
expertise to the dual
sport segment with its
Desmo450 EDS.
spend one minute cruising a dirt road and the
next picking through rocks, ruts or a steep climb.
You don't want to constantly slip the clutch or
shift gears to keep the engine happy. The Ducati
makes this kind of riding pretty darn easy.
What's particularly impressive is that the engine
doesn't sacrifice top-end performance for its excel-
lent low-rpm manners. Quite the opposite. Twist
the throttle, and the Desmo keeps pulling, seem-
ingly forever. It revs to the moon. I never really
felt an obvious rev limit, though I'm sure it exists
somewhere.
The muffler might be
large, but it looks clean.
The oxygen sensor and
catalyst are fitted into the
exhaust header.
The EDS has a minimalist LCD display.
P90
RIDE REVIEW I 2027 DUCATI DESMO450 EDS
