24 • May 2025 • Powersports Business

Ducati is taking its iconic brand of highperformance motorcycles off-road, as the company officially made its way onto the motorcross scene with the newly developed Desmo450 MX.

As the only bike in its category featuring a Desmodromic engine, the Desmo450 MX has a powerful engine delivery and aluminum frame, making it ideal for both professional and amateur riders.

“ Over the past 18 months, many people have asked me why Ducati decided to enter the world of professional off-road racing,” says Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor

Holding.“ The answer is simple: Ducati is a healthy company that generates resources, therefore has the opportunity to grow by opening up to a new segment of enthusiasts.”

The Desmo450 MX features a single-cylinder 449.6 cc engine, the same system used on all Ducati racing bikes, including MotoGP. Thanks to power delivery, which combines torque at low and medium revs with over-rev capabilities, it can maximize every gear ratio at the start and through corners.

The lightweight aluminum frame is designed to minimize welds, enhancing the solidity, lightness, and rigidity of the structure. These design choices proved immediately successful in the race with Alessandro Lupino, who became the national champion after winning the first race of the MX1 Italian Championship.

The Desmo450 MX also marks a milestone in the segment regarding electronics. It is the world’ s first motocross bike equipped with Traction Control that can accurately assess rear wheel slippage.

The bike, available for order from selected dealers, will arrive in Europe starting in June, followed by its North American launch in July, with an MSRP of $ 11,495.

Coming to North America in July, the Ducati Desmo450 MX features a Desmodromic valve system in a 450cc dirt bike engine.( Photo: Ducati)

Jared Dourdeville, partner at New York-based H Partners Management and an independent board director at Harley-Davidson since 2022, abruptly resigned during the first week of April, penning a letter listing his concerns about how the company is being run and the future of the iconic brand.

In a letter to the board, Dourdeville detailed his concerns for the future of the Motor Company. This comes on the heels of the announcement that the CEO, Jochen Zeitz, would retire after five years at the helm.

Dourdeville’ s critical letter was posted on the SEC website on April 5, shortly after the letter he sent on April 1. While he alleges Harley’ s current management team shows“ severe underperformance,” he has more significant concerns with the company overall.“ What I am most concerned about are the foundational building blocks that underpin the company’ s long-term trajectory: culture, transparency and accountability, and the willingness of the board and management to put the company first,” he writes.

Dourdeville’ s letter points to a“ depletion” of Harley-Davidson. He also took aim at the manufacturer’ s white-collar employees who mostly work remotely, which he believes is cause for concern for a company known for its culture and community. His letter points to a cultural shift since Zeitz has been in charge, citing a“ revolving door of senior leadership” that has taken a toll on the company’ s culture.

Dourdeville specifically questions Zeitz’ s“ Hardwire” strategy, which looked to invest more in Harley’ s core touring and cruiser models despite those products not receiving“ meaningful updates” in over a decade.

“ The outcome of Jochen( Zeitz’ s) Hardwire strategy so far is worrying,” Dourdeville writes.“ Touring and cruiser unit sales have declined over 20 percent since 2019, and the dealership network is flooded with excess inventory.”

Harley faced criticism last summer after a political activist launched a social media campaign on X( formerly Twitter) to expose

the company and its DEI goals. The company revised several policies, calling the move an“ internal stakeholder review.”

“ I believed that the company’ s entire response to this incident was grossly mismanaged,” Dourdeville said about the activist campaign.“ I also believe that the incident may have had a material and lasting impact on customers’ relationship with the Harley- Davidson brand.”

However, Harley-Davidson claims Dourdeville never discussed his concerns while serving as a board member. Although he was critical of Zeitz and his strategy, the company says he also supported the CEO and his vision of the future at that time. So, there’ s trouble in paradise, and Harley needs a fresh start. But will it be enough to calm the loyalists and please the investor crowd?

FIND YOUR CVT BELT

V1 _ GBD G-Force _ PowerSports. indd 1 1 / 23 / 25 1:41 PM