Ducati has used EICMA to preview the Desmo250 EDS, a new 250cc four-stroke enduro motorcycle set to expand its growing off-road range. The road-legal model is scheduled to arrive in Europe from July 2027 as part of the 2028 model year, although Ducati has so far revealed very little about its final specifications.
The Italian manufacturer describes the Desmo250 EDS as a lightweight, agile and precise machine, with a new engine designed to deliver smooth power, accessible performance and lively responses. Its intended audience ranges from recreational riders looking for confidence on trails to more experienced enduro riders seeking a competitive machine. For now, Ducati has not disclosed the engine’s exact capacity, power output, weight or pricing. The company’s website continues to list the motorcycle as a prototype, suggesting that some details are still being finalised.
The Desmo250 EDS is expected to draw heavily from the Desmo250 MX motocross bike unveiled in June. That machine uses a 249cc desmodromic single-cylinder engine producing a claimed 43.9bhp at 12,500rpm, with a rev ceiling of 15,000rpm. It weighs 103kg without fuel and shares its chassis with the larger Desmo450 MX.
However, the engine will need some changes for its enduro application. The road-legal version is expected to receive a less aggressive state of tune, along with a maintenance schedule based on mileage rather than the operating hours typically used for competition motocross machines. As a result, its performance is likely to be more restrained than that of the Desmo250 MX.
The new 250 arrives around a year after the Desmo450 EDS and marks another step in Ducati’s rapid expansion into off-road motorcycling. The range began with the Desmo450 MX in 2025 and has since grown to cover motocross, enduro and road-legal enduro categories, with both 250cc and 450cc options now forming part of the wider family.
With the Desmo250 EDS, Ducati is extending its off-road offering towards riders who want a smaller-capacity enduro machine, although its final performance figures and equipment details remain to be confirmed.
