Ducati at EICMA 2026 is like Christmas

Is there anything Ducati doesn't have yet? No, they've got it all. The moment I set foot on the Ducati stand at EICMA 2026 in Milan, I don't know where to look first. The crowds are still manageable, but a few colleagues are already there. On display is a model range that would have been unthinkable in the past: three numbered SP special editions, a revised Diavel V4, the new DesertX Rally, plus motocross, enduro and a race supermoto. Back in the day Ducati had a Monster and a 916 in the showroom; today dealers have to explain half a universe to their customers. I admit it: after just a few minutes I'm completely jittery and wired. This EICMA is the show with the most new models in one place I've ever visited in my entire life, and Ducati is doing its part.

First up is the Streetfighter V4 SP, and for me a naked bike doesn't get any better than this. The matte black paint is reminiscent of WorldSBK winter testing, raw and brutal, as if the bike had just rolled out of pre-season prep. But looks are deceptive. Ducati calls it the Winter Test livery, and the SP is a finished production bike with a brushed aluminium tank, carbon wheels and 214 hp. What will really strike the Ducatisti right in the heart is the dry clutch. The show bike is fitted with a Corse part so you can see it spinning freely. That's actually intended for the race track only; normally the clutch is covered. What's the point of it all? Honestly, a lot of people buy it because it sounds awesome and everyone then knows a true Ducati connoisseur is coming. Still, it does serve a technical purpose, and that's more interesting than many think.

When the clutch doesn't run in oil, the anti-hopping function, engagement and every control system work more clearly, with clinical precision. On top of that there's an advantage hardly anyone knows about: oil on a component that transmits power through friction is actually a hindrance. But because the engine needs oil, a wet clutch forces compromises, with lots of additives and a viscosity that isn't ideal. Take the clutch basket out of the oil circuit and you can go all-out on the lubricant, and the clutch doesn't splash its way through an oil bath. For the Streetfighter V4 SP, Ducati promises up to 3 hp more with its own Corse Performance oil. It arrives at European dealers from March 2027. 1000PS colleague Zonko, whom I bump into later at the show, spontaneously names it as his highlight: "For me, of course, it's this Streetfighter SP. Insane." I get him completely; I'd felt exactly the same not even an hour earlier.

A few steps further on stands the Diavel V4 in the new S version, revised for 2027. People love to argue about this bike. The wide rear tyre costs handling, and the Diavel can't keep up with a Streetfighter there. But that's not what it's about. According to Ducati, the 1,158 cc V4 Granturismo makes 168 hp and 126 Nm, and the S adds semi-active suspension, finer wheels and standard heated grips. What defines the Diavel is the fascination in the saddle. Sitting on it, you feel mighty, majestic, somehow more alive. Of course an engine like that is completely unnecessary. But it's precisely with such brutal, extroverted bikes that you feel the joy of owning something special and powerful. For me, in the end that's simply awesome, and nobody needs to justify themselves for it.

Then comes the DesertX Rally, and with it bad news for my wife. I'd promised her I'd be on the road less next year. But you don't test an off-road-capable touring bike like this in one short afternoon; it calls for an extended Balkan tour. Ducati supplies the arguments right away: a new 890 cc V2 with 110 hp, 250 mm of suspension travel at the front and 240 mm at the rear, 256 mm of ground clearance and finally tubeless spoked wheels in 21 and 18 inches. Add to that an electronics package with a six-axis IMU, the kind you'd otherwise know from supersports bikes, here on an extreme enduro. At the stand I read around 20,000 euros for Italy; in Austria the NoVA registration tax comes on top. It rolls into European dealers from April 2027. Above all it triggers one thing in me: insane wanderlust, and for an adventure bike that's the best sign there is.

In the off-road corner of the stand is the Desmo250 MX, the 250 crosser with a Desmo single. According to Ducati, the engine revs to 15,000 rpm, with bore and stroke taken from the Panigale V4 R. For me, though, the electronics are the highlight: the traction control works based on actual slip at the rear wheel. According to Ducati, that sets it apart from previous systems in the segment. Whether it lives up to Ducati's promises I don't know; I haven't ridden it yet. So I sit on it. The seat is barely there, and then something happens that rarely happens to me. Normally I always sit a little too far back. Here, as soon as I climb on, I'm sitting far forward and exactly right. Typical Ducati. Anyone who wants to go fast will find the right position on this bike without having to search for it.

Right next to it is the Desmo450 EDS, Ducati's first modern enduro, derived from the Desmo450 MX. The single displaces 449.6 cc, the aluminium frame weighs less than 9 kg according to Ducati, and the gearbox is ratioed for enduro, with a shorter first and taller sixth gear. It arrived at selected European dealers from July 2026. What impresses me most in this corner of the stand is the breadth. Back in the day Ducati had a Monster and a 916 or something like that. Today the brand does motocross and enduro, and on the side keeps building the wicked supersports bikes that are its home turf. What Ducati dealers now have to explain and present to their customers is breathtaking. Ducati isn't alone in this, but you see it especially clearly here. For us riders, this variety is a gift.

Then, at last, the new Panigale V4, including the SP. Its redesigned winglets are meant not only to deliver more downforce on the straight but also to push load onto the front wheel at extreme lean angles. More lateral grip means higher cornering speed. According to Ducati, the larger two-element wings together with the corner sidepods produce 25 percent more downforce at 270 km/h than on the Panigale V4. The front frame is 12 percent less laterally stiff, so somewhat more flexible. Add to that machined adjustable footpegs, the electronic Öhlins suspension, a brushed 17-litre aluminium tank and a serial number on the machined steering head; on the show bike it reads XXX. These are details you enjoy just as much while cleaning as while looking at them. A dry clutch works here too, and with the Performance oil Ducati says up to 3.5 hp more is on tap. Anyone chasing the absolute maximum on the race track won't miss a thing on this bike.

I almost overlooked the Panigale V2 SP. A young lad is sitting on it right now, and I have to excuse myself, because it's my turn. The moment I'm on, I'm done for. The saddle is awesome, narrow, barely there; you really nestle into the bike. The 890 cc V2 makes 120 hp, and I don't need any more. This is exactly my thing. The V4 would be way too much for me anyway; my ego is big enough. Ducati is making the V2 SP the homologation base for the World Supersport Championship from the 2027 season, with Öhlins suspension, forged wheels, Brembo brakes and, again, a dry clutch. It no longer has a single-sided swingarm like it used to. Technically, though, the new solution is good. Anyone who wants to be fast and have a blast on the race track without the brute force of a V4 will find their bike here.

Finally I go looking for the supermoto. At the stand I only find the race machine with which Ducati has already celebrated success. As the Desmo450 SM it comes to selected European dealers from December 2026, as a pure competition supermoto without road homologation. With it and the crossers, one thing makes me nervous: these are racing machines. According to Ducati, the SM needs a piston change and valve clearance check every 45 operating hours, and an engine rebuild after 90 hours. Anyone who rides hard on the supermoto track pays for it. What I like is that Ducati relies on predictive maintenance for the 2027 Desmo450 MX. A Wi-Fi module adapts the intervals to actual usage instead of stubbornly replacing parts by the book. You don't get something for nothing: insane revs and insane speed need more care than some 30 hp tiddler, and anyone who plans for that will have a whole lot of fun with these machines.

In the end I'm standing at the stand wondering whether I've forgotten something. That's how it goes for me at Ducati. I know the feeling from my childhood: one Christmas I walked into the living room before my parents were there, and the presents were already laid out. So I had to look at everything and shake every box to find out what was inside. That's exactly how I'm walking from bike to bike here. At this EICMA Ducati is showing three numbered SP models, an adventure bike for the great escape, a power cruiser and a complete off-road family. I ask myself several times what else I'll have to ride next year. I don't have an answer yet. Only one thing is certain: anyone who loves Ducati will have a choice in 2027 like never before, and I'm happy about that for every Ducatisti.

If you want to see the new models, not just read about them: my four-hour walkaround of EICMA 2026 is up on the 1000PS YouTube channel. The Ducati part starts at minute 22, click here to go straight to the Ducati stand. You'll see the Streetfighter V4 SP with its exposed dry clutch, the Diavel V4 S, the DesertX Rally and the Desmo250 MX, on which I instantly find the right seating position. After that it's on to the details of the Panigale V4 SP, from the winglets to the numbered triple clamp, and my sit test on the Panigale V2 SP. Finally, at the race machine, I explain what the Desmo450 SM means in terms of upkeep. Keep watching and you'll get more than 40 stands from Triumph to CFMOTO, with sit tests, stand chats and clear verdicts. Four hours of EICMA to catch up on, without the crowds and without travelling to Milan.

• Streetfighter V4 SP: 214 hp at 13,500 rpm, 188 kg ready to ride without fuel, 16 l aluminium tank, dry clutch, carbon wheels, Europe from March 2027
• Diavel V4 S: 1,158 cc V4, 168 hp at 10,750 rpm, 126 Nm at 7,500 rpm, 222 kg ready to ride without fuel, seat height 790 mm, 20 l tank
• DesertX Rally: 890 cc V2, 110 hp at 9,000 rpm, 92 Nm at 7,000 rpm, 209 kg ready to ride without fuel, seat height 900 mm, 250/240 mm suspension travel, 256 mm ground clearance, 18 l tank, Europe from April 2027
• Desmo250 MX: 249 cc single, 45 hp at 12,500 rpm, revs to 15,000 rpm, traction control based on rear-wheel slip
• Desmo450 EDS: 449.6 cc single, 42 hp and 119.9 kg ready to ride without fuel in the road-legal US version, Europe from July 2026
• Panigale V4 SP: 218 hp at 13,500 rpm, 120.6 Nm at 11,000 rpm, 188 kg ready to ride without fuel, 17 l aluminium tank, dry clutch, Europe from March 2027
• Panigale V2 SP: 890 cc V2, 120 hp at 10,750 rpm, 93.3 Nm at 8,250 rpm, 176 kg ready to ride without fuel, dry clutch
• Desmo450 SM: 64 hp at 9,400 rpm, 109 kg ready to ride without fuel, piston change every 45 operating hours, Europe from December 2026, Germany from 13,290 euros (according to reports)