Enduro21 clocks the kilometres at the EICMA International Motorcycle Show in Milan to find five of the best new off-road and enduro bikes on display.

Call it what you like, but we’re saying EICMA is the world’s most important motorcycle show. It is huge, stretching across vast halls and attracting manufacturers of everything to do with bikes from across the globe: motorcycle manufacturers (most of them at least, more on that below), clothing, helmets, tyres, and every part down to nuts and bolts. It’s mind-boggling how much is here.

Enduro21 was on the ground, racking up the step count picking out the most interesting new off-road models…

Ducati Desmo 450 Enduro

We have already covered the new Ducati 450 Enduro model in more detail, but this “5 of the best” would be lacking without the new Desmo.

The bike hidden under black cloths on the shiny Ducati stand, and then revealed in the evening of the first day in this week-long show, was literally a showstopper.

Not available until next year, this was a preview bike but it gave us a close look at what we can expect. The Desmo 450 motocross model impressed us with its power, handling and electronic control – it is a premium bike in build quality and price tag, unlike some bikes on the market which have the price tag but not the build to back it up. This enduro model is likely to be joined, we speculate, by a cross-country model (based on the MX bike).

Yes, there is a rash of bikes from Asia which are half the price, but premium, ready-to-race performance is virtually guaranteed with Ducati. It’s exactly like all their race-developed motorcycles and now there’s one for enduro and XC racing.

Chinese takeaway

Not so many years ago we were reporting how the number of Chinese and Asian bikes at EICMA was becoming a thing. Quite soon after that, it was a question of being surprised how many new brands were springing up and parking alongside the likes of KTM and Honda in the exhibition halls – yes, KTM used to exhibit at motorcycle shows, remember those days?

Now we’re at the point where it is honestly getting overwhelming. From the countless street and adventure models of all capacities (250 flat twin anyone?), the seemingly endless Surron-like electric bikes (stay tuned for Graham Jarvis news, he’s launching a Jarv-E electric bike which he says he’ll race in Hard Enduro next year), plus the leccy scooters and even weird three and four-wheeled electric utility vehicles.

Add in here the bikes which actually made us stop and double-take – the EXC copies. How it is possible for a manufacturer from Asia to copy a KTM to the last detail and exhibit them among the European and Japanese manufacturers they so blatantly rip off is a modern mystery.

A KTM product designer once explained how and why this stuff hurt them so much – you can see why.

Side note: the dominant force remains Honda who, in no uncertain terms, were flexing muscles this year with the biggest and most impressive stand of all. If it was a show of might, they win.

Vertemati comeback?

Remember the Vertemati bikes in motocross, enduro, and supermoto a couple of decades ago?

Along with the EXC rip-offs, this bike made us do a double-take: a new Vertemati 450, proudly sitting alongside its historical brother and promising a comeback.

The Italian machines were famous for their reverse rotating crank which meant a reverse-direction (forwards) kickstart also.

You might be pleased to know the crank is still going backwards on this 60hp, 450cc machine and the other aspects which made them so unique remain too, including the air filter right up front and centre, a fuel tank behind your legs under the seat, and a hand-built airbox.

Their own designed engine and valve system will make for a “competitive for the 450 class” motor but 60hp sounds a bit nuts to us. The motor sits inside their own designed and built twin-spar frame and swingarm. An enduro version is planned. Hold onto your hats!

Kawasaki KX300X – Italian homologated enduro model

Proudly displayed alongside the rest of the official Kawasaki off-road model range (the KX250 and 450 motocross bikes plus 250 and 450X models and Romain Febvre’s MXGP-winning race bike) was this gem of a KX300X.

You are looking at the production version of the bike Kyron Bacon took to an impressive sixth scratch in the ISDE overall results in Italy and fastest Junior overall.

Bacon raced for the MGR-ASI Kawasaki race team in the 2025 EnduroGP World Championship with the 300 being developed by the team with Kawasaki Italy and the company KL Service plus Athena-GET.

That bike is actually not new – KL have been homologating enduro bikes for a couple of years now – but the storm has been whipped up by Bacon and the MGR-ASI team and interest is high.

The specs and details including price are a bit hidden – we tried quite hard to find out more information, but it being a non-official model, no-one either knew what to say or was willing to say anything – our best port of call is KL Service or Kawasaki Italy.

FYI KL are effectively the same as RedMoto are for Honda – a European brother for the Japanese manufacturer based in Italy who take the motocross models and tailor them for enduro and homologate them for street use.

The one thing we do know is that Athena and GET are behind the mechanical and electronic control (ECU) upgrades over the standard KX250, which are well proven and tested.

The 300 is based on the 250, which means that boon of a small 4T with more power, great for enduro. It’s an upgrade which took Kyron all the way through the ISDE so you can be sure it is tested and reliable (have you seen him ride?!).

KOVE 250 and 450 Enduro models

One of the Chinese manufacturers making bigger waves in off-road is KOVE. With a race team and an increasing number of privateers riding their 450 rally bikes at Dakar, they already have a global presence.

They also launched a 250 and 450 motocross range which Enduro21 tested earlier this year. At the time they told us the enduro models were coming and would likely be at the EICMA show and, well, here they are.

We’ve got to say we’re a little disappointed. The 250 and 450 MX bikes were obviously closed-circuit race bikes with a basic build, which proved to be a big part of their appeal to us.

We hoped for something similar from the enduro models but KOVE has seemingly gone down the line of full-on homologation and aimed at the trail market with these two new models – or maybe it’s just how they look with the bulky 9.5-litre black fuel tank and oddly-proportioned header pipe.

KOVE say the 450 houses an engine based on the Dakar-developed motor in the MX bike. They claim 60hp at 9,500rpm and 50Nm of torque at 7,500rpm, which would be impressive if true for an enduro bike, but we suspect it will be less than that at the back wheel.

Either way, they explain it is manageable power in a 120kg steel frame chassis with fully adjustable suspension and 290mm of ground clearance.

The simplicity and basic rawness helped the MX model leave a mark on us, whereas these looked a bit too road-legal for our tastes – cluttered with wires, lights, and a bulky ABS system (RHS of the 450 engine).

Unless those same GEN 2 250 and 450 MX bikes are lurking, hidden under all the street-legal stuff here, we expected more KOVE.

Photo Credit: Enduro21