When
I first saw the Ducati Multistrada at the NEC a
couple of years ago I said to myself "Now there's an
ugly bike, what are Ducati doing by building that?"
It is complete departure from the Italian exotica the factory
is renowned for producing, in fact I would have gone so
far as to say that it was not a Ducati design when I first
saw it. But times change, and first impressions can sometime
be completely wrong! Sometimes it takes me a while to make
my mind up about a new bike when riding it for the first
time. When I collected the Multistrada from Ducati I also
collected a 1000DS which I started to ride immediately.
It wasn't until about a week later that we swapped bikes
over after being told by Simon "You've just got to
ride this Multistrada It's just great, you can take so many
liberties with it" so we swapped and I did!
This bike is not just good, it's great,
and seriously good fun to live with. It is so unlike any
other Ducati I have ever ridden and I must say that I am
very impressed with the end result created by Ducati's designers
and engineers, it is after all previously unexplored territory
for Ducati. Director of design at Ducati, Pierre Terblanche,
wanted to build a bike that was fun to ride on the roads
he enjoyed. OK so that's a good enough reason, but the new
bike had to cope with not only the twisting and often bumpy
mountain passes, it also needed the ability to ride in town
and tackle long-distance work as well. There are lots of
winding roads in the mountainous areas of Italy, many of
them are also rutted with breaking surfaces and strange
repairs, much like the roads in the UK really! But it's
on these types of roads that the Multistrada truly excels.
My first ride on the Multistrada was in fact on the pillion
for some 40-50 miles, I found out then that it was indeed
very comfortable on the back, and that the bike had plenty
of grunt for some serious touring either with a pillion
or with lots of luggage. We then swapped bikes and I took
the quick route home to get out of London, the M25, oh well
it had to be done! On the way back I took the longer way
home and exited the M40 and off into the Oxfordshire countryside
for some rather more serious riding. That's when I saw the
Multistrada come into it's own. Having spent many a happy
day riding these roads on all sorts of serious sportsbikes,
tourers, customs and other strange bikes I suddenly saw
the light! The Ducati Multistrada is possibly the ultimate
all-rounder on these roads, it's so much fun to ride with
it's perfect blend of sportsbike handling and performance
with a high riding position akin to something like a 2 wheeled
Range Rover. It is comfortable, has a great riding position,
it's practical and when needed can actually do a little
off-road work as well.
| The 1000 DS 'Dual
Spark' motor that powers the Multistrada is
the same variant that is currently fitted to the 1000DS
Supersport, and the Monster. This new engine gives you
effortless power and torque, it's not arm-wrenching
but the way it fits in to the design and approach of
the bike really lets you use all of it. There is a little
vibration through various parts of the bike at certain
speeds, but it's never that annoying, it's just enough
to let you know you are on an Italian masterpiece. There's
lots of torque available from just off idle, and it
will rev up to 8700rpm redline easily in almost all
of the 6 gears. In 6th gear at a leisurely 4000rpm you
will see a legal 70mph which says that it is relaxed
and has a serious potential as a tourer. |
 |
The Multistrada rides on a signature Ducati trellis
frame, it feels just right for the bike giving
a solid feeling and perfectly rigid. The front end is fitted
with USD Showa forks and the rear with a monoshock set-up
as found on Ducati's 999 and 749, It rides with total confidence
and gives you a grin every time. There are some differences
in the suspension however, mainly the 165mm of travel, and
also the compression damping adjustor has been re-positioned
to the outside of the fork legs, this makes it so much easier
to adjust over the other versions.The end result is that
the Multistrada has sportsbike handling, can soak up potholes
and ruts, and with the 24-degree steering angle has a near
perfect balance of agility and stability on all roads. One
thing I must say here is I am not used to any Ducati having
a good steering lock, but to my surprise the Multistrada
actually has. This together with a low centre of gravity
make tight U-turns dead easy for anyone. The clutch is a
little heavy, but then it just reminds you that you are
in fact on a Ducati, it's not a problem in town or traffic
at all. The gearbox is very good indeed, it is positive
and slick around town, out on the open roads or even at
a track day. Trackday? I hear you say, well yes is the answer.
I think that this bike in good hands will seriously upset
many a sportsbike, after all it has all the trademark handling
qualities of any other Ducati.
On other more sports focused Ducatis the injection system
has a tendency to jerkiness around town, this was something
I could not find on the Multistrada. The Marelli system
is slightly different to the normal version and 
has
no cold idle lever like the 1000DS Supersport or Monster.
It is crisper to ride in traffic and has great response
right up through the rev range. You can bring into play
all those 84 horses to get the 200kg of Multistrada going
in a flash. I suppose sometime in the future we will see
a 998 or maybe a 999 powered version, that day will be fantastic
if this bike is anything to go by! In the braking department
Ducati have yet again set the standards for seriously good
brakes, in fact the brakes fitted to the Multistrada are
the same as you will find on the 999, 749, Supersports and
so on. You get fantastic stopping power, great feel and
tyre squealing from both ends. Of course they're Brembo
'Gold series' to be exact, need I say any more!!
So after all the mechanical stuff what have we
got here? Well on first impressions the Multistrada
is not the best looking bike in the world, but it has character
and that's what it is all about nowadays. To top that off
the entire package delivers an adrenalin rush that most
other bikes don't even come close to, it's user friendly
and will take you almost anywhere you want to go. So don't
be put off by first impressions, this bike has it all and
it grows on you very quickly.
The riding position and general feel of the bike is that
of a slightly grown-up Supermoto, it's very slim, has wide
bars and a low slung engine. Taking it around the lanes
and 'B' roads is just a pleasure with the precise steering
and linear power delivery. It's so easy to just sweep through
corners and around long bends without a hint of any weave
or deviation off-line, in fact all you have to do point
it and that's where it will go. Quick changes of line mid
corner didn't seem to pose any problems at all, a couple
of Pheasants and a sheep can vouch for that!
The
riding position is just perfect and pretty comfortable
as well. The low footrests give plenty of legroom and don't
restrict the cornering clearance in any way. It has a seat
height of 850mm so maybe some shorter riders will have a
little difficulty with it's height, but with it's exceptionally
low C of G there's very little high up weight to balance
even on tip-toes. Although the bars are quite wide they
are not a problem in traffic or when filtering, the Multistrada
has a serious amount of steering lock and can get you out
of a lot of traffic situations with ease, there's so much
leverage and control of the bike with the standard bars
and I for one would not want to change them for anything
smaller, the only thing I would possibly change about them
is the colour. Chrome bars on this bike just doesn't quite
look right, I would like to see a set of high quality alloy
bars fitted with a brace for that Supermoto finishing touch,
these together with some hand guards from the vast array
of Ducati accessories available for the Multistrada.
Up top and in front of the bars comes the other modification
I would make. The standard screen is just a bit low to give
full protection, at normal speeds the windblast hits me
right in the upper chest and starts to buffet you around
at higher speeds. There is a higher version available from
Ducati and would certainly be a must for any type of touring
or motorway riding. Incidentally the top fairing/screen
is in fact handlebar mounted and moves independently from
the lower fairing, strange but true and it does take a little
getting used to. Also on the subject of covering a lot more
miles I would invest in the alternative seat from the accessory
list due to the 'plank like' comfort of the standard one!
It was never a problem on the ordinary roads as you tend
to move around a lot anyway, but on longer runs when you
are more still in the saddle it does get to you after a
while.
Everything
about this bike is quite novel, from the overall styling
to the funky mirrors and built-in indicators. They do look
very cool but I can't help wondering why they are so small.
Under the rear seat you have absolutely no storage space
at all due to the fast that the exhaust cans are high mounted
and there is a catalytic converter just where the storage
should be, it does however keep the pillions rear end warm
on winter runs though! Instead of seat storage you have
a small lockable glove compartment in the right hand fairing
panel, it doesn't really fit more than a wallet and a pair
of sunglasses and the toolkit, but it's better than no storage
at all. The quality of finish is absolutely typical of a
modern-day Ducati, it's well put together, is fitted with
some of the best available parts in the biking world, it
has so much style and some seriously trick instrumentation,
it really makes you feel like you are aboard a very special
machine.
If you are not convinced by now then I
suggest you get down to you nearest Ducati store and try
one. Apart from the initial looks, and getting used to them
its a fantastic package. Personally I think it looks great
from all sides, and has tons of character. Take a look at
the Ducati accessory catalogue for the Multistrada and kit
it out with carbon and performance parts, yes they are all
available for this bike, just like it's Supersports brothers.
But that's where the difference ends, get some panniers,
engine guards and some other off-road type stuff and you
will have a serious alternative to the BMW1150GS Adventure
that will shock almost every sportsbike rider on the road!
As designer Pierre Terblanche says, "What
is important is that it doesn't pass unnoticed - it must
be striking, it must stand out in the crowd, and it must
work extremely well."
Well in the case of the Multistrada they have certainly
achieved that. The factory have created a bike that re-defines
how people perceive Ducati, and to those customers who buy
one I'm envious of you, I certainly would love one of these
bikes.
AP
