As we’re still not sold on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 all-things-to-all-people, we thought we’d take a closer look at the Multistrada test our colleagues at Motoblog.
it had the opportunity to do.
First up, the look of the bike is not to everyone’s taste, although perhaps necessary for the kind of bike it is.
While hardly a masterpiece in sexy, superbike design, the Multistrada does give off a functional, practical air.
In an interesting comparison with the Ducati Hypermotard, the Multistrada is revealed as being more versatile, something we would expect, but also more powerful without gaining too much weight.
It’s a fun bike, both in touring and sports style on the road, cornering well and with a traction control that’s not invasive.
Further on the technological front, the ABS is very well managed, and overall electronic issues weren’t a problem.
The great thing about the Multistrada is that the four modes are really very different, so that you haven’t just bought a bike with a fancy switch that actually doesn’t do very much.
Two out of the four modes have 50 hp less, which you can really feel, although the traction control is less noticeable – you would need a separate day to play around with that to fully understand its influence on the bike.
Test Ducati Multistrada 1200 The riding position of the Multistrada may have you a little perplexed.
It’s still more sports Ducati style than touring model, with a harder seat, which gives priority to cornering and more sports fun riding.
However, a softer suspension setting in the Touring mode alleviates this problem a little, a power distribution is smoother.
In the Sports and Touring modes, you have a full 150 hp at your disposition, which is almost too much for a bike of this kind.
The Urban mode was a particular favourite, with some great agility and cornering perfect for the riff-raff ride of the city.
A comparison with the BMW GS1200 is inevitable, even if they are two very different bikes.
The GS1200 is a softer and more comfortable bike, while the Multistrada still has that characteristic Ducati sports feel.
While the off-road aspects of the Multistrada are respectable enough, the GS1200 outperforms it in this segment.
It really depends on taste – the Multistrada, for example, has a much better performance on the road than the GS1200, so this would really come down to why you’re purchasing it and your riding style (while we’re at it, the KTM SMT is a better comparison).
The Multistrada has good fuel consumption and range off its 20 litre tank.
If you’re doing an average 120 km/hr, you get 20 km out of every litre.
There is enough room for a passenger, although you don’t get so much protection from the wind, not having the same aerodynamics and comfort as an all-out tourer.
In terms of price, the entry level model is competitive enough and well within the range of other bikes in this segment.
The S version is a little on the pricey side, especially given that it comes with a package that is already put together, rather than more freedom to choose your own options.
But this is probably just a marketing trick from Ducati.
Overall, the Multistrada is astonishing for its well-achieved versatility.
While the idea was always for an adaptable bike to match different conditions and situations, whether Ducati could equally pull that off was another issue.
It seems they might just have managed it, and the Multistrada, if it convinces, could be quite a successful model for such a risky market entrant.