MULTISTRADA 1260 TRANSFORMED
A cruiser engine in an adventure bike? Sounds crazy, but Ducati makes it work quite well, writes David Booth.
Liberating GRAND CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN a V-twin engine from your (supposedly) lowly cruiser lineup and putting it, completely unadulterated (save for a relocation of the water pump), into the chassis of your premier sports adventure-cum-superbike wouldn’t seem the most obvious method of upgrading your sport(y) bike, would it? Cruiser engines, after all, are visual not visceral products, designed primarily for the aural, not instinctual, senses. For lack of a better — or, at least more polite — descriptor, they’re typically duds.
But the Ducati’s xDiavel is hardly your ordinary cruiser and its 1,262-cc Testastretta DVT is not exactly your typical V-twin. Traditional cruiser twins, for instance, don’t boast the most intricate valve actuation mechanism (Desmodromic) man has ever devised, a complex variable valve timing system or, most importantly, 158 horsepower. Yes, you read that right, 158 romping, stomping horsepower, the most Ducati has ever blessed one of its adventure bikes with. And, yes, for anoraks already writing in to point out that the previous 1200 version of the Multistrada boasted two more, know that Ducati has changed its dynamometer and the old 1,198cc power plant only generates 152 hp by the company’s latest standards.
What should get you excited is how much punchier the 1260 now feels in its mid-range. Ducati officially claims there’s an 18-per-cent boost in grunt at 5,500 rpm. I know that most such claims of boosted mid-range turn out to be disappointing in real life, but there really is a noticeable bump in the big Duke’s mid-range.
Anything over idle is a lunge forward, the Multistrada’s 213-kilogram dry weight almost superbike light, so the 1260’s 95 pound-feet of torque — 85 per cent of which is available at 3,500 rpm, says Ducati — really moves things along. To Testastretta is to never have to worry about passing margins or downshifting; just whack it and go.
Ducati’s biggest twin is also its most civilized. Cruisers may pump up the tougher-than-thou volume, but in real life, the clientele are spoiled and suffer little in the way of inconvenience or discomfort. The xDiavel engine, therefore, is gloriously free of the low-speed lurching and rattling common to other big-inch Ducati powertrains. It’s also worth noting that Ducati’s latest clutchless Quick Shift system lets you bang through the gears without letting off the throttle or disturbing your left hand. Despite the seeming abruptness of such behaviour, shifting is buttery smooth. Indeed, as such systems improve — and Ducati’s is one of the best — they obviate the need for true, automotive-style dualclutch transmissions.
The engine is not the only thing that’s been upgraded, though a few of the revisions seem more brochure filler than practical improvements. Ducati’s press kit reminds me, for instance, that bodywork is slightly more aerodynamic (I didn’t notice), there’s a better grab handle (lifted from the Enduro model) that makes the fitting of aluminum cases less problematic for passengers (again, hardly headline news) and there are new, lighter wheels that reduce unsprung weight (I can’t recall there being much in the way of complaints about heavy rims).
Actually noteworthy, however, is the new TFT dashboard that is not only brighter, which was much appreciated in the sunshine I was enjoying while you all were getting snowed on, but more importantly, features an improved interface. Indeed, Ducati’s latest software features the easiest-to-decipher digital display in the business. Yes, easier than comparable BMW, Harley and even Honda systems. Changing the engine settings (four) and suspension adjustments (seemingly endless) may require navigating myriad submenus, but the flow (chart) is so obvious that you’ll pick it up in no time, a stark departure from lesser systems with which no amount of familiarity lessens the contempt.
It’s a good thing, since I needed to seriously fiddle with the electronically adjustable Ducati Skyhook Suspension before rendering the Multistrada’s handling typically Ducati fleet. You see, worried that all that extra grunt would make the new 1260 overly twitchy, Ducati’s engineers looked for more stability by stretching the swingarm some 48 millimetres and kicking out the steering from 24 degrees to 25. The former adds the desired stability with no ill effect, but the rake change can make the Multistrada feel a little chopperish, at least if you leave it in the standard settings. But thanks to the DSS system — and those easy-to-decipher submenus — I was quickly able to reduce the front fork damping to its softest position and jack up the rear preload to the maximum two helmets and full baggage. This transformed it from what was initially listless into the razor sharp handling one expects from a Ducati (even those without clip-ons).
The changes took all of about 10 seconds to enact. Making the same alterations on a bike with mechanically adjustable suspension would have taken eons, so kudos to Ducati’s improved interface. The only downside is that, having used up all the rear shock’s spring preload while riding solo, loading a passenger on might make the Multistrada less fleet.
Despite all this focus on speed and comportment, the Multistrada is still as close as Ducati gets to a full-on touring machine. The seat, firm-ish as it may initially seem, is comfortable over the long haul. The windshield, though relatively small (there’s a larger, optional touring screen as well), provides turbulencefree, if a little limited, coverage. And the reach to the handlebar is quite commodious. Only a tight seat-to-peg relationship — the result of higher pegs for more ground clearance; it’s a Ducati, after all — mars what might otherwise be exceptional comfort. The seat is adjustable, which does alleviate things a little, but then you’re sitting up higher in the wind blast.
But those are known quantities, the Multistrada now in its eighth year without major platform revision. More important is that the new engine really ups the Multistrada’s game. While there may only be a 64-cubiccentimetre difference between the new Testastretta and the previous engine, that difference really is transformative.