Ducati Multistrada

Hugo Wilson is no stranger to a quirky ,WDOLDQ PLOHV WR 6N\H RQ 'XFDWLOV UVW Multistrada should make believers of us all

In May 2004 I borrowed a new Ducati Multistrada 1000 and rode it from Peterborough to the Isle of Skye. On the A82, crossing Glen Coe after 400 odd miles in the saddle, there were roadworks with single file trac and a red light. We approached the queue of cars and caravans at speed, slowed, and then hustled to the front where a Dutch registered Ducati 750SS, two-up, was waiting too. The 750 was gun metal grey, with red wheels and soft luggage. Nice bike, and an earlier piece of work by Multistrada designer Pierre Terblanche.

The rider turned and looked up to me from his crouched position, stretched over the SS’S curvy tank. I was sitting upright and comfy on the Multi, and maybe our Dutch friend detected my aura of smugness. ‘So,’ he shouted, above the din of his bike’s Termignoni exhausts, ‘you’re too old for clip-ons?’ Ooh cheeky. But with perfect timing, the lights flicked to green, and I responded to the ageist cloggie by dumping the clutch and leaving them far behind. Bloody whippersnappers. He’d got a point though. The Multistrada was heaven sent for Ducati freaks who wanted to keep their chiropractors poor. It was late afternoon, I’d been on the bike all day and was still 90 miles from the Sligachan Inn. At that moment I was delighted not to be nursing a cricked neck and aching wrists, avoiding road surface bumps on an overloaded 750SS. Instead I was enjoying the visceral delights of a Ducati V-twin and the Scottish scenery in some comfort. The remaining miles were a blur of overtakes as we carved through the Highlands admiring the view and enjoying the bends. This was (and is) a bike you could ride all day (though admittedly the seat on the early bikes needs a bit of extra padding and a taller screen would have been nice too) and with optional panniers fitted there was room to carry spare pants and anti-midge sprays. But as well as the practicality you also got a sensationally engaging engine with a rich midrange and a fantastic sound, and a sweet handling chassis with the reassuring grip of decent tyres on 17-inch rims. Ducati hoped that the Multistrada would turn a similar trick to the one that they had pulled off with the Monster ten years earlier. The plan was to create a distinctive new model, in a class that they didn’t already operate in, to generate a lot of extra sales. This was their take on an adventure bike, using their lovely 85bhp, 992cc two-valve air-cooled V-twin, a tubular trellis frame and the single-sided swingarm from a top of the range sportsbike, but with an upright and openarmed riding position. The result was a really nicely balanced package and a great road bike. Albeit with a few quirks and foibles, chief amongst which was the styling.

In 2004 everyone except me thought the Multistrada had leapt, fully formed, from the ugly tree. I’d prefer to say it was quirky and original and I loved the narrow waisted half fairing, with a short screen that turned with the handlebars, and those fantastic twin bazooka exhausts.

In 2007 capacity was increased to 1100cc (95bhp) and an S version, with Öhlins suspension was offered. In 2010 it was replaced by the eight valve, liquid cooled, 150bhp model with a massive proboscis – and you reckon the original is ugly? The original bike cost £8500, but now a decent air-cooled Multi, stacked with extras costs under £4000. But be careful, Ducatis of this era need more engagement than some bikes. You’ll make friends with your local specialist (like gtecperformance in the midlands) and it helps if you know which end of a spanner is which. Rides like mine to Skye are your reward.

556 miles after leaving Peterborough, with most of the journey on entertaining single carriageway roads, we rolled into the car park of the Sligachan Inn ready for a really good dinner and a couple of glasses of Talisker. I’ve no idea what the rider of the 750SS did that night, but I’m guessing that paracetamol might have been on the menu.

‘The Multistrada was heaven sent for Ducati freaks who wanted to keep their chiropractors poor’