NEW V4 MULTI REVEALED
Spyshots show Ducati’s new V4 Multistrada is almost here – and it could be their most serious adventure bike yet
Spyshots have emerged showing Ducati’s new Multistrada V4 in a near finished state. Spotted by an eagle-eyed professional photographer, the new machine was undergoing off-road testing at a special facility near the Ducati factory. Given its appearance, we could be just weeks away from seeing the finished bike unveiled and it looks set to be their most daring model yet.
At the core of the bike will be a V4, with info from insiders close to the factory revealing that it’s likely to be an allnew engine, rather than just a detuned Panigale motor.
The current 1262cc Testastretta engine is one of the model’s biggest selling points, with its variable valve timing offering ample power and torque, plus decent fuel economy. Simply downtuning the Panigale motor would likely have not delivered quite the sort of ride characteristics Ducati were looking for.
The other big change comes in the swingarm, with the single-sided unit from the old model ditched in favour of a conventional twin-sided setup. It’s not immediately clear why Ducati have gone this way but the most likely reasons are to offset any weight gain from the new engine/electronics and also to help with any packaging issues of two rear exhausts, a Euro5 compliant catalytic converter plus a rear suspension unit. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first Multistrada with a conventional swingarm – the much-acclaimed 950 has used one since it was launched in 2016. Also borrowed from the 950 (or 1260 Enduro) is the 19in front wheel. The standard Multistrada has been 17in from the start to support its sporty nature, but there’s a vast array of sticky 19in rubber available now, so there’s little benefit to keeping the adventure bike on sportsbike sized wheels. A 19in wheel also helps the bike when driven on rough potholed roads or when taken off-road, which stacks up with those in the know telling us this will be their best off-roader yet – we’ve even heard rumours it outperforms the current 1260 Enduro in the rough stuff. Previous spy shots have shown it with cast wheels and roadbiased rubber, while these clearly show tubeless spoked wheels with off-road tyres, suggesting both will be available (the spoked wheels are likely to be an option). The only downside to bigger
‘Outpaces the 1260 Enduro on the rough stuff’ DUCATI INSIDERS
wheels and tall suspension could be a lofty seat height, but we imagine Ducati engineers will have given this a lot of thought to prevent it ending up too tall for most buyers.
As well as the big mechanical changes, we’re also expecting a host of new electronic goodies powered by the latest electronics package lifted from the Panigale. The only addition we imagine the Multistrada will get is cruise control radar, something they’ve told us they’ve been working on for some time.
There’s been nothing official from Ducati about the bike so far but we imagine it will be revealed in the coming months, most likely at the end of October. Again there’s no word on the price yet but don’t expect much (if any) change from £20,000.
‘It’s likely to be an all-new V4, not a retuned Panigale motor’