‘So good, it could be Swiss’
The bike’s gone, the loan’s over, but the Multistrada V4 S love affair isn’t…
Context is a wonderful thing. Ride almost any motorcycle from the last decade in isolation, and you’ll almost certainly be a very happy human – but that doesn’t mean bikes no longer have the opportunity to shine, or to possess that certain je ne sais quoi that transcends ‘good’ and arrives at ‘special’. The Mulitstrada V4 S is special.
And it manages to attain that accolade in a similar way to how BMW manage it with the GS. There’s almost nothing extraordinary or stand-out about any facet – but the whole operates at a different level.
The engine is brilliant, but neither overwhelmingly powerful nor characterful. The handling is superb, and the semi-active suspension is witchcraft. Is it better than the GS’? Not particularly. The build quality is close to faultless – but only close. The electronics, dash and electrickery are all classleading or matching. The brand allure is hard to ignore, too.
But it’s the ride – the net result of its skill-set – that makes the Multi so special. It’s compliant, neutral, aggressive and passive at will, composed and lairy to match your mood, and chameleon-like in all scenarios.
‘Choose life. Choose fun. Choose a V4S’
Trickle through the city with one-finger-light controls, embarrass faster bikes on a trackday, navigate a greenlane, do the commute, go touring… It lists skills like a biker’s version of the opener in Trainspotting.
What impresses me – amuses me, even – is that it does many of those things better than bikes designed for each sole purpose. Big touring holiday? Great, it’s more comfortable and has better airflow management that any tourer I can think of. B-road frivolity? Excellent, it’s tall enough to see over hedges and cars and the suspension irons the road flat as the electronics look after you while you leverage the full force of the wide bars and stonking motor. Daily commute? You’ll be happy twice a day, revelling in the ease of use, practicality, heated seat and grips, connectivity and comfort.
Ok, the tank cubby hole’s door’s a bit wobbly and cheap, the lack of keyless filler cap is a faff, and after 10,000 miles in all weathers there were two areas of corrosion showing (one mirror stalk had a 1p size area of lost paint, and the head cover behind the front wheel was also losing some paint). And it drinks fuel like an oil tanker. But that’s it.
Choose (a happy) life. Choose fun. Choose a Multistrada V4 S.