DUCATI MULTISTRADA V2S All you’ll ever need?
723 MILES
Having spent the last decade onboard dedicated adventure bikes it’s been a long time since I’ve ridden a road focused bike such as the Ducati Multistrada V2. It may look like an adventure bike, but its intentions remain firmly on the tarmac.
I haven’t done many miles on the Multi yet, but the initial impressions are of complete competence – whether that be sitting in the fast lane of the motorway, negotiating London traffic, riding my favourite twisty road or cruising two-up with luggage.
I love the keyless ignition. Initially it takes some getting used to, but once you have it makes complete sense as you just keep the key tucked away in your jacket – avoiding the inevitable hunting around we’ve all had to do at some point in our lives. The only downside is that you still need the key to open the fuel cap, which, while being a first world problem, I find annoying because with other keyless bikes I’ve tested the fuel cap can be opened if the key is within range.
The moment the ignition is on, you’re greeted with a comprehensive, if slightly busy TFT dash. The information
‘I’m doing more two-up riding than ever…’
available and settings you can control is mind-blowing and it enables you to adjust the parameters of the power, suspension and ABS. The electronic suspension is top class and perfect for my needs as with three kids, who are getting more interested in bikes with each year that passes, I seem to be riding two-up more often than I ever expected. While the dash has a plethora of information on display and seemingly endless options, it is all remarkably intuitive given just how many different adjustments are readily available.
So with the weather improving it’s time to get out and about and I’ve got a few trips planned where I should be able to get a real taste of what the Ducati is like to live with.
The bike came with panniers which will make carrying my worldly belongings around a cinch and unlike some of the panniers you get on adventure bikes, these are neat and feel like part of the bike rather than an awkward add-on. I’m not the biggest fan of riding with panniers (mainly because I’ve got form for forgetting they are there) but these are fully integrated with the bike so shouldn’t compromise filtering when I encounter jams.