ENDURO MASTER

With upgrades to just about every aspect you could think of, Ducati says the Multistrada 1260 Enduro has just got even better

When Ducati first released the Multistrada Enduro back in 2016, a large proportion of the motorcycle world was agog with excitement. Here was a superbike enging in a do-it-all chassis, which could (on paper, at least) give you all the thrills and spills you'd ever need in any and all types of riding.

That was the ideal. Here's the truth of that particular matter three years ago. The original Multistrada Enduro was a tough bike to ride. You had to have a high level of skill to get the most out of the big Enduro.

What that original bike needed was to be turned down from eleven. Just edge it off slightly, but not enough to lose what made the Enduro fun. It just needed to be that bit softer, and easier…

So to the good news! That's what Ducati says it's done to this motorcycle for this year and although, officially, the factory describes this as a 'facelift'. the Italians haven't just glossed over the previous model – they really have gone to town.

For starters, the biggest change is right at the heart of the Enduro. Following on from the rest of the range, for 2019 it comes equipped with the brand new 1262cc Testastretta engine. Armed with Desmodromic Variable Valve Timing, the new Enduro has been given a drastically improved low and midrange, with 85% of the torque on offer below 3500rpm, which is seemingly the most common rev range while riding off-road, meaning the engine will give you as much pulling power as that new sandy colour scheme.

It sounds like a lot, but don't worry about the 17% improvement in the low- and mid-range torque on the previous model, as Ducati has gifted the new Multistrada with all the bells and whistles electronically you could ever want, with cornering ABS, cornering lights, traction control and wheelie control, alongside an up and down quickshifter for the ultimate riding experience.

Talking of riding experience, Ducati has revised the ergonomics for an even better ride, with the seat, handlebars and centre of gravity all vastly lower than the outgoing model and a new suspension set up, too.

Being relatively new to the enduro scene, there's much to like about the big red bike. The finish looked impeccable and as I jumped on board, the lower seat height instantly fuelled my confidence levels. Although the ergonomics have been altered reasonably marginally, the bars and controls were all in the right place, and the new 5-inch TFT dash was easy to use straight away.

In all honesty, with all the small changes combined, the resulting feeling was impressive. The seat height felt lower, and at slow speeds or off the stand the Multistrada felt more like a ballerina than an off-road bullet from Bologna, thanks to the lower centre of gravity. This meant that from the first miles or two the Multistrada Enduro 1260 was a relaxing ride.

Even though I have just 28 inches of leg to stop me toppling over I didn't once feel doomed to drop, which was hugely reassuring considering the morning ride would be spent tackling a pretty gruelling 70km offroad passage.

For this, Ducati had flipped the gear and brake levers to their off-road setting and fitted the Enduro with the optional Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres, alongside a smaller screen and some hand guards for good measure. This made a monumental difference when we hit the trails, as the Dakarconquering lead rider wasn’t messing about, and thankfully the Multistrada Enduro 1260 made up for every ounce of talent I lacked.

Engaged in Enduro mode, all 254kg of the Enduro was so delicately balanced it handled the endless amounts of ever-tightening turns, muddy, rutty pools and patches of rocks – it had an almost MX-bike level of slenderness, feeling completely comfortable with me stood over its chunky frame, as the Pirellis offered untold amounts of feedback. With the extra torque on offer, the Ducati was more than happy to sit a gear above as well, offering an incredibly smooth and predictable throttle pick up on the medium map over any terrain. In fact, it was so smooth, that within just a few corners I was happily able to rely on the low level of Ducati Traction Control to look after me as I kicked the thing sideways at every given opportunity.

It wasn’t just the DTC that impressed either. The ABS allowed for some seriously late braking on corner entry without the imminent danger of tucking the front, and thanks to the internal IMU, the Multistrada would happily wheelie and jump without sending the computerised brain into a spasm, as it does on some bikes. Kitted out in full textiles with some pretty hefty motocross-style boots, the only qualm I had was that I missed a gear using the blipper a couple of times, but besides that, the Multistrada was proved to be a tameable beast.

For a big 1260cc lump, the Ducati sure could move off-road, and it did so with incredible style, substance and sophistication; even with a rider like me who lacks all three. I had survived, and with a bigger grin on my face than I ever expected… but the question was: would it be that good on road as well?

“The Duke was soft on the suspension, smooth on the throttle and was a genuinely cosy and pleasant place to be”

The answer is a big, fat, resounding yes. Filled with Italian carbs and secretly ever so slightly exhausted from the morning’s off-road expedition, I jumped on board the road-spec Multistrada 1260 Enduro – equipped with the standard issue Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres and the optional Touring pack, which above all gave the Multistrada a smart-looking set of panniers. I opted to use the Multistrada in its Touring mode to start with, to see how good it would be as a mile-muncher. From the get-go, the big Duke felt like a docile puppy on the big roads; in a good way. The Duke was soft on the suspension, smooth on the throttle and was a genuinely cosy and pleasant place to be. The exception was the low seat version, which I did a few miles on and even though it suited my short legs, it was nowhere near as comfortable. For a touring weapon, the added torque figure helps make the Multistrada an even better, smoother tourer as well, happily cruising in the lower ends of the rev range with a poise that meant I’d be more than happy to chew hundreds of miles in one sitting.

In fact, if anything the touring mode was slightly too docile for my liking, which induced a change of engine mode into Sport for the final thrash of the ride. Although it was easy to change between the four riding modes while moving, it was a little annoying that I couldn’t personalise the internal settings (like TCS) on the fly. That had to be done at a standstill in neutral, but once I had it nailed, the Enduro was more than happy to oblige with some B-road blasting. On the sportier spectrum of the settings, the manners of the Multistrada were instantly changed, and even with the lengthy levels of suspension travel, the front didn’t feel vague in any sense.

The electronically dampened Skyhook Suspension system worked absolute wonders with the gorgeous chassis to offer up feedback from every bump, nook and cranny the Italian tarmac was throwing up.

This meant I was able to fling the Multistrada about harder and faster than I could’ve ever imagined, and with every incremental step up in pace the sophisticated electronics were always there to catch any misdoings. No matter how hard I was trail-braking into corners, gassing hard out of hairpins or carrying big lean angles, the Ducati was looking after me; although once again I did find a few false neutrals on downshifts through the quickshifter. The only other problem I really had with the Sport mode was that even though the power delivery was sharp, it was slightly twitchy right at the bottom end, although it can be forgiven when it performed so well up until silly sportbike levels of throttle-twisting…

but then again, that’s why Ducati built the V4.

Yes, it’s a lot of money. but it’s big, red (or sandy), Italian and brilliant on- and off-road. The Multistrada 1260 Enduro combines class-leading electronics, power and, dare I say, the riding experience to back it all up.Ducati has developed the facelifted model into a genuine contender for the big capacity enduro crown.

I can’t wait to see it up against the likes of the new GS, and Triumph’s Tiger. But until then, in isolation, it impressed me. Okay, the shifter was a bit hit and miss and the throttle connection is still slightly twitchy when getting to the upper echelons of pace on the road, but Ducati really has produced a cracking bike.

"Yes, it's a lot of money but it's big, red (or sandy), Italian and brilliant on-and-off-road"