NEW 1260 MULTISTRADA RIDDEN
Ducati’s updated Multistrada gets more of everything, including long distance rideability. A better bike than BMW’S all-conquering GS?
THAT’S DAVIDE PEVITERA, that is. He’s the Multistrada 1260’s project engineer and he’s in my mirrors again. I’m dodging cyclists, overtaking buses and scraping boot tips on the furious coastal GC-500, but he’s still behind me. Granted, he’s been there for most of the day’s ride, following my tail light through thick morning cloud, tiptoeing down drenched and muddy cliffside routes, swapping bikes with me when stones, washed onto mountain roads, punctured my rear Scorpion Trail 2. And now our Multistrada 1260s are galloping in glorious sunshine, 20-degree heat and gale-force winds. He was still there at the end of the GC-200, too. It’s an intense 35-miler that begins south-west of Puerto de las Nieves and hauls itself between Gran Canaria’s staple diet of cliff
faces. Stunning. And a brilliant showcase for the fast-turning box-fresh Multistrada 1260. You sit surprisingly low in the Multistrada’s frame, controlling the nimble front wheel from a low, close handlebar that almost lies outside your peripheral vision. Everything feels accomplished, from the competent Brembo M50 monobloc calipers to the two-way quickshifter and autoblipper. The hydraulic clutch feels mighty heavy, but I haven’t used it above 10mph all day. And when I wring out the throttle there’s as much fat, grunting forward motion as I need. It’s a nice touch that traction and wheelie control let the front hover just above the tarmac. The 1260’s big power comes from an evolved version of the previous 1198cc Multistrada engine. Its segue into the Xdiavel increased stroke by 3.6mm, pushing capacity up to 1262cc. The two 106mm wide-bore cylinders pump out a claimed 153.5bhp and 95.5 lb.ft of torque. Not immensely different peak performance, but the torque curve is much smoother with an opportunistic gut-punch of thrust at 3500rpm. Team Ducati claim the extra capacity covers a conspicuous hole in the torque curve. I go in search of it on frosty English country lanes just before the flight to Gran Canaria. The borrowed 1200 is blisteringly fast, blurting along with festive flickering from its TC warning light. But it takes twenty minutes of counting down through the electronic traction and wheelie control to reveal the true characteristics of the engine. Even in TC level one, minute Ecu-controlled stutters keep thrust levels pretty-much constant. Cutting TC altogether reveals the talked-about torque hole. Obvious, really, when you’ve accustomed your inner ear to the forces of a 152bhp engine running free. On the 1200 torque delivery slows from 5000rpm, before suddenly vaulting up a cliff wall of power at 7000rpm, and second gear is strong enough to yank the front wheel off salty tarmac. It’s all so exhilarating I excitedly close the throttle and the front wheel drops. Whether this characteristic is a flaw, or part of the bike’s lively character will depend on personal preference. Nevertheless the new 1260 delivers power in a more even manner. Thrust starts from the shuddering depths of 2000rpm, then there’s that bulge of torque around 3500rpm,
‘Ducati’s line about the Multistrada being a multi-bike is still accurate today’
‘The 1260 is a more sensible proposition for long journeys. I’d choose it over the R1200GS’
after which power rolls on cleanly to the 10,500rpm limiter. Don’t let the ‘18% increase in torque at 5500rpm’ figure fool you – the lack of contrast between the dip and the thrust at 7000rpm actually makes the bike feel less bonkers than the 1200. Instead, it feels more swift and controllable, and also more sensible. And power delivery isn’t the only thing that’s more sensible. Headstock angle is relaxed from 24 to 25 degrees to help lengthen trail – now 5mm longer at 114mm – and a 48mm longer swingarm increases the wheelbase to 1585mm, all of these subtle changes coalescing into a more sure-footed ride. On paper the 1260’s set-up actually looks similar to BMW’S S1000XR, and more stable than KTM’S 1290 Super Duke GT. But remember this latest Multistrada still power wheelies off crests in third. Want Sport mode with front wheel lift thrown in? You’ll have to waggle at the left switchgear to turn off wheelie control and take traction down to step one of eight (Ducati say they can tell the difference between each setting). The changes you make to each mode are saved when you switch off the bike, and you start up in the same mode you used last time. Marvellous. Had enough of Sport? Thumb through to Touring or Urban, or even Enduro. Each mode is fully customizable, and is also impressively different at the default setting. Ducati’s line about the Multistrada being a multibike might be a few summers old, but it’s still accurate today. Switch to Urban for a hillside village pootle and the rev counter disappears from the new high-definition, high-contrast TFT display. You don’t need it when Urban’s low power mode and Desmodromic Variable Timing soften the fuelling so well. The change in engine character is so great I stall my bike at a junction, having let out the clutch expecting Sport-esque instant throttle response. To further help matters along this S model also has electronic suspension and you can even watch the rear spring move as its preload alters between settings. Pick up speed on the ramp to Gran Canaria’s only motorway, tap into Touring (shut throttle to select new mode) and you’re welcomed into a comfortable middle way. In all honesty this is how most Multistradas will spend their lives – gliding swiftly along curving motorways and A-roads. The comfortable speed gives me time to plump the cushions. I expected R1200GS levels of seat height, but the Multi’s perch is an accessible 825mm. A slim V-twin profile means even the alternative 845mm setting is heeldownable for my rakish 5ft 7in build. Ah, that manually-adjustable fly screen hasn’t changed. Above 70mph, the buffeting that you receive in top position is particularly painful – I’d choose the clean wind blast of the lower position on a long, all-weather journey. And there’s more. Ducati have supplied bikes equipped with the Touring Pack: panniers, impressive heated grips and a centrestand. They’re all useful accessories, but boost the price to £18,496 in this Volcano Grey finish. An S1000XR with similar spec and gadgetry checks out at around £16,200. For a near £20,000 motorcycle the 1260 has a few surprising idiosyncracies. Firstly, the dashboard shudders violently in its housing at low rpm, as do the mirrors. It’s a by-product of running such a large V-twin, and both issues are hidden at 4000rpm motorway cruising. Small gear shift problems such as the odd false neutral stem from a throw that’s longer than expected. Riding hard requires consistently strong foot taps, but I still manage to lock up the rear wheel clicking down into first on a hairpin bend. The rear slides sideways before the wheel is allowed to spin again. No such issues on BMW’S XR or KTM’S Super Duke GT. That said the Multistrada’s four-bikes-in-one party trick helps it set its sights higher, right into R1200GS territory. It’s a more flexible machine than either the XR or the GT, has the same versatility found in the previous model Multi, but the 1260 is now a more sensible proposition for long journeys. Going fast and far? I’d choose it over the R1200GS in any weather. The windswept GC-500 is coming to a close. Davide and I both pause to swap a thumbs-up. ‘I was scraping my centrestand on that last corner,’ he shouts through his Ducati-branded helmet. Perfect. If you’d like to see the world while scraping your centrestand, this is the machine to do it on.