Ducati Multistrada V4 S
Arguably these are worrying days for Ducati-ists as Bologna eschew landmarks such as the trellis frame and Desmo. However, if the new Multistrada is to be believed there is nothing to fret about…
Giulio Fabbri, Ducati’s Product Communications Officer, is talking: ‘We think this is the best Ducati we’ve built. We didn’t just want to improve it in a few areas, we wanted to stretch a blanket over it.’ We’re standing in the Ducati Store, a few hundred yards from the factory gates in Bologna, where new Multistrada V4s wait for a hastily rearranged lockdown launch. Fabbri’s choice of words is unorthodox, but the meaning is clear; if the previous V-twin Multistrada – 158bhp, variable valve 1262cc V-twin, semiactive suspension, flagship electronics – didn’t excel enough at almost everything, the new bike will give it a damn good go. To do this they’ve thrown everything out bar the Multi’s ‘many road’ concept and started again – ramping up performance, technology, off-road ability and comfort to new heights. Before we get going Giulio issues a thumbnail sketch of the new bike: the previous V-twin is replaced by a modified version of the 200+bhp Panigale V-four, keeping the Ducati’s twin pulse firing order and back-spinning crank, but changing everything else. It’s bored-out to 1158cc but down-tuned to 170bhp – still 12bhp up on the out-going V-twin – and Ducati’s trademark Desmodromic valve gear is replaced by conventional valve springs for longer service intervals (first check at 37,000 miles). An aluminium monocoque frame replaces the old steel trellis, while everything else from brakes to swingarm to wheels to electronics to bodywork is re-energised.
I can tell it’s a new, different Multistrada just by sitting on it and feeling the focus of mass between my knees. The V4 is more compact front-to-back and top-to bottom than the previous V-twin, which gives Ducati freedom to place it for optimal steering and balance without L-shaped V-twin comprises in respect of front wheel clearance (the new bike has a 19in front instead of 17in), rear shock packaging and swingarm length. The V-four engine is higher for more ground clearance off-road, but the bike’s overall centre of gravity is lower, while wheelbase and trail are shorter, and rake is steeper. It also means the riding position can be compressed over the previous bike’s slightly stretched bar-seat relationship – leg room is greater than before, but bars are closer to rider.
Hit the keyless push-button start and the motor comes alive not with a lumping big V-twin shudder, but the busy, rustling burble of a pair of them, firing as two 579cc 90° V-twins side-byside in quick succession. It gives the engine a hint of an offbeat
‘The V-four astonishes, mixing character with power’
edge to its feel; not the clockwork turbine purr of classic Honda V-fours.
The 6.5in TFT dash lights up in the autumnal Bologna gloom, clear and crisp – no chance of sunshine on the anti-glare, angle-adjustable screen today. First gear goes in with a mere click (very different to the V-twin) and the V4 slides into traffic with a hand-tailored ease. Ducati have been civilising their big V-twins for years, but this is another level of silkiness. Throttle response is beautifully weighted and metered, and the up/down quickshifter is Ducati’s best yet (not a single, annoying Ducati doubletap that cuts ignition when you don’t want it to). Updated semi-active suspension is noticeably smooth and supple, levelling bumps and dips – and the motor is jaw-dropping even just poking it out of roundabouts between vans and cars. Compared with the Panigale’s V-four, the new engine spreads its power and torque more evenly over a narrower rev range, making it less peaky and more accessible – and much calmer and less thumpingly insistent than the V-twin.
As we move into the low hills around the city, alternating between second-gear hillside hairpins and sections of fast, flowing trunk road, the V-four continues to astonish, mixing pulsating character with a cascade of power. It really is the best of a V-twin’s fulsome bottom end but without its clattering shudder, and the searing, linear midrange drive of an inline four without a harsh buzz at the top end. And the new Multi is as controllable being trickled along at walking pace as it is deploying its full 170bhp.
Fans of the big V will maybe miss its aggressive chuntering, but gone too is the 1260’s active, fussy chassis dynamic – the old bike’s bars are always on the move in the rider’s hands, with a loose, gangly, almost off-road feel. The V4 is calmer and more refined, despite its absurd performance, floating with stability over bumps and dips in the road that would have other adventure bikes flicking their rider off the seat. Steering is quick and accurate, without a trace of weight in handlebar leverage, and the new bike slaloms through complex bends like a middleweight.
The cloud hanging over the hills threatens rain, and patches of damp tarmac appear – but the Ducati is safe, secure and confident; no undue see-sawing on long-travel suspension under braking, no tail-heavy squatting at the back on the gas. The new, exceptionally long double-sided swingarm has more leverage over the shock than the old single-sided arm, allowing a better compromise between ride quality and control. And Ducati’s Skyhook semi-active suspension algorithms are assisted by their first auto-levelling, self-adjusting preload. The result is a much smoother and probably less tiring ride than the 1260 S. We hit a section of motorway and wind up the speed. Although the new Multistrada’s silhouette is still definitely a Multistrada, all-new bodywork and screen were designed in a wind tunnel by Ducati Corsa technicians, including winglets and fairing slats to help disperse the
V-four’s substantial heat output.
And it’s a top job. The screen is one-finger light and among the best in any class; no buffeting, quiet, and calm enough for me to open a visor at 80mph. The new riding position is sports-touring
‘Ducati have been civilising their big V-twins for years, but this is another level of silkiness’
perfection, with a new, fairly firm seat (good for medium/long distance comfort). The V4 S has a larger, 22-litre tank – but the motor is thirstier than the V-twin, managing 38mpg on the test ride and a range of 180 miles.
Unlike the 1260 S, with its discrete Enduro model alongside the road bike, the V4 S is built to spec at purchase, into either a road or off-road version. Special attention is paid to tailoring the bike for authentic off-road use; long mirror stems and pillion peg brackets are scalloped for forearm and motocross boot clearance when stood on the pegs. The bars rotate in yoke clamps, serrated alloy pegs have pop-out rubbers, the bike’s waist is narrowed despite the slight extra width of the V-four motor, and rear brake and gear levers are adjustable to compensate for big, muddy boots. The V4 S can be bought with cast wheels and dual purpose Pirelli Scorpion Trail IIS, or wire-spoked rims with knobbly Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres.
And finally, the V4 S gets a wealth of new electronics on top of its already comprehensive list of traction control, rider modes, semi-active suspension, cornering ABS and hill hold options. As an optional extra the world’s first on-bike radar, front and rear, allows for adaptive cruise control (the bike maintains a fixed, user-defined distance to the vehicle in front) and a rear blind spot detection system (an amber light in each mirror comes on to show the presence of a vehicle overtaking in the outside lane). Another world first is weave control; if the IMU detects a yaw rate above
3Hz, it rolls off power (like traction control).
Radar cruise and blind spot detection sound like gimmicks, but they work and I find them useful, even over a day’s test ride. Adaptive cruise is great for not having to roll off for slower traffic on motorways – it does it for you, over a user-selected distance up to 160 metres. And blind spot detection doesn’t replace a lifesaver over the shoulder, but it lets you know there’s a car overtaking. It’s genuinely helpful.
The new V4 is a major, and deeply impressive, forward move in pretty much every area: engine, ride quality, steering, durability, technology and comfort. Molto bene.