STRONG ARDOUR FOR NEW STRADA
As someone who gets to ride a wide range of motorcycles in pursuit of writing this column, I am often asked which is my favourite bike. Of course, there is no easy answer to this. Like most bikers, if I had an unlimited budget I would probably need at least five.
I’d need a top-of-the-range sports bike because they represent the absolute peak of motorcycle engineering, an adventure bike, a sports-tourer, a cafe racer, a big American V-twin, a vintage classic…
In fact, I’d probably struggle to pin down a top five – although, ever since I first rode one, Ducati’s Multistrada has always been in there.
So, I was excited to get a first go on the 2018 version. There are four models of the Multistrada 1260: standard – which I rode – “S”, D/Air and Pikes Peak.
It now comes with a 1262cc motor derived from the X-Diavel, featuring new engine mapping, a longer stroke and new twin aluminium exhaust. It provides an extra 6hp relative to the previous 1200cc unit, plus more torque, especially lower down. There are four ride modes – Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro – which can be altered while on the move. It also comes with an up/down quickshifter courtesy of the Italian firm’s excellent sports bikes.
The chassis has been extended overall by 56mm to make it even more stable, but it remains highly manoeuvrable.
The ride position is excellent – with wide, upright bars putting you in a commanding position – and there are three seat heights available. Handling is silky smooth, aided by adjustable Ohlins suspension.
The Multistrada also features multi-setting traction control and wheelie control. Braking is faultless thanks to Brembo components and Bosch’s cornering-ABS.
A new feature is the ‘vehicle hold control’. When at a standstill, squeeze the brake lever hard and release, and the rear brake activates, holding the bike in place for nine seconds before releasing.
The TFT dash is excellent – big and clear, with all the information you could ever need. A novel feature is the backlit handlebar controls and my test model also had heated grips.
Overall, this latest version of the Multistrada is every bit as good as I expected it to be. It looks fantastic, sounds great, has a host of excellent features, is beautifully rideable and packs oodles of power and sports bike-like acceleration. Definitely still in my top five.