Fully loaded
With a pillion
“Multistrada 950… was created with a passenger in mind”
The Multistrada 950 accommodates a pillion easily, as its split-saddle design shows the tail unit was created with a passenger in mind. The rear pillion seat is wide and well padded, offering a decent level of comfort. The plastic grab handles either side of the saddle are perfectly positioned and feel strong. Though knees are bent, they’re not cramped even with a tall passenger and the panniers don’t reduce leg room.
The stock suspension settings may have been fine for solo use, but with a 13-stone passenger there was a soft wallowing sensation, mainly from the back end. Slight adjustments enhanced two-up ride – preload was easily done with a remote adjuster for the rear Sachs unit. The suspension is fully adjustable and taking the time to also increase both compression and rebound damping rates on the shock gave an even morecontrolled feel to two-up riding. Likewise, at the front end there was a tendency for the forks to dive under braking with a passenger, so firming up the damping gave a more controlled ride.
Luggage and load
Our test bike was fitted with Ducati’s ‘Touring Pack’. This includes colourcoded rigid panniers and a mainstand. The panniers are solid, don’t leak in the rain and well-finished. Between them, they promise 56 litres of luggage capacity, with internal securing straps. The left-hand box has enough room to stow a full-face Arai RX-7V helmet. The right-hand pannier has slightly less capacity as it wraps around the silencer. The boxes are both locked by the ignition key. Removing and fitting the boxes is simple, thanks to the easy-to-use retaining system, with mounting points integrated into the tail unit and on the pillion footrest hangers without the need for a rack. On the move, the panniers don’t hinder progress through traffic as they are slightly slimmer than the Multi’s bars.