DUCATI has succeded in building one of the most versatile bikes ever with the new Multistrada 1200. Capable from the city to the track to the gravel and even on tour, the Multistrada as different personalities for different riding.

Much more than 'just' an adventure bike, Ducati has changed the game with the release of the all new Mutistrada 1200. This time Ducati's engineers have used some amazing technology to put together this wonderfully powerful and versatile machine to deliver excitement on and off the bitumen.

The brief was a bold one. Produce a motorcycle that can be four bikes in one. Sports, Touringm, Urban and Enduro. Not just a lackluster compromise, but a bike which changes personality for the intended job at the press of a button. Settings that not only change between four pre-set combinations of power, suspension and traction control to suit the type of conditions but where each of those settings can also be personalised for every rider.

The first thing you notice is Ducati have delivered a much better looking machine than its outgoing predecessor. It has the sleek look of a predator with a powerful bite thanks to the new eight-valve L-twin Testastretta engine sourced from their 1198 superbike bike.

The Engine

Grafted from the superbike’s Testastratta evoluzione powerplant, the retuned 1198.4cc Testastretta 11 degree engine as used in the new Multistrada produces a flatter and much broader power and torque curve more suitable to its new task. '11 degrees' refers to the overlap angle of inlet and exhaust valves which has been reduced from 41 on the Superbike, which will improve not just the spread of power, but also fuel economy.

There are four valves per cylinder helping produce a maximum 110.3kw (150hp) of strong wide flat power curve and 118Nm (87lb-ft) of torque with loads more pulling power than the superbike under 6000rpm. It’s no ordinary engine and wonderfully flexible.

It produces about an extra 50 pre cent more power than the two-valve air-cooled 1100 engine from the outgoing model and considerably more horses than any of its competition when in sport or touring mode. With new engine management the result is smoother, more flexible and efficient which also lowers emissions and improves fuel economy.

From the base model up all the bikes have the four electronically selected modes that control the Mitsubishi electronic fuel injection and ride by wire technology.

Throttle cables operate an electronic sensor which activates the butterfly valve on the Mikuni throttle body controlled through the engine management system. There are three pre-set throttle activation curves depending on which mode you are in.
Each will bring on the acceleration at a different rate to suit the power delivery required for the environment. Sport setting has the quickest rate, touring has the second fastest, then Urban and Enduro. Sport and Touring deliver the full 150hp peak power delivery, where Urban and Enduro curve off to only deliver a maximum 100hp of smooth high torque delivery for lower fuel use which is normally plenty for those situations.
There are eight stages of Ducati Traction control (DTC). The DTC will cut the engine power until the sensors between the front and rear tyres tells the computer the wheel spin is at the preset cut off level to keep the bike under control.

If you don’t like the factory settings you can personalise them. As an example you can turn the traction control off when set in enduro mode to let the bike slide more or turn the engine map up to deliver 150hp which is more than you need in the dirt. The ability to switch between personalities is easy. When you first personalise the modes the bike must be stationary, but once preset the main four modes can be changed as you ride.

Power is transmitted into a nicely spaced smooth six-speed gearbox through a drive chain to the rear wheel on Ducati’s single sided swingarm. The exhaust runs under the gearbox into a catalytic converter and nice neat short muffler that is very quiet.

This bike was very extensively tested at high speed during development giving Ducati the confidence to revise their service requirements. Anyone who has owned a Ducati before can tell you Desmo valve services can be expensive, especially on the eight-valve engines, and require specialised mechanics who know what they are doing. The Desmo service intervals are now out to 24,000km which is twice the distance interval of the superbike. Ducati claims this helps to significantly lower the cost of ownership to a level similar to its competition.

The Chassis

The tubular steel trellis frame is a three piece work of art that uses two cast alloy centre sections and is claimed to be 19 per cent stiffer than last year's model. The standard model uses 50mm Marzocchi forks with adjustable spring pre-load as well as compression and rebound damping. The rear Sachs monoshock has a large and easily accessible handle to adjust the spring pre-load and also has adjustable compression and rebound damping.

The ‘S’ Version is fitted with premium Öhlins front and rear which feature the Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) system. This system uses the bike's computer to electronically adjust the compression and rebound damping on both ends of the bike and the pre-load on the rear spring which adjusts to pre-set settings depending on which mode the bike is in. You can also set the computer to adjust the suspension for rider only, rider/pillion, rider/luggage or rider/pillion and luggage. The front spring preload only has manual adjustment. Both the standard and ‘S’ versions have 170mm of suspension travel on both ends.

The hands-free ignition system senses the key in your pocket so you don’t even need to take it out. It has a flip-key in it as well so you can open the seat and fuel cap. As an option there is a fuel cap available that is electronically activated and does not require you to pull out your key.

The large LCD instrument panel displays the riding modes and all the other things you might want see or control in a large easy to read layout. Seating is very comfortable with a separate seat for the pillion similar in style to the BMW GS. The tapered alloy handlebars can be swung forward in their clamps to suit the rider and give a very comfortable upright touring position that is easy to change to a standing position when you want. The alloy footpegs have removable rubber inserts to reduce any vibration which can be removed for extra grip when in the dirt.

Standard seat height is 850mm which some may find is fairly tall. A seat option is available to lower the ride height by 25mm for those that are a bit short in the legs. There are several other options available including a range of clothing and apparel. Accessories include different exhaust and silencer, mudguards, top and side luggage boxes and lids, tankbag, bike cover, GPS and Anti-theft alarm.

The screen does a good job up front with manual height adjustment that is easy to adjust even on the run so long as you have a straight stretch of road. The 20 litre plastic tank holds enough fuel to get a claimed 400km at 120km/h. We did 198km on it at all speeds and conditions and used little over half a tank. ABS is an option on the base model and standard on the ‘S’ Variant. It can be turned off if you don’t want it as you can the traction control. The Brembo brakes are powerful and very effective with twin discs up front.

Although this bike is very light for its class at 189kg dry weight in standard form and 192kg for the 'S' version, as an all rounder it still favours the road end of the scales with its fabulous power and ability.

Fitted with 17” alloy wheels front and back and comparatively limited ground clearance due to the under engine mounted exhaust and fitted with Pirelli Scorpion dual sport tyres at high air pressure, its off road capability doesn’t really isn't up for much more than dirt roads and good fire trails.
I wouldn’t really want to throw it down on the dirt both as this would mess up its good looks and could prove a little expensive to repair. However I think this will suit the majority of buyers in this class just fine as a lot of them probably don’t do much more than that anyway.

In summing up we thought it is a great looking and inspiring road bike with sports bike speed and excitement, long haul touring comfort and load carrying ability, around town smoothness and flexibility as well as good handling for dirt roads and easy trails without doing any damage to its self. That’s a lot in one bike. Ducati has put a lot of thought and work into it and I think a lot of people will fall in love with it. We did.

There are 3 packages available. All have the DTC and the four-mode menu. The standard Multistrada 1200 is available in red or white at $21,990 + ORC. The ABS brake system option adds another $1,500.

The Multistrada ‘S’ Sport and the ‘S’ Touring both retail at $28,990 + ORC and are available in red, white and black with DES suspension and ABS. The sport pack comes with a carbon fibre kit with covers and guards to lighten and sport things up. The touring pack comes with heated hand grips, centre stand and panniers.

The extra cost of the 'S' models is a pretty big pill to swallow, but you do get a lot for your money and if you're really keen to use the bike as it was designed – changing modes to suit the conditions – it really is the version to go for.
The question is, sport or touring?