Ducati Multistrada
Ducati Multistrada
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Tough duty, bike launches. Great roads, often in exotic locales, freshly minted machines shod with new rubber, their suspension fettled to perfection (or close to it) and gas tanks perpetually full. What more could a headline-seeking moto-journalist want? Some home-turf familiarity, for one. Case in point, the Ducati Multistrada. Reporting from the Italian island of Sardinia, Feature Editor Mark Hoyer gave the broad-based machine high marks, but left such uncertainties as long-haul comfort and outright performance for further testing back in California. A couple weeks later, Executive Editor Brian Catterson attended the stateside send-off. Despite damp conditions, Catterson came away impressed, noting the ease with which
the wide handlebar allows the bike to be flicked from bolt upright to the edge of traction. Catterson also had good things to say about the engine, as did everyone else who has
ridden the bike. In fact, the air-cooled, dual-spark V-Twin that also powers the Monster 1000S and Supersport 1000 is a true hall-of-famer, especially in geared-down Multistradaspec. It’s not a high revver, with “only” 78 peak horsepower at the rear hoop (strangely down 7 bhp to the Monster we tested in our June issue), but its 58 foot-pounds of torque is spread over a wide rpm band, so there are never less than 50 ft.-lbs. between 3000 and 8000 rpm. Criticisms are few, but niggling. The shape of the handlebar encourages an elbows-up, dirtbike-like riding posture, which is great for nailing apexes, but not so good for tracking what’s behind you in the small, oddly shaped mirrors. Also, the roadrace-like seat pad is thin’, even brief commutes had testers squirming, while daylong outings were outright misery. We
can’t wait to sample the optional “comfort” saddle. Furthermore, taller riders’ knees contact the fairing, and the passenger footpeg brackets splay heels. Even more concerning, though, the fuel gauge and low-fuel light are woefully inaccurate, routinely giving
empty signals in as little as 80 miles with more than 2 gallons of gas remaining in the tank. Fortunately, the otherwisenifty multi-function LCD gives accurate accounts of fuel consumed and fuel remaining, so running out shouldn’t be an issue. More on-road “investigation” is clearly needed. Any volunteers? -Matthew Miles
