BIKE REVIEWS
Riding
the Ducati Multistrada 1200S:
Multiple Personalities at the push of a
button
by Curtice Thom
Not often does a new motorcycle hit the dealership with the amount of fanfare and hoopla as has been bestowed on the new Ducati Multistrada 1200. Ducati representatives are quick to use phrases like “game changer” when referring to the new bike. After a couple of weekends with the bike, I think they might be on to something.
The big deal is this; this is more than one motorcycle. In the past, we have had a love or hate relationship with most motorcycles. The engine output and suspension settings were a compromise, or at best, required a weekend in the garage with the toolbox to make the bike suit the next intended use. Here is the genius of the Multistrada; it is button pushes away from completely transforming itself. And not just in small amounts, but in leaps and bounds. The new Multistrada 1200s is a bike with multiple personalities.
The things that don’t change are well thought out also; well, most are anyway. The handlebars are comfortable enough to hold on to most of the day, and still give plenty of feedback when asking for maximum performance. The seat is everything one wants if you plan to ride all day. It is wide and supportive, yet easy to move around on. The passenger seat received high marks from the Wife; she especially liked the way the bag mounts gave her a place to lock her heels in securely, and the grab rail was a big hit. The multi function dash (a whole article could be written just on the dash and programming features) is easy to read, and has the pertinent information right where it should be. Even though the heated grips would not be something I need on a day to day basis, they are an included option on the touring version of the Multistrada S. The touring variant also comes with hard-case saddle bags and a center stand. It has been noticed that the center stand may interfere with riders with larger feet (size 10+) but we have shortened the offending piece without losing any stand functionality. Those who might hope to use the center stand for oil changes will hate to find the stand mounts have to be loosened or removed to access the oil filter and drain plug during service. The sport model does not have this problem, as it has no center stand or bags, but is dripping in carbon fiber. Both models come with the manually operated windscreen, which once set for ones height, provides decent coverage. Of course, all items are available separately from Ducati Corse, if one was so inclined to mix and match accessories.
Riding
the bike is really what this is all about. It was a big surprise to swing
a leg over what appears to be a tall, heavy motorcycle, and to be shocked
at how little effort is required to get it off the stand. Most riders
will find good contact with the ground with both feet, and the lower
optional seat makes that comfortable feeling at full stop available to
many more. I selected the Sport riding mode and set the load option to
single rider and left the drive.
Sport mode:
Ducati is known for performance. In this area, this bike is no let down. It’s 150hp on tap with the added security of Ducati Traction Control. The suspension is taught and quite responsive. The bike was a blast to ride out the old 94 and was easy to make transitions from full lean to full lean. This was the first of many surprises that the looks of this bike hide from being obvious. This bike is capable of all but the most demanding of sport riding. Power was always there when needed, and the ABS brakes were confidence-inspiring on trail braking corner entries. A track day may not be out of the question on this bike. The ride may be a bit harsh for daily commuting, but that’s where urban mode comes in…
Urban mode:
Hate how the bike you love on Palomar won’t go over a pot hole without trying to eject you? Multistrada has the answer for you in Urban Mode. Suspension with a bit more legs. Taller for ground clearance and dampened for the rigors of city riding you can hit downtown in style and confidence. The engine has been tamed down to a usable 100hp with a torque map suited to the traffic grind. I first thought the mapping was off, but I found that the calibration in my head for Sport mode throttle response had to be thrown out because the Multistrada engine truly does transform, and the feedback for a given input at the throttle tube does change. Surprise number two: the engine does have more than one character.
Touring mode:
This is how I think most of us think of this bike when we see it; the new grand touring bike from Ducati. Plush suspension settings matched to smooth and predictable power output. This is just what the doctor ordered when loaded up with the saddle bags and headed off on a long ride in the back country to that weekend getaway. I first tried out this riding mode when taking my Wife out for her first ride. Normally, that would require a trip to the tool box and a quick adjustment of rear spring pre-load, and maybe a tweak to the compression if one was so picky. This is the third surprise that makes this bike worth looking at. The push button load feature, available in all modes, allows the rider to switch from a single rider set up to a double up with bags configuration with only a few pushes on the left switch block. No more pre load wrench, no more screw drivers. Touring bags on or off, it’s no big deal. Wife wants to go on the ride now? No big deal (if it’s my wife that is). The touring rider who commutes has to have this bike just for this reason alone.
Enduro mode:
I wish I could say this is a great enduro bike, but I would not know. Maybe a day in the near future I will get the chance to run this bike down a nice fire road or something, but for now we will have to leave that use of a 20 thousand dollar motorcycle to someone better financed than myself. The DTC and ABS combined with optimized suspension should make for a safe if not pleasant off highway experience. If I get a chance, I’ll update everyone.
With custom settings allowed, the electronic tuning options are quite numerous, as are the suspension settings. Full customization is not only possible, but part of the new frontier this bike is bringing to the streets. The hands free key gives just starting and stopping a modern feel. Ducati is out on the leading edge of technology with the new Multistrada 1200s, and they have just made a leap forward that will give riders options never before possible. If one of the bikes personalities described here is suited to you, why not get all of them for no extra cost?