BIKE REVIEWS
Ducati Multistrada 1200: “Stupid Fun” in Any Language!
by Tony D'AugustaOkay, I haven’t even finished testing it yet and I’ve started writing this!
The Two-Up portion of the testing is done and next is the extended solo test.
Already I know this bike is something remarkable!
Ducati touted this bike as 4 bikes in 1. Brilliant understatement I’d say, because when you really look into it, it is much more. Our demo is the S Touring version. The suspension can be adjusted via the menu controls for everything sans the front fork preload. There are 4 basic modes and within each of those modes you can customize all characteristics to suite your taste. You can conceivably pre-set 16 different suspension configurations, 16!
Add on top of that, 8 levels of traction control, ABS or not and 3 options for engine power delivery!
Are you drooling yet? Because I was pretty much convinced at 16 possible suspension configurations!
Let’s talk about some of the niceties before we blast off here. The gauges are really nice. Normally I wouldn’t gush over this; however they are quite stellar in that you can clearly read them in all lighting conditions. Ducati has done a great job at giving some very useful info that the motorcycle industry has done away with of late. It’s all nicely laid out and easy to read, kudos.
The seating is another well executed plan allowing passengers comfort and space without cramping the rider. This allows for freedom of movement to rail around and not be confined to one spot on the seat. There is a step up to the passenger seat which serves multiple purposes which I will cover shortly.
The remainders of the ergonomics are quite good. The reach to the bars was natural and the seat to pegs spacing was nice as well. The wide bars create great leverage for transitions and control while standing.
So “Let’s light this candle!” as they say! I planned a nice blend of
sweeping fast and technical roads for the Two-up ride. Pulling out with
passenger all was good and in Sport mode the bike would happily loft
the front end while rolling out from a stop light. Okay, I set the front
end down and easy does it! The brakes are powerful and had great linear
feel. Out on the open highway the bike cruises in 6th gear at warp speed
and was deceptively smooth. I was running up on cars wondering why everyone
was going so slowly. Then I looked down at the speedo! Oops!
The fact that I was playing around with the different modes while riding
did not help, but it was so easy and fun I was having a ball seeing the
real world effects the mode switching was having.
Getting into some twisty roads I was able to play with the slipper clutch which works great. Why every big twin doesn’t have one is beyond me. Ducati did right by putting one on the Multistrada 1200.
At stops I played with the manual adjustments to tune the suspension for my style, taste and loads. All without using a single tool, now that’s just cool.
The one criticism I have of the bike is that the rear spring rate is just too soft. Despite varying levels of preload the spring was not sufficient for two-up riding unless they had a 165 lb rider and an Italian supermodel passenger in mind. Even then I found it too soft to maintain sufficient rear sag which lent itself to dragging the center stand. This was confirmed later during aggressive solo riding. A higher rate spring will quickly remedy this and have you carving in comfort with surprised sportbike riders gawking in awe. Hehehehe!
So let me tell you about a brilliant motor folks! The new Testastretta 11 degree motor is magic. I’m pretty sure this thing will punch off with most any superbike and have no problems keeping up if not leaving them for a good portion of that run in sport mode. In touring mode you get 150 “low” which launches a little softer and then still pretty much lofts the wheel right on up. This is where the stepped seat comes into play. If not for the step acting as a stop for your butt, your legs would ultimately dangle out the back as your arms held on for dear life all the while lofting the front end in the sky. Let’s just say it has torque and loads of it. Wonderful loads of it! Yes, I’m blissing on it just recalling it now…ummmmmmmmmm, torque!
Now here’s the dirty little secret…It makes 100 horsepower too. Shhhh, don’t tell. Do you know why? Because when you get to twisted little pocked roads like Couser Canyon, Lilac Road, Mesa Grande, Highland Valley and the like, 100 hp made this thing easy to ride, much like my little dual-sport bike. Friendly power that was easy to manage even two-up. Going across Couser Canyon was not only easy, but fun! Lilac Road was a blast. The beauty of it is I didn’t change bikes, just modes!
This is where the versatility of the Multistrada 1200 became evident. Being able to choose between the characteristics that suited the roads you were on, that is the magic. That is what made the Multistrada 1200 so brilliant.
In the end the Multistrada 1200 lives up to its name meaning “Many Roads”, but to me it just translates to Stupid Fun with a permanent smile!
I’ll take mine in black with the S-Touring Trim thanks!
Pros:
- OMG Torque!
- Comfy & Has Storage.
- Great Brakes.
- Suspension – No (virtually) tools required to change!
- Multiple engine power levels without changing bikes!
- Smoooth!
- Your passengers will love you more than ever!
- Slipper clutch, mmmmmm.
Cons:
- Too soft rear spring.
- Center Stand drags (see above).