Launch: Ducati Multistrada 1200

WHAT WE LIKE
•    Clever electronics – this is the future
•    Superb all-round ability
•    Spirited performance

NOT SO MUCH
•    With the S models in particular, all this technology doesn’t come cheap

First released in 2003, Ducati’s first Multistrada 1000 represented the Italian maker’s take on the ultimate all-rounder theme, with an alluring dash of Latin style. That model continued relatively unchanged until 2007, when it was replaced with the Multistrada 1100 – capacity of the air-cooled ‘1000 DS’ V-twin went from 992cc to 1078cc, and the dry clutch made way for a quieter wet clutch. Three years on, the Multistrada has copped its first ground-up revision, with a modified version of Ducati’s Testastretta 1198 superbike engine being slotted into an all-new frame wrapped in all-new bodywork.

Targeting the adventure tourer market but with an emphasis on sporting performance, the new Multistrada 1200 also comes with what is arguably the most advanced electronics package going. Three different fuelling/ignition maps can be dialled up, with accompanying traction control modes offering tailored levels of performance across four different riding modes – Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro.

The Multistrada 1200 S, a higher-spec offering available in both Sport and Touring guises, takes those electronics to another level, adding electronic suspension adjustment into the mix. Add in switchable ABS (standard on both S models and an option on the base model), a comprehensive trip computer and keyless starting, and the Multistrada 1200 is a gadget freak’s dream – and a window to the future of modern motorcycling.

In releasing the next generation of Multistrada, Ducati has also addressed the biggest bugbear perceived to go hand in hand with Ducati ownership – running costs. Although the Multistrada 1200 is powered by an engine derived from Ducati’s 1198 superbike, it’s been substantially modified to enhance not just the bike’s all-rounder nature, but also to extend its service intervals. Ducati says the model’s major services now fall at 24,000km intervals – double that of the 1198 – which will please owners no end.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
The new Multistrada 1200 isn’t short on features, so there’s a lot to cover here. The model essentially comes in four different forms: the base model 1200; the base model 1200 but with ABS; the up-spec 1200 S Sport; and the up-spec 1200 S Touring.

The two base models are identical aside from the switchable ABS, but the two up-spec models – which both have Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) and Ohlins TTX springs (instead of the base model’s Marzocchi fork and Sachs monoshock) – are fitted out with different accessories.

Although mechanically the same, with identical powerplants, the 1200 S Sport comes with carbonfibre engine covers, front air intakes, mudguard and spoilers, while the 1200 S Touring has none of those items, but comes with hard panniers, heated handgrips and a centrestand.

At the heart of the new Multistrada is the liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve-per-cylinder, 90-degree V-twin, known as the Testastretta 11°. The 11° bit refers to the angle of valve overlap. Without getting bogged down in technical detail, the angle of valve overlap is the interval when both the inlet and exhaust valves are simultaneously open, measured in degrees.

This 11° of overlap has been reduced from the 41° of the 1198 superbike engine, the result being smoother power delivery, better fuel economy and less stress on the engine – the latter leading to that extended major service interval. While the 1198’s Testastretta pumps out around 170hp and 127Nm, the Testastretta 11° produces a maximum of 150hp and 119Nm. The emphasis here is on mid-range grunt, and the bike also sports revised ratios in its six-speed gearbox.

The model’s ride-by-wire set-up offers a choice of three fuelling/ignition maps to suit four different modes of riding. In Sport and Touring modes (and we’re talking riding modes here, not anything to do with the 1200 S Sport and Touring versions of the bike – pay attention!) the rider utilises the engine’s full power and torque potential. In Urban and Enduro models maximum power is cut from 150hp to 100hp to suit the environment at hand. Throttle response is also altered – in Sport mode it’s at its sharpest, while the delivery is softer in Touring, and softer again in Urban and Enduro – and the mode also affects the throttle’s ‘travel’ – Sport mode, for example, essentially gives you a short-action throttle.

The braking is handled by twin 320mm, radial-mount Brembo calipers up front, mated to a 245mm, twin-piston Brembo caliper down the back. As previously mentioned, switchable ABS is an option on the base model but standard on the two 1200 S models, but Ducati Traction Control (DTC), with its eight different levels, is found on all models. Like throttle response, selecting a specific riding mode gives you a pre-programmed level of traction control intervention. The DTC feature is also switchable – you can turn it off if you want to.

The base model’s suspension is fully adjustable via all the usual manual adjusters, but the full biscuit 1200 S models, however, come with Ohlins gear featuring TTX technology, mated to a Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) system. The DES allows you to adjust your bike’s suspension at the push of a button. Each of the four basic riding modes comes with its own preset compression and rebound damping rates, while you can also tune your preload for solo, solo plus luggage, two-up or two-up plus luggage. The system is more advanced than BMW’s equivalent package because it can be fine-tuned. For each riding mode it’s possible to adjust your compression and rebound settings independently of one another. You can save this personalised setting, and – if you get yourself confused – you can also revert back to the default factory setting and start over.

All this wizardry and mechanical might is wrapped in a tubular steel trellis frame, with a die-case aluminium mid-section, a trellis subframe and a ‘techno polymer’ rear section. The all-new bodywork is complemented by all-new instrumentation, the latter with an LCD display and enough different coloured lights to please your average fighter pilot.

The trip computer comes as standard and offers a wealth of information, including fuel economy, ambient temperature, battery output and ‘range to empty’. The bike also features an electronic steering lock and keyless starting – the bike’s ‘brain’ recognises when the rider’s key fob is in the required range, allowing the engine to fire. If you lose the fob, there’s an emergency back-up system just behind the steering head, which allows you to enter a four-digit PIN you’ll have chosen at the dealership.

A wide range of factory accessories is also available, to further tailor the bike to your own sporting, touring or off-road inclinations, as is a complementary range of Ducati-branded apparel.

The base model Multistrada 1200 is priced at $21,990, while the ABS version goes for $23,490 – either model is available in either red or Arctic White. Both the Multistrada 1200 S Sport and 1200 S Touring models retail for $28,990, and each is available in either red, Arctic White or black. The Multistrada comes with a 24-month, unlimited kilometre warranty.

ON THE ROAD
I’d been itching to throw my leg over the new Multistrada since I first saw pics of the beast, and when the morning of the Aussie press launch saw a blazing bright sun climb into a cloudless sky, I knew I was in for one hell of a good day. Having ridden the very first Multistrada 1000 at its international press launch in Sardinia, Italy, and then later taking one for a two-up, week-long lap of Ireland, I was eager to get to grips with the model’s first major update and see just what a difference seven or so years can make!

I wasn’t to be disappointed. Setting out from Fraser Motorcycle’s glittering new flagship store in Concorde, Sydney, the planned route took in sweeping bends, the renowned twisties of The Putty Road, some tight and steep dirt roads around Colo Vale, and motorway back into the city – a bit of everything to truly put the new Multistrada’s catchcry of “Four bikes in one; endless transformations” to the test.

Upon flipping up the kill switch and pressing the start button hidden below, my first impression was that this bike was no watered down softie. The low-slung and incredibly compact stock exhaust emits a pleasingly loud V-twin boom, while the ride position, though bolt upright, gives you an easy stretch to those wide bars. The seat, at 850mm, is firm and tall – though there’s an 825mm option available – and the overwhelming feeling is one of control: let’s go and attack some bends!

Of course, first there was the small matter of escaping Sydney’s urban sprawl, so it was in Urban mode that I started off. It might ‘only’ place 100 ponies at your disposal, and throttle response may be soft, but my base model Multistrada 1200 ABS still rocketed away from a standing start with an urgency that thrills the senses. You’ll need to watch those wide bars in tight lane-splitting situations, but they’re high too, so in many instances they’ll be passing over the tin-tops’ mirrors.

The subdued throttle response was still crisp, but in general the Multistrada is exceptionally smooth – not a trait for which big V-twins are renowned. It’s also incredibly manageable; the wet clutch is super light at the lever, and it feels like the bike’s weight is carried incredibly low – U-turns are a snap, and you can really feel the 14 or so kilos by which the Multistrada undercuts the BMW R 1200 GS in the claimed dry weight stakes.

The Multistrada also has a whopping 40hp over the Beemer when in Sport and Touring modes, so when you add that to the 189kg dry weight, it’s no wonder why I was grinning when we escaped the suburbs and I selected Touring mode to dissect some sweepers.

If Urban had proved entertaining, Touring took the fun to a whole new level, with the full benefit of that 150hp engine. Switching modes on the fly is easy – simply scroll through the LCD menu by pushing the button on the indicator switch, hold the button in for a few seconds to select a mode and roll off the throttle to confirm your choice. You only need to glance down at the instruments for a second, and – in the case of choosing Enduro for an upcoming section of dirt – you can time it so you switch modes just as you leave the tar. Clever stuff.

In fact, it’s very clever. I used all four modes over the course of the day, and I was thoroughly impressed – not just with how well they work, but the high level of integration of the four riding modes and the ABS, DTC and DES (on the S models). This is one slick electronics package – if this is a taste of the biking future, bring it on!

You can really feel the change in the nature of the suspension on the S models (i.e. fitted with DES) as you switch modes, especially when altering the preload settings – and the ability to change compression and rebound at either end to suit your own preferences, and save those settings for each riding mode, takes this sort of package to a whole new level.

As a tourer, the Multistrada ticks just about all the boxes – it’s comfy, the manually adjustable screen offers decent protection, at 100km/h in sixth gear it ticks along at just 3250rpm and both pillions and luggage are catered for nicely. The seat is on the firm side, but surprisingly compliant.

The S Touring comes with panniers as standard, while an optional top box is also available. The only question mark in my mind hovers over its range. Ducati claims an economy of 5lt/100km which sees a workable range of around 360km from its 20-litre tank, allowing a bit in reserve.

On this launch ride, however, which admittedly covered several different riding scenarios, we covered a bit over 200km, and at the day’s end the trip computer was telling me I’d be running dry around the 300km mark. A thorough road test down the track will get to the bottom of it, but to my mind a dedicated tourer should have a working range of at least 350km before you need to start hunting for a servo.

On the short, 20km section of dirt we encountered, the Multistrada was impressive. Its Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres, developed by Pirelli in conjunction with Ducati for this very model, have a tarmac bias, but they’re absolutely fine for your average fire trail. Think the backblocks of Dubbo rather than Dakar and you won’t go wrong, and although there’s nothing stopping you from fitting some chunkier rubber, it would be a damn shame to compromise all that awesome sporting potential on the road. Still, the Multistrada has a stronger off-road focus than any other modern Ducati, and it’ll surprise you on the loose stuff.

I got to explore some of that blacktop potential on the sinuous Putty Road, a favourite haunt of Sydney-based bikers. Although the speeds remained civil, some of the going was tight enough to give me the sense that this is one performance-oriented machine. The explosive mid-range is a sheer delight when charging away through corner exits, and it’s backed up by the shorter throttle action and sharper response of Sport mode, and – on S models – a firmer suspension setting.

Short-shifting is the order of the day – there’s no shortage of performance up top, but I didn’t feel a need to harness it when I could simply surf that towering wave of mid-range torque. The Brembo stoppers are superb, too. Heaps of bite, heaps of power, and heaps of feel – and all backed up by DTC and (on the two bikes I rode that day) ABS.

It’s no easy task to create a competent all-rounder. An all-rounder is a compromise by its very nature – a jack of all trades, master of none. And while no motorcycle that purports to be an all-rounder can every truly escape the constraints of the definition, on first impressions Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 does push the scope of all-round ability an incredible distance. Gusty sporting performance? Check. Touring comfort and luggage carrying ability? Check. Light and manageable in city traffic? Check. Off-road ability? Forget the gnarly stuff, but check. Now add in some of the smartest electronics and safety features going, a beautiful finish, cheaper running costs and an intoxicating dose of Latin soul, and you’ve got one heady combination. I’ll take a red one!

Visit the Ducati Multistrada 1200 in Bike Showroom.

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tubular steel trellis
Front suspension: 50mm Marzocchi inverted fork, full adjustable (Ohlins TTX fork with DES)
Rear suspension: Sachs monoshock, fully adjustable (Ohlins TTX shock with DES)
Front brakes: Twin 320mm discs with radial-mount four-piston Brembo calipers (ABS)
Rear brakes: Single 245mm disc with twin-piston Brembo caliper (ABS)

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Dry weight: 189kg (192kg)
Seat height: 825/850mm

PERFORMANCE
Max. power: 150hp at 9250rpm
Max. torque: 118.7Nm at 7500rpm

OTHER STUFF
Price: $21,990 (base model); $23,490 (base model with ABS); $28,990 (1200 S, both Sport and Touring)*
Colours: Red or Arctic White (base model); Red, Arctic White or Black (1200 S, both Sport and Touring)
Bike supplied by: NF Importers (www.ducati.com.au)
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres