Issue 129 : June - July 2003
Lee Bay Rally
HD UK's 100th
Ducati Multistrada
Rudge
The Brigadier
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Lee Bay Rally
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Do it all Duke...
After three years of development Ducati have finally launched the Multistrada. In an unprecedented step it was actually shown to the public as a concept bike two years ago, generating a huge amount of interest and comment. A few changes have been made, mainly for production reasons, but in essence it is the same machine. It has been designed as a bike that can take on the best of the world's sports bikes, while still being practical, comfortable and versatile in all areas of day-to-day life. Designer Pierre Terblanche wanted a bike he would personally like to own, something that could be all things to all types of riders, especially if they could only afford to own one machine, hence the title Multistrada! During the development the R&D team carefully studied two specific groups of bikes, the sports bike and the big trail bikes. What they then did was take the best points out of both categories, namely handling and power from the sports bike and comfort and versatility from the big dual-purpose machines. However, as we all know having seen numerous home built specials, what you can end up with is a real mismatch that is neither one thing nor the other. In this case though Ducati have come up with a real winner! The Multistrada is going to surprise some sport bike owners as it rides around the outside of them and outguns them down the straights. It is also going to cause some consternation in the touring world as it cruises past big Barnstormers on the motorways. To a lesser extent it will also raise some eyebrows as it drifts by on some tiny unmade road in the middle of nowhere. Yes the Multistrada is capable of doing all of that as the world launch in Sardinia showed. Tight twisty coastal roads gave way to fast open straights reminiscent of a motorway. Built up areas gave a chance to test out the bike's traffic abilities, while some hard packed, but unsurfaced roads tested its dual purpose capabilities. The end result was that it is definitely a bike that is a Jack-of-all-trades and not that far from being a master of many of them! Add to the equation a mere £7,600 OTR asking price and Ducati seem very much to have a winner on their hands. It is also the first of a whole new category, or family, as they like to call them, of motorcycle. Looking at the bike, you can clearly see the now famous signature trellis frame criss-crossing its way along the length of the machine. At the front end, emerging from a clever two-piece fairing are a pair of USD fully adjustable Showa forks, normally seen on one of their sports machines. Not so visible is the fact that they now have 165mm of travel to smooth out uneven and changing road conditions. At the rear is the familiar mono-arm, now however with an increased bearing area and larger axle carrier for increased rigidity and longer life. This is controlled by a fully adjustable Showa shock with a remote adjuster that enables the pre-load to be easily adjusted. The chassis rolls along on brand-new seventeen-inch wheels that directly carry the brake rotors in a weight - saving exercise. These are shod with Pirelli Scorpion Sync tyres that have been developed especially for this model to cope with its duplicity of roles. Top-notch Brembo callipers are supplied to bring the bike to a halt when the engine braking of the L-twin motor is not sufficient.  This itself is hung beneath the frame acting as a stressed member as usual. In this case the older air-cooled version has been used because it has a lack of ancillary items like radiators to spoil the aesthetics, increase the weight and generally complicate the issue. However, this actually is one of the most advanced Ducati engines ever, and in a lot of ways is brand new. The motor is fuel injected and features new heads that while still employing the Desmodromic principle, have been significantly altered. They are also Dual Spark items for better and more complete combustion to help with power and emissions.
This just leaves the two-piece fairing to mention and the item that has caused most of the comments since the bike had its first public appearance. It seems you either love it or hate it, personally I think it is very clever the way it allows the handlebars to turn without restrictions. It also means the electrically adjustable headlight goes where you want it at night! There is a small compartment on one side for storing some small items, although much more than a spare pair of gloves is out of the question. The front indicators are on the backs of the mirrors, which may well mean that a gentle spill with this bike is a little more expensive than normal! So how does it stack up on the road? The answer is brilliantly! From the time you throw your leg across the seat you realise that ergonomics were high on the list of design briefs. The bars-to-pegs relationship is excellent and to use a well-worn phrase, all controls fall easily to hand! Turn the key and the lights and dashboard run through a diagnostic check before the button brings the fuel injected motor easily to life. The familiar Ducati sound can be heard behind you from the short twin silencers exiting under the pillion seat.
On the tight twisty coastal and mountain roads though it was almost spot on and the torque and tractability of the big twin made it a pleasure to throw about. The weight distribution is excellent and this, coupled with the top grip of the Pirelli 'Sync' tyres, which warmed up almost 'instantly,' meant that confidence in the bike was almost total straight away! Turning around on the narrow roads was easy thanks to the excellent steering lock and could be accomplished feet up, which must be a first for any Ducati! The rightly famed handling has not been lost and the bike tracked though all the bends without any concern even when cranked over so boots were in contact with tarmac. However the riding position is now a lot more comfortable and you feel relaxed and able to ride all day instead of constantly having to stop to let your wrists recover. Thanks to this and the better lock, town riding is not too much of a chore either. Coupled with the flexibility of the engine there is no need to constantly swap through the six-speed gearbox, even though the new lighter clutch now makes this a pleasure. On the open road the bike easily coped with long straights and for an upright riding stance it was not tiring. Certainly the thought of high speed use on the motorway or similar would not be unpleasant. Taller screens are listed as an option as is a more comfortable seat for the dedicated long distance tourer. There was however, no chance to try out the panniered version to see if these either slowed things down or affected the handling, although with Ducati's touring experience I very much doubt it! One day's use, even on very diverse roads, is not really sufficient to judge a bike on how it will perform as a long-term investment. However, in this case it showed this bike to be far better than most and I can see it causing a lot of people to re-assess what sort of bike they need to own. This is probably going to be most marked in the sports bike section after a few Multistradas have ridden round the outside of them! I would go as far as to suggest that the Multistrada is currently the only bike on the market that is truly capable of being an everyday bike. One that will provide sports riding on the road or track, have a touring capability as well as being a commuter machine during the week. It is sure to make other manufacturers sit up and take note and watch the sales figures with keen interest! But, no matter what use this bike is put to it is guaranteed to provide its owner with a big grin because it is fun and surely that is what motorcycling is all about! Ian Kerr 
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Ducati have crafted a machine to meet all appetites - Ian Kerr explores Sardinia on one
The motor has generally been tuned for more power and increased torque in the mid-range area where it is most useful. They have also done some serious weight saving exercises in an effort to keep the whole bike's weight down to an acceptable 441lbs.
With excellent ground clearance this is a bike that can cope with unmade roads and simple tracks. Not on a par with a genuine trail bike, nevertheless the Multistrada took me well off the beaten track with very little drama, even though the gearing is not the best off road.