1607 DT final

out a whole tank, in excess of
300kms’s but sorry chaps for
some reason we did not get
exact smileage.
So how does all this
technical effort translate into
performance on the road?
For a start the Ducati’s new
owners must have persuaded
the Italian R&D department to
actually go and buy one each
of the competitors’ bikes and
find out how they go about
their business. In the past
Ducati Multistrada’s have
been quite different to most
adventure bikes and often not
really competitive with the likes
of BMW’s GS range. Ducati’s
new Multistrada changes all
that. This bike takes on the
best, and more. It has the
comfort of the big BMW, the
performance of most of the
KTM’s and added to all of
this it has style! Italians make
gorgeous bikes and cars, and
the Multistrada is no exception.
Initial impressions:
Collecting the bike, we
realised that few bikes are
as beautifully crafted as this
one. Only the Eyeties would
get away with some of the
innovations that they have
included, but it’s a head turner
from every angle. In the flesh,
well although beauty is in
the eye of the beholder, it is
absolutely stunning. In a snap
survey amongst as many
motorcyclists as we could
find gathered on a Sunday
breakfast run, most of them
agreed. Ducati does not seem
to do mass production. Things
that might look odd on a Jap
bike look right at home on this
one - from the strange stubby
pipe, to the brushed aluminium
tank covers, the attention to
detail is pretty awesome.
This is no lightweight.
When we fetched, we were
immediately given a sense of
- well bigness. From the wide
seat, to the protective faring,
this bike is on a par in size with
BMW’s 1200 Adventure.
Climbing aboard, we were
impressed that the seat height
is not ridiculous - and you get
a sense of sitting in the bike
rather than on it. The large
tank wraps around the front
of your knees. Wide bars give
you control and the simple,
adjustable screen offers
excellent wind protection.
The LED display is huge and
easy to read - and switching
through all of the electronics
(There are lots of those) is
all a pretty simple affair. The
Ducati Multistrada features all
the electronics we have come
to expect on modern high
performance Adventure bikes.
46 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JULY 2016