1612 DT final

DUCATI MULTISTRADA ENDURO
R242 900 www.ducati.co.za
The Big Daddy of the bunch, the Ducati is quite
simply a bike apart in this test. All agreed that if the
shekels were freely available, this one would be one
of the machines parked in the garage. From front to
rear it just oozes European flair and design – nothing
is simply made – it is beautifully crafted to create a
really unique machine. The most prominent feature
has to be the amazing arm-wrenching Desmotronic
V-Twin engine. Initially electronic trickery governed
the hell out of it, but once we figured out the correct
settings, it blitzed everything in sight. Ducati has
done an amazing job on such a great big donk
of a bike mating performance with a chassis and
suspension that works astonishingly well anywhere.
Some features:
There’s no getting away from the fact that this is a
big bike. The seat is an inch taller than the standard
Multistrada’s and the bars 50mm higher. With its
big 30-litre fuel tank it’s wide, too, so shorter riders
will struggle to get both feet down at a standstill,
especially off-road. It’s a bike for the taller rider, or a
confident off-roader. But with its tuned semi-active
Sachs suspension the Ducati irons out the road
ahead and even riding over rocks, you’d swear you
were on tarmac. Handling on the dirt is excellent and
it’s actually pretty nimble on tricky sections. New
spoked wheels (with a 19” front) are shod with dual
purpose Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres and give lots of
grip and confidence in all conditions. A comfortable
riding position, excellent wind protection and goodies
like heated grips and cruise control all add up to
make the 1200 Enduro a great, comfortable ride
The 1200 is as loaded as you’d expect and comes
with a colour dash display, a full electronics package,
semi-active suspension, off-road pegs and levers, a
centre stand…the list goes on. You can also add an
Enduro, Touring, Sport or Urban Pack to customise
you Ducati even more.
98 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016