Ducati revealed their 2010 motorcycle lineup today at the EICMA in Milan. The centrepiece of their announcement being the much hyped and speculated upon, Multistrada 1200—a new from the ground up machine that Ducati says is four motorcycles in one. Their goal, they say, was to create the perfect all-rounder able to tackle any kind of journey and road surface, “a versatile bike able to achieve impressive levels of performance at all times and in all places.”
At the heart of the Multistrada 1200 sits a newly designed, liquid cooled, 1198cc twin cylinder power plant called the Testastretta 11º, claiming 150hp and 87.5lb-ft of torque. A derivation of their world championship-winning, Testastretta Evoluzione superbike engine, the new motor’s valve overlap has been reduced from 41 degrees to 11, the intent being to produce a flexible engine to suit to any occasion, with smoother combustion, improved fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions.
The Multistrada 1200 weighs in at a svelte 217kg dripping wet, and comes in three versions: a standard model and two “S” variations. The S-Sport adds Bosch-Brembo ABS, electronically adjustable Ohlins suspension and a carbon-fibre trim kit. The S-Touring version has the same upgrades, but substitutes hard luggage, heated handgrips and a center stand for the carbon-fiber decoration.
Ducati’s four-bikes-in-one concept means the Multistrada 1200S comes with sport, touring, urban and enduro riding modes controlling ride-by-wire throttle, traction control and electronic suspension systems at the touch of a button, even while riding. Sport mode allows for maximum power output, has a race style suspension set-up and traction control intervention reduced to level 3 of 8. The touring setting smooths out the torque delivery, softens the suspension and increases traction control to an intermediate level of 5. For the urban jungle environment maximum power is reduced to 100hp and for safety, traction control is at 7. The enduro mode also has reduced power, but jacks suspension and reduces DTC to almost nil.
The standard version with manually adjustable Sachs monoshock lacks the electronic suspension functionality of its pricier sibling, but all settings on both models can also be changed independently, making for an almost infinite number of setup choices.
All in all, it looks like the Multistrada 1200 is ready to give the rest of adventure-tourer class some very stiff competition.
Canadian pricing is TBD, but Americans will pay $14,995 ($15,851CAD) for the base standard version and $18,995 ($20,081CAD) for either of the “S” upgrades, all available in red, white or black.
Check out Ducati’s latest video offering below.
