All Tests – Multistrada Granturismo Test: even further! – Granturismo on Corsican roads

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Multistrada Granturismo test: even further !

All Tests - Multistrada Granturismo Test: even further! - Granturismo on Corsican roads

The already very efficient Ducati Multistrada 1200 S is available in 2013 in an even better equipped, more elaborate and more touring Granturismo version. Objective of this new Ducati motorcycle: to drive the point home to come close to perfection. First try.

Granturismo on Corsican roads

Despite a saddle height of 850 mm, an average-sized rider can easily climb on the bike and can put his feet on the ground thanks to a fairly low crotch width: the first good point! The passenger for his part will have to show technique and flexibility to pass his legs over the imposing suitcases.

These suitcases are so large that at the beginning, we hesitate to attack for fear that their sides scrape the asphalt. In the end, we see that the ground clearance remains correct and that the angles can be generous … Which offers quite beautiful shots !

On the practical side, the Ducati is strong since you can store a full-face helmet in each suitcase (even the one on the right, however, less space because of the pot), which leaves an idea of ​​the volume available. Obviously, attention is required because the total width of the machine can surprise more than one !

Updates this year, the Ducati Multistrada also benefit from a storage compartment placed in the sides of the fork crown: very practical for storing your toll tickets or the key by transponder … not to be forgotten when getting off of his "dear" motorcycle !

Engine side, no mechanical revolution for 2013 because the efforts were minimal to improve a Multistrada whose first version (released in 2010) was already very successful. It is therefore on the power supply and ignition side that Ducati has concentrated its work..

On the program, the injector has been repositioned and the cylinder head now has two spark plugs per cylinder. The result: the 1198 cc liquid twin cylinder still develops 150 hp in the free world, but its flexibility at low speeds has been improved, in particular with a secondary air system at the exhaust which offers better performance and is aligned with the standards. anti pollution.

Common to each version of the Multistrada, this Testastretta 11 ° recommends revisions spaced 12,000 km apart with valve control at 24,000 km, ie "double the kilometers compared to Testastretta Evoluzione, to the great benefit of owners", emphasize the Italians !

On the tortured roads of Corsica, the 2013 evolution of the engine of the "Multi" is difficult to judge. Already flexible at low revs, the mill has surely gained in response and smoothness. But honestly, impossible to see significant differences in the absence of the previous model, except perhaps in town or during more sustained use for example.

What is certain is that from 2000 rpm the mechanics pick up quite well and push really hard, without ever weakening up to 10,000 rpm. The 245 kg is no problem for the engine, nor the average weight of the MNC tester !

The Multistrada Granturismo is pleasant, efficient, and its chassis is very well balanced by the electronic suspensions. Its gearbox is also satisfactory, even if it is ultimately used relatively little thanks to the particularly wide engine range..

Always so precise to take despite the suitcases, this "Granturismo" version demonstrates remarkable road holding in both dry and wet thanks to its specific assembly signed Pirelli: the Angel GT.

Equipped with the Ducati Safety Pack (standard on each version) which includes ABS and traction control, the "Multi" confirms its position as group leader among the Strada. On board, you feel safe thanks to the electronic assistance that keeps things going.

Despite its sporty genes – ah, the famous Ducati "Full-bodied" DNA! -, the Granturismo offers completely satisfactory comfort. Pilot and passenger can stay on it the entire time a full tank of gasoline (20 liters) lasts. And Site would have gladly extended this contact, limited to 70 short kilometers !

The rare stretches encountered on Corsican roads enabled us to verify that the high bubble really insulated the driver from the fort! – headwind: pay attention to the right wrist which has the annoying tendency to pivot downwards !

It is undeniable: the Multistrada 1200 is one of the most successful and efficient motorcycles of the motorcycle production to cut the road. The most surprising – literally – remains its ability to switch from one bend to another while maintaining an impressive speed of passage in curves and an irreproachable course holding..

The angle changes are done so easily that it even becomes disturbing (the new Ducati Skyhook Suspension, which offers active damping control, certainly gives the bike an advantage in this exercise).

In its Granturismo version, particularly well suited to long-distance travel, the Multistrada 1200 therefore offers the possibility of seeing more clearly, of going further and, even, of sharing memories with its passenger….

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