2021 Multistrada V4 test: the Ducati maxitrail bends over backwards
The fourth generation of Multistrada must do the 4 Wills of its owner thanks to its new V4, its redesigned ergonomics, its reconfigured cycle part and its advanced technology. Site was able to test Ducati’s brand new maxitrail in its Multistrada V4 S version. First try.
Multistrada V4S test page 1: 4-cylinder and 4 modes
Originally, the press launch of the all-new Multistrada V4 was planned in Sardinia. Particularly complete, the program concocted by the Italians provided for road, expressway, off-road, city, etc. in order to highlight the Sport, Touring, Enduro and Urban modes of maxitrail 2021! Alas, the second wave of Covid-19 got the better of this event…
- MNC special file : All the 2021 motorcycles news
- MNC special file : Everything about the Ducati Multistrada V4
In compensation, Ducati West Europe invites Site to a good day’s driving: small traffic jams in the morning from Colombes (92), the outer ring road to bypass Paris, the A6 motorway to trace to Toucy and small roads to reach Vezelay … Not far from 250 km "one way", so.
Arrived at the bottom of the Yonne, the Journal moto du Net scrolls through beautiful curves for the photographer, scrapes a few notes on his notebook – old-fashioned, never out of battery! – and take a snack break in the fresh air, pure! The return is done at night by the same tarred path (s).
Available in three versions (standard, S, or S Sport), the Multistrada V4 entrusted to us by Ducati is an S model. Logic, insofar as in recent years, the entry-level Multistrada "V2" have only represented a tiny proportion of sales in France.
And yet, the Multistrada V4 incorporates the "best electronic driving assistance systems such as traction control (Ducati Traction Control), cornering ABS, anti-wheeling (Ducati Wheelie Control), and the up / down shifter (Ducati Quick Shift) ", list the Italian officials. But customers want it – always? – more !
The Multistrada V4 S receives as standard Marzocchi electronic suspensions, Brembo monobloc Stylema calipers and 330 mm discs, a 6.5-inch color TFT screen, a "Hands Free" keyless start, cornering lighting, assistance at hill start (VHC) and cruise control (optional adaptive, be careful).
In addition, the "S" that Ducati entrusts to Site also benefits from the gray color (+ 300 euros compared to the red), the Akrapovic silencer (+1320), the engine guard plate (+258), heated saddles (pilot +240 and passenger +144) and spoke rims.
About the rims precisely, future customers will have to remember to check this option when ordering: the extension then required in exchange for the original spoked wheels is then 600 euros … against a surplus of 1340 euros for the same pair. of wheels in the accessories catalog, later !
Likewise, if the customer wishes to take advantage of the innovative radars and their adaptive regulator and blind spot detector functions, they must indicate this on the day of purchase because "the boxes are only fitted in the factory and can no longer be installed by then at a dealership ", warns us the press manager of Ducati West Europe, Fabien Reze.
Going unnoticed during our simple test, the absence of a central stand on our Ducati could pose a problem for future owners: how to maintain your chain without this accessory invoiced at 240 euros by Ducati. It is only a hundredth of the value of the motorcycle, of course, but it is still the customer who helmets! Ditto for the heated grips at 275 euros, yet useful on this type of motorcycle…
In Sport mode: performance and pleasure
Even before riding it, this new Ducati smells – good? – sport: the suffix V4 alone, spreads a fragrance of MotoGP that will certainly appeal to fans of the Bologna brand, perhaps tired of breaking their backs and wrists on ever more radical sports cars.
Like the recent Streetfighter V4 (approved by MNC) and the future SuperSport 950 (presented on MNC), the Multistrada V4 adopts the front of the Panigale: "the V of the fork crown and the LED daytime running lights which underline it are today the signature of Ducati ", attests our host.
Although completely reconfigured and therefore redesigned, the Multistrada retains pretty lines. The distinctive spout, left in raw plastic and unpainted as on the old one, seems less prominent. On the finishing side, MNC hardly blames a few colored electric wires that appear here (connections for radiator fans) or there (under the saddle on the right, on the voltage regulator).
The main novelty on the Italian maxitrail is naturally the arrival of the V4 initially used by the Panigale (s), then mounted on the Streetfighter. MNC readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than others – already know that this transfer is coupled with a profound transformation….
As a reminder, unlike sports cars and roadsters which benefit from the "abuse" of the V4 Stradale, the very-road trail of Bologna has its specific Granturismo configuration. But we will come back to this in the next part concerning "Touring". Priority to sport !
In the sales pitch for their 2021 novelty, the Italians promise "a typical Ducati personality. Light and compact, with the 170 horsepower of the new V4 Granturismo, the fourth generation of Multistrada will give you a sporty and exhilarating drive in corners". . but also in a straight line !
More powerful by 12 horses compared to the previous Multistrada animated by the hot L-twin "Testrastretta 1260 DVT", the 4-cylinder in V offers accelerations – even – more tonic high in the towers. The extension will be enough to surprise owners of roadsters, even sportsmen.
On this Multistrada 2021, the ranges of use and efficiency of the engine are widened: "the torque curve of the V4 is significantly higher than that of the L-twin: in the last report, the Multistrada has + 16% of torque at 80 km / h, and + 25% at 100 and 120 km / h ", explains Ducati.
The maximum torque value may be lower on the new Multistrada (125 Nm for the V4 against 129.5 Nm for the V2), the bike would be beefier. The times now seem more linear, at least in the memories that MNC keeps of his last run with the Multi…
For the record, the last issue of the Journal moto du Net with the "big Multi" goes back two years. It was in the company of a certain R1250GS, whose "boxer" engine had damaged the sporty image of the Italian, thanks to much more punchy times in low or even mid-revs! Will the new Ducati be closer – less far? – performance of the BMW Twin Fleet in 2021 ?
A V4 better filled than the V2, ready to "box" ?
Tested alone, the Multistrada V4 offer sells its share of very strong sensations. The acoustics play an important role here: more than the pleasant soundtrack of "our" silent Akrapovic, it is also the deep hum of the airbox when opening – frank! – gases that encourage fun on the road.
By moderately turning the handle – electronic – of acceleration, the Multistrada is shown very docile and less talkative. Only regret: the mechanical noises are a little too present at start-up, at idle then at low speeds in town where we do not accelerate as hard as we are stupid (this only involves MNC, of course).
The V4 Granturismo, which has the same "Twin Pulse" setting as the Ducati Desmosedici from MotoGP, tows extremely well. The catapulting of the full 240 kg motorcycle is not only done without any harm, but also smoothly because the electronics standby !
Even when accelerating at full angle knock, the pilot – the donkey! – 80 kg fully equipped has no risk of being thrown off by the 170 Italian stallions … Extremely fine, the DTC traction control interventions will be reassuring – transparent – for inexperienced or attentive bikers, and never frustrating for others.
The future customers who will dare to draw the maximum on the first three reports will realize a little more the work provided by the anti-abrasion: in "Sport" mode, the DWC (set by default to 2, therefore very permissive) only allows very stealthily the front wheel to leave the ground. Direction losses in the winding are therefore almost non-existent.
Note to the extremely rare stunt enthusiasts who would choose this Multistrada V4 of – minimum – 20,000 euros to get laid: the wheeling control can be disconnected in order to pitch up the Ferrari Ducati on its rear wheel. Until scraping the rear fender? Why not. And why ?
Already excellent on the old version, "the latest generation Quick Shift, which uses the information transferred by the inertial platform to improve the performance of the aircraft, both up and down", greatly contributes to the pleasure of drive, sorry, "drive" this Multistrada….
Braked to the maximum in this sport mode (by default, but everything is "re-configurable" via the configuration menu), the suspension hydraulics provide solid downforce to this high bike. Mass transfers are limited and allow you to better feel your machine.
Equipped with Brembo Stylema calipers, the "S" does not, however, make it easy for the Marzocchi 50 mm (5 centimeters!) Fork. Fortunately, easily dosable, the front brake makes the bike plunge deeply when you pull the right lever to the maximum and puts – finally !? – undermines the excellent grip of the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II.
During extreme emergency braking, the pilot does not have much to manage: the ABS not only prevents the two wheels from locking up, but also takes care of balancing the machine on its own, preventing any skidding or lifting of the rear wheel. Small bonus: the hazard warning lights are automatically triggered and then turned off.
The rear brake is a bit shy, especially compared to the front. It nevertheless allows the machine to be slowed down while maintaining a flat trim, which will be greatly appreciated by those who ride in duo in the city, or very reassuring for those who do not like to touch the front brake in curves..
Site suggests that you study on the second page the three other modes of this Ducati 2021: Touring, Enduro and Urban … En route (s) !
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