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Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro in the driving report

Quick and dirty

A Ducati Multistrada 1200 has always been fast on the road, and now the Italians want to venture out on dirty terrain. So they turned their Rase- into a travel enduro.

You’ve been on a motocross track, seriously. Ducati! The manufacturer, who previously feared dust and dirt like Berlusconi from a visit from the tax office, dares to venture into the area. With such a huge enduro tanker that normally catapults its driver over the handlebars long before a serious obstacle. Tea D.ucati Multistrada 1200 Enduro, on the other hand, flies over tables and drifts around corners. If you don’t believe it, you will find evidence on Youtube under "The Wild Side of Ducati".

Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro in the driving report

Quick and dirty

Multistrada 1200 Enduro in Sardinia.

Journalists who believed Ducati was inviting them to a leisurely soft enduro excursion quickly found themselves on the groundwork. After just a few kilometers, things really got down to business here in the field. Not on a cross piste, but on quite challenging gravel paths and single trails, sometimes stony and bumpy, sometimes greasy-deep after heavy rainfalls in advance.

A total of 266 parts modified or new

So you really mean it. The Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro should be a real adventure bike, on par with the protagonists of this segment, BMW R 1200 GS Adventure and KTM 1290 Super Adventure. A very ambitious goal for a company with no significant off-road past.

To do this, a lot had to be turned inside out on the original crossover power bike. The bottom line is, apart from screws and odds and ends, there are 266 parts that had to be modified or rebuilt for the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro. That is around 30 percent of all essential components of such a machine. Whereby the engine remained largely untouched. Only a wider spread transmission with a shorter first gear and a shortened final ratio adapt the DVT-Testastretta to the special requirements.

Substantial work was required on the chassis, however. The spring travel increased by 30 to 200 mm and the ground clearance by 35 to 205 mm. The frame is basically unchanged, the steering head angle is one degree steeper due to the changed periphery. The wheelbase increased by a full 65 mm to just under 1600 mm thanks to the new two-arm swing arm. More robust components, such as the cross-spoke wheels, and additional parts, including the standard main stand, increase the dry weight by 13 kilograms. With a full 30-liter tank, Ducati reports 254 kg; experience shows that a real machine test adds a few more kilos. The Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro would certainly not be overweight, but sensationally light either.

Amazingly agile and accurate

The basis of the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro is the S-Multistrada, from which it took over the entire range of electronic assistance systems. A small excerpt without claim to completeness: variable traction and wheelie control, semi-active chassis, cornering ABS and light, cruise control, individually programmable riding modes, TFT dashboard, plus fun Bluetooth plaything. The entire on-board electronics have been optimized for off-road use. A real high-tech device, technically speaking, it is currently the measure of all things in this segment. Even a – by the way very practical – hill start aid is now on board.

Nevertheless, the driver does not need an electronics workshop, everything is logical and easy to operate. So quickly switched the riding mode to "Offroad" and off we went into the bushes. The Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro fits perfectly in ergonomic terms. The feet are on non-slip cross pegs, the handlebars sit perfectly in the hand. You almost feel like you’re on a sports enduro, especially since the contour in the seat area is kept narrow – nothing bothers you. Tea huge tank only inflates far in front, even 1.90 meter tall drivers don’t bump their knees. For them, the standard seat is certainly a little deep, the optionally higher driver’s seat was unfortunately not available during the test. Sitting and standing well is certainly a good basis offroad, but the rest has to be right too. Anyone expecting a clumsy tank in view of its impressive dimensions will be pleasantly surprised. The Multistrada can be maneuvered up the mountain over steep stone paths with astonishing agility and precision. Complimenti, the developers around project manager Federico Valentini did a really good job.

Pirelli Scorpion Rally on the Multistrada 1200 Enduro

Of course, the smooth-running DVT motor also helps, which has been given a new mapping for the 2016 model year in all Multistrada versions. Previously, a knock sensor that was tuned too defensively had cut the torque at low engine speeds, not least after criticism from MOTORRAD has now been improved.

Furthermore, the semi-active suspension surprises in a positive way. The electronics manage to react to spring movements at lightning speed. That’s why you have both there: a smooth, responsive suspension when driving slowly, which hardens as if by magic when you drive quickly over rough bumps and offers plenty of reserves and good puncture protection. Test driver and enduro champion Andrea Rossi assures that the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro ridden on the cross piste in the video were completely standard. So there is something going on – if you can.

Of course, such insoles do not work with road tires. If you are planning serious things off the asphalt, you should tire the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro with Pirelli Scorpion Rally. The studded tires dig well into the ground, especially for the front 19-inch model. Sure, a narrow 21-inch front wheel performs even better off-road, but the Pirelli does a pretty good job. The rear rally meshes quite well, but could offer more lateral support. The top speed with the coarse trucks is limited to 190 km / h.

On the road, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro with the standard Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 can be driven open and uncastrated up to its top speed of 240 km / h. With suitcases, Ducati tolerates – like BMW – 180 km / h. Development boss Andrea Forni adds with a wink that the Enduro has of course been tested fully loaded up to top speed. A little swipe.

Of course, this could not be verified in Sardinia, but it seems credible in view of what is known about the base multistrada. On the road, the typical sporty character of the basic Multistrada is definitely retained. Thanks to the DVT engine, the machine had put on a few kilograms last year, but it clearly improved in smoothness. The V2, which is still explosive in the upper area, now appeals not only to speeders, but also to tourists. A Ducati can do that as comfortably as with a BMW boxer or a KTM-V2 under 3000 revolutions.

Touring, Travel, Urban and Sport Pack

So the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro has travel qualities, and that doesn’t just apply to the drive. The suspension works extremely comfortably in touring mode. The windshield is neat, thanks to the ingenious locking mechanism, it can be varied at lightning speed. In addition to all common sense, fun is by no means neglected. On the contrary, it always makes the driver grin when the V2 fires from the corner in sport mode. Especially since handling, steering behavior and feedback are excellent for a machine in this category.

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro can be individually refined with four equipment packages. Touring, Travel, Urban and Sport Pack offer more or less useful accessories from the Touratech case to milled aluminum trim. Then the buyer has to add a few euros to the already considerable cost price of almost 20,000 euros. But there is also an elegantly crafted high-tech machine that is not only quick – this is what Ducati expects – but also dirty – and the latter surprises even connoisseurs of the subject.

Data Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro

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Pictures: Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro in the driving report

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