As predicted for some time, Ducati has released a more off-road friendly version of their Multistrada.
The Multistrada has long been seen as the most street-biased of the big-dollar Euro adventure bikes. The new Multistrada Enduro does more than add wire wheels (19-inch up front, 17-inch in rear) and knobbies.
Along with the new sneakers, the Multistrada Enduro also gets a new double-sided swingarm, semi-active Sachs suspension front and rear, Â a new 30-litre tank offering over 450 km of fuel range, and a Bosch stability system (essential for things like cornering ABS). The machine also gets cornering lights, wheelie control, uphill start assistance, electronic cruise control and Bluetooth integration. There’s also an aluminum skid plate.
Even the little details have been addressed to make this bike off-road friendly. The gearshift lever has a linkage designed to protect it in a drop, and the rear brake lever is adjustable to better suit a rider who’s up on the pegs. There are also twin accessory plugs, always a boon on a touring bike.
Available accessories include things like a lower windshield, heated grips, Touratech aluminum panniers, and higher (890 mm) and lower (850 mm) seats. An 870 mm-high seat is standard.
It has the same 160-hp motor the previous Multi used. Of course, it also has the ride-by-wire throttle, meaning it has the standard set of electronic rider aids Ducati includes in its lineup.
Ducati has also announced the Pikes Peak version of the Multistrada is returning to the lineup, with Termignoni exhaust, carbon-fibre bodywork, Ohlins forks and shock, and with the same Bosch stability system the Enduro gets.
The big question, now that the Multistrada Enduro is about to appear in showrooms, is: How does it stack up against the competition? Honda, KTM, Yamaha, BMW, and Triumph all have bikes in this market segment already (although Honda’s been out of the game a while, and is just returning). Will the adventure riding world embrace to the new Multistrada Enduro, now that it’s more off-road friendly?
GALLERY
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“the hyper would have been a better platform to start with! walk with me: 19 inch front wheel, spoked tubeless wheels front and rear, tuned suspension with more travel, gearbox ratios tweak, strip 20 kg off the bike and add a 30 liter tank, keep wet weight below 180kg and seat height at 850mm.. price point between 10-12k… should work.. right?” – some guy that should work for ducati