Thursday, May 10, 2012

Try off-road Ducati Multistrada 1200







Motorcycle Test: Ducati Multistrada 1200 S, Touring exhibition, standard equipment. Km from 1200 to 1800

Location: the farmhouse Sant'Egle, near Sorano, the heart of Tuscan Maremma. The ground was rather dry and hard, the roads met, apart from the white farmhouse to reach the city, were the classic up and down embankments built for tractors. In addition, I traveled stretches of grass, interspersed with woodland roads with much foliage on the bike fondo.Settaggi: Having lived bought two weeks ago, the settings were the standard ones. Posted Enduro mode, I was pleased to note that the ABS and traction control (DTC) are virtually disconnected from the unit as standard and do not create any problem during off road. With regard to the tires, I held obviously the Scorpion Trail by Pirelli fitted as standard. Measure the rear: 190/55/17 ... and here begins the whole story …

Impressions from rest: Let's start with the driving position stand: the stem is 3-4 cm too low for a rider my height (186 cm). Comfortable, however, controls the levers on the handlebars, especially the clutch, soft enough not to tire the hand and arm, but stipulates that only a Ducati can be. Undetectable and safe even in front of the brake. Difficult to achieve with the boot (Alpinestars Vector) the brake pedal: the standard position, in fact, is too low and standing there is no way to operate it. Setting it in the position of most 'extension', things would improve but an inch of 'get up' more. Well the platforms, with rubber protector shoes that can be removed. WARNING: In the mode ENDURO bike 'up' of about 5 cm and this makes the arrest operations and support of the foot to the ground more difficult.

Impressions on the march: The front and rear suspensions Olhins worked great, absorbing without difficulty a hole of some depth. In ENDURO mode, the hundred horsepower generated by the Multi are very tame and allow a good dose of gas, allowing you to remove the hook with relative ease, especially uphill. Good also for the change: the second and third permit to travel almost every street. Rollover risk, however, if you violently throws open the throttle earlier. General impression of extreme delicacy by hand protectors: they feature a good screen, but they are too soft and lightweight for use off road also amateur, especially where the arrow engages integrated. Furthermore, the fact that the bowls for the oil of the front brake and clutch lock engage directly on the hand guard increases the vibrations and the feeling of the overall delicacy of the handlebar. Better would be to equip the bike hand guards traditional 'closed' even with the point of attachment of the handlebar rocker (GS style): simply a branch across the path to bend those included on the Multistrada. The rear license plate, with attached optics and arrows, is subject to excessive vibration, accentuated by Jeeps. It 'just an impression, however: after a weekend of holes, I checked the tightness of the screws and did not move an inch. Test passed back.

Off-road driving impressions: The problem of Multi consists of tires, especially the rear. It is not provided the possibility of using pattern tires and the Scorpion Trail, which indicates Ducati as 'optimum' also for off-road use, do not guarantee any type of grip on dirt roads. And that's difficult, at high speeds on roads so white, but immaculate and without mud. The paths through the fields, especially downhill, things get even more complicated: the rear tire, very large, constantly slips and puts the bike 'sideways', making it difficult to manage even at low speeds. Raising the speed, the feeling of insecurity does not change. Also, when braking with the rear, especially downhill, the bike breaks down significantly due to slippage of the rubber, making it difficult to control. And we are talking about dry land: with mud or grass, the tires of Multi have virtually no grip. Much better than the bike uphill: apart from the slope, the cavalry of the Multi is never pray and push firmly and immediately detectable. On the floor, uneven ground does not help: the Multi-hole absorbs up to 10-15 cm depth, but that's enough. If the difference is greater, it should be a great deal of circumspection, even if the presence of the PPG series adds some additional security.

General assessment in off-road: The Multistrada is a bike 'road'. Maybe, if desired, used off road, but never to make the real enduro, even tourism. With the multi, you can tackle dirt roads, preferably flat and dry, with some paternal feelings in less than what you could do with a 1198, but we are very, very, very far from a hypothesis of comparison with the BMW GS 1200. The GS is a maxienduro road, the Multistrada is a sport that can go off road without a break after a mile.

NB: A few words on electronics. After a day and a half of intensive use, both for road and off road, broke the spring that returns the ignition switch in the neutral position and then, before you can turn on the bike and enter the lock, you need to put it back with your finger. No problem, however, regarding the operation of the bike ride: the five units have not created any problems, the controls on the handlebars are straight and the dashboard, too delicate in appearance, had no problem. You can not say the same of the levers. I unfortunately 'leaning' the bike on its side because of a depression not seen at the time of the stop and the front brake lever has a lot of twisted, so as to require replacement.

In conclusion: The Multi has done everything that I asked, he raced on dirt roads, has fallen from a gully in between the furrows dug by tractors in the clay soil and dry and so hard, went through a hay field, it is small roads, climbing rocky, has even waded a channel with concrete bottom covered with silt. All of his step, all with some apprehension by the pilot, but overall no major problems, if not the fear of breaking it. Only, I had fun doing it, because it is felt that the campaign is not his way: it is asphalt, in fact, that 'the Beast is out'. Corners at 200 per hour, mixed close in the second and third motor-packed, motorways, city traffic: if the road was built by man, then runs the Multi aggressive and is ahead of almost all (we want the latest superbike from 1000 cc to be right up the 150 horses of Borgo Panigale). The SPORT mode has no rivals, the Touring's Multi emblazoned like the German travelers, the riding position is not never wearies and suitcases, running, is like not having them. In short, in Bologna have done the right balance between supercar, the tourist and the scooter. Take it to be a beast off-road too ... too.

Some tips to Ducati

Return to power with traditional key lock
Change and make more robust the cuffs
Create a rear rim that allows the insertion of a rubber tessellated
Improve linkages front, providing the ability to mount levers folding