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
