Ride the touring Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro 2021

Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro 2019

158 horses for a tourenduro is serious. Hell, 158 horsepower on any bike is pretty impressive, but when you're sitting up high, holding the wide handlebars behind the tall windshield and seeing everything ahead of you, it's especially impressive. They say that touring bikes don’t need such nonsense, and there is some truth in these words. But those who say so are quickly diminishing in their rearview mirrors.

First look at the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro

At first glance, adding bulk and mid-range torque seems like a strange way to make a touring bike more friendly. But the trick here is that instead of revving the engine to get thrust, DVT (Desmodromic Variable Valve Timing) makes the engine more torquey at any speed. Thanks to this, you can click the gearbox up and down less, and not only: the motorcycle now allows you to lift the wheel in high gear and drive out of places with poor grip. But the new Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro engine performs best on asphalt: thanks to variable timing of the opening and closing of the valves, traction is present at any speed, so you can use one gear on any section of the road. In third, you can safely lower the revs to 2000, and when you open the gas, the motorcycle will accelerate freely from the very bottom.

There is some unevenness in the throttle response of the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro in the mid-range, but this is only noticeable when the maximum power and the most aggressive fuel map are set. In soft mode, the bike responds smoothly to the throttle and rides just right for a comfortable ride on rough, unfamiliar roads. In this mode, you can easily forget that this is a 1262 cc L-twin, as the thrust is transmitted much more smoothly than you would generally expect from such a cubic capacity and configuration. The character of the engine changes from plush to sporty with wild habits, depending on the mode.

In the default Urban mode, you have a motorcycle with smooth throttle response and soft suspension - a comfortable tourer for trouble-free riding on any road. A quick switch to Sport mode via the 5-inch LCD panel and everything changes immediately: the response of the Multistrada 1260 Enduro is instantaneous and the acceleration is sharp, to the point of breaking the wheel, which the DTC traction control system struggles with. Which, by the way, performs well on any surface, including bumps, dust and patches.

The Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro motorcycles we tested during the first half of the journey were equipped with high windshields and a Touratech luggage system. And when you move off the asphalt, the weight begins to be felt, especially when quickly changing direction. But if you don’t push it too hard, the maneuvering dynamics are impressive: precise, but not overly aggressive steering gives the motorcycle confidence in the very first turns. The Multistrada 1260 Enduro doesn't have to be coaxed to stay on line, either on the straight or in a corner. The more aggressive the ride, the stiffer the programmable Ducati Skyhook Suspension becomes, responding to changing conditions and making the motorcycle resistant to late dynamic braking and hard acceleration.

On curved, winding roads, the quickshifter does not always cope with shifting as quickly as we would like. On faster sections it worked flawlessly, throwing both up and down without the need to disturb the clutch lever.

Slow, tight turns on rough roads are the best way to test the agility of the Multistrada 1260 Enduro Tourer in challenging conditions such as gravel or undulating terrain. Reducing the suspension travel by 15 mm and lowering the seat height by 1 cm made the motorcycle more squat and lowered the center of gravity, plus at this height it became easier to push off with your outstretched leg. In the accessories catalog, seats are available 2 cm higher or lower than stock, giving 88 and 84 cm respectively.

Be that as it may, the Multistrada in all its many guises has never had any problems on the road. It was nice to see that the Enduro version did not sacrifice on-road capabilities in favor of off-road capabilities. In sport mode it amazes with available power, and in softer modes it becomes an extremely comfortable device for a relaxed ride. Even by today's somewhat inflated standards, the Multistrada Enduro is an incredible bike in the engine department and quite good in the chassis department.

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At first, as soon as I sat in the saddle, the thought crept into my head: “What kind of fashion have they taken, they make “liters” the size of a Japanese six hundred.” There is no trace of the feeling of sitting on “two hundred liters”. Narrow, light, even in place - almost weightless... a complete disappointment. “Where is the liter?” But all the dissatisfaction ended as soon as I started moving. Still, marketers and advertisers don’t lie! A compact car with a decent steering angle even by enduring standards and a low steering angle in traffic jams no worse than a quarter! To hell with your “feeling of a big iron motorcycle” if a “two hundred liter” in a traffic jam behaves like a light motard! The first, city, stage of the exam for the title of “multi” was passed with an “A minus”.

Off-road part of the tests

The off-road part of the tests was with short windshields, without luggage and on Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires. This is where the Multistrada Enduro came to life. This outfit transformed her from an outrageously fast road warrior to a true touring SUV. Gravel, dirt, dust, rocks - everything slid under the belly of the bright red herd of 158 horses. And if the steering wheel seemed somewhat strangely positioned when sitting on the road, then off-road, in a position closer to the steering wheel, it feels completely natural and comfortable. It is also worth noting that for tall riders, riding in a standing position will be extremely comfortable.

With the Multistrada 1260 Enduro, Ducati has achieved an impressive balance of on- and off-road performance. The fact that the suspension travel has been reduced by 15 mm and the steering wheel has become lower by 3 cm sounds like bad news for those who like to drive off the asphalt. The footpegs also became lower by 1 cm in conjunction with the steering wheel. When production manager Stefano Tarabusi announced the reduction in suspension travel at a press conference, I think he heard puzzled exclamations from the audience and quickly moved on to talk about the evolution of electronic suspension.

The DSS (Ducati Skyhook Suspension) has been reprogrammed and takes data from the Bosch six-axis inertia platform, which is also the heart of ABS, traction control and wheelie control. Thanks to all this, the Multistrada system is smart enough to detect the nature of the surface and adjust the behavior of the suspension during driving according to it. As a result, the Multistrada 1260 Enduro is soft and compliant at low speeds and feels more composed when riding faster . On fast descents or jumps, it senses lift off the ground and tightens the damping to soften the landing. The difference in the suspension response is quite noticeable when changing the surface under the wheels.

Ducati planned to update this model to create an easy-to-use touring motorcycle and expand the brand's audience. The result can be considered quite successful - the touring Multistrada 1260 Enduro is really easy to use and does not cause any difficulties either when riding or when manually adjusting the suspension. The 17 percent increase in low-end power means it has more usable thrust and less difficulty using that thrust. Change the settings and the Multistrada Enduro can shoot on the pavement or stand on its rear wheel in the mud in third gear to pass obstacles. Switching driving modes is easy and convenient, and adjusting them to personal preferences (in terms of power and suspension) is simple and straightforward. You may not need 158 horses in the dirt, but it's good to know you have them.

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Ducati Multistrada 1200S: transformer, 2010, 1198 cm³, 150 hp, 210 kg, €24,400 (in this configuration)
Ducati Multistrada 1200S: transformer, 2010, 1198 cm³, 150 hp, 210 kg , €24400 (in this configuration)

I'll start with the prose of life. Literally from the first meters of our acquaintance with the motorcycle, which, according to Moscow tradition, began with a dead traffic jam, it became clear: this “Duka” is not like other “Dukas”! Be it Monster or Hypermotard, or any of the galaxy of “reds”: in the character of each there is what admirers call a zest, and the rest - “awkward jambs”. One offers the perfect riding position for the city, but try spending three hours straight in the saddle! And the complete lack of wind protection makes it completely unsuitable for long-distance travel. The second one is insanely fast and nimble, but with its power and microscopic size it will only please a very experienced rider. To put it mildly, Ducati are very specific motorcycles. But “cartoon” is a completely different matter! It is absolutely obedient, predictable and easy to control - truly a motorcycle for people, and not the other way around.

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Technical characteristics of the Ducati Multistrada 1200S

Of course, there is no need to talk about full off-road use of this motorcycle. Turning to my favorite automotive analogies for clarity, it’s time to compare the “cartoon” with a large luxury SUV, be it a Porsche Cayenne or a Cadillac Escalade. Powerful engines, all the bells and whistles imaginable, electronic systems for off-road driving, variable ground clearance, huge wheels... but would it even occur to anyone to climb into the Tver swamps of such luxury with polished sides and a leather interior together with “charged” UAZs? and “defenders”? Only for a very extravagant rich man with a reputation as a complete freak. The car may do the job, but is that what it’s for? Here is Multistrada from the same “sandbox”. Eat hundreds of kilometers of roads of varying degrees of disrepair? Yes! Walk along Sunset Boulevard, or at least roll up to the observation deck and conquer all the girls? Easily! Going out for a light picnic on a compacted dirt road in a Porsche? No problem! He can even drive around the city every day, leaving those same “Cayennes” to languish in traffic jams, he can do it with ease, but to think that a “cartoon” is an SUV means, at the very least, to admit his own amateurism and lack of taste. You know, even those who have a full garage don’t drive a Ferrari to pick up potatoes.

Moto measurement results

CONCLUSIONS. “Mult” turned out to be an excellent student. He fell just short of the gold medal. To confirm the “A minus”, I’ll add: I couldn’t find on my own where the heated steering wheel grips turned on. So the controls are also a minus. All jokes aside, the creators of the Multistrada 1200 have fulfilled their promise to assemble “several motorcycles in one.” Although, in my opinion, there are still not four of them in the “cartoon,” but two. An excellent “tourist”, capable of keeping up with “sports” on the highway and leaving them far behind on the routes Uryupinsk - Gadyukino, and a wonderful city motorcycle for every day, comfortable, practical, easy to ride and, of course, incredibly beautiful.

Moto experts' assessments

The motorcycle for the test was provided by Ducati-Russia, dyno tests were carried out in the Multipass workshop, Dainese equipment was provided by the Eurosport Motors salon.

In curves and on straights - Ducati Multistrada 1200S test

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And the downside is traditional for Duca: mirrors. No, visibility, vibration resistance and even the appearance of the mirrors are “excellent”, but the location... So that the pilot sees in them something other than his own manly shoulders, the designers positioned them so that the edges protrude beyond the dimensions of the steering wheel by four centimeters on each side hand, and coupled with a wide enduronic steering wheel, this noticeably reduces the vehicle’s cross-country ability among Gazelles and SUVs “buried” in traffic jams.