CarBrandLogos archive · Ducati · 2003

DucatiMultistrada

Ducati's argument that a sports bike could be comfortable without becoming dull.

The story

A defining chapter in Ducati history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Ducati Multistrada, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The first Multistrada, launched in 2003, was Pierre Terblanche's attempt to build a Ducati you could ride all day. The name means many roads, and the concept was a tall, long-travel machine with an air-cooled desmodromic twin, sports-bike steering geometry and a fairing that turned with the handlebars rather than staying fixed to the frame. It rode far better than it looked, which was fortunate, because the looks divided opinion sharply and sales were modest.

Ducati Multistrada 1000s DS · StealthFX · Public domain

Design and engineering

The idea was rescued in 2010 by a total redesign. The second-generation bike took the Superbike-derived liquid-cooled Testastretta engine, detuned it for tractability, and added electronically selectable riding modes that changed power delivery, throttle response, traction control and suspension settings at the press of a button. Four bikes in one was the sales line, and for once it was roughly accurate. It arrived just as the large adventure-touring class was becoming the most profitable segment in motorcycling, and it gave Ducati a credible entry against BMW's dominant GS.

Ducati Multistrada 620 Dark · StealthFX · Public domain

Freshly unveiled, the new Multistrada 1200S

In production

Successive versions widened the range further — semi-active suspension, radar-based cruise control, and eventually a V4 engine with a valve arrangement designed to stretch service intervals for riders who actually cover distance. The Multistrada is now among Ducati's most important products commercially, which would have seemed unlikely to anyone looking at the 2003 original.

Freshly unveiled, the new Multistrada 1200S · jimmyweee · CC BY 2.0

Technical specification