Multi-Orgasmic | 2018 Multistrada Enduro 1200 First Ride

By Paul Fenn

Contributing Editor

When the Multi 1200 was offered to me in 2014, I was given two weeks to have my way with it. There was much to love, and much to wonder about. One key finding: It was not a dual-sport you could take into the trails and subject to a serious drubbing. It lacked crash protection, ground clearance and engine mapping suited to low-speed technical riding. Plus, it had street tires and luggage that popped open on bumps.

What it was was a beastly fast and thrilling bike to ride around town and highway, and perhaps an able long-distance tar-tourer (assuming a serious luggage upgrade).

The world has changed

Four years later, with several new and highly competent adventure bikes to choose from, we went in asking this: With the Multistrada Enduro, has Ducati kept pace? What should the prospective buyer make of the E-word pasted on the much-enlarged fuel tank in light of all the other new kids on the block – specifically, KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure R and S models, the slightly less mighty 1090 Adventure R, the Brobdingnagian BMW R1200GSA, the rally-kitted Honda Africa Twin 1000, and any of the smaller, older dual-sports from Europe or Japan?

First though, a few other things needed asking, such as: Who’s buying big ADV bikes? Are they harnessing all that tar and dirt capability? Wild camping? Ripping up single track, climbing steeps and wheelie-bombing mud holes? Road-tripping across continents, straying down inviting cow paths or crossing boulder-strewn rivers just because the grass looks greener?

Research and personal observation indicate the following answer applies about equally to all those questions: A microscopic minority are. As one who rides his enduro (a 2009 KTM 950 Super Enduro R) largely as it was intended, I am as pleased as baffled by all the sudden attention paid to my needs by so many manufacturers. But I almost never see the big bikes out there on the many trails I ride.

Starbucks is packed with them

Discussions with industry people reveal that manufacturers want to sell bikes to those who don’t want cruisers, sport bikes or utilitarian commuters – those would be your Millennials and whoever comes after them. This pretty much leaves ADVs and scramblers. Except most new motorcycle riders are nervous enough on-road such that they can't be bothered venturing off it. Meaning, we’re left with this huge capability gap between bikes and their owners. Lots of adventure bikes ridden by adventure-averse humans.

OK, got that out of the way

With its 2018 Multistrada Enduro 1200 starting at C$23,795 / US$18,314, Ducati has seemingly stepped up for a fight.

In price alone, it raises its middle finger at the prime target – the C$29,890 / US$23,235 BMW R1200GSA. At 152hp / 128 Nm (94 lb-ft of torque), the Multistrada Enduro brings in almost 30 more equines, a 30-litre / 7.9-US gal fuel tank providing approximately 400km / 250mi of range between gas-ups. It has much-improved luggage options, and ships with cruise control and a completely customizable matrix of traction control, cornering ABS, cornering lights, ride-by-wire, keyless ignition, useful suspension options and engine modes.

As well, service intervals are at an impressive 15,000km / 9,320mi, with the first valve clearance check at 30,000km / 18,641mi.

The ride begins

With very little fuss, it was possible to set up and save full Sport mode with zero ABS, medium-plush suspension and zero traction control, recreating as closely as possible the ride of my 950SE (it has none of those features).

Once all that was dialled, we headed for the Niagara Escarpment and then south to Cayuga via backroads. No trails, alas, but plenty of gravel twistage. Why no dirt? After all, the bike had crashbars, hand guards and a bash plate. Well, on closer inspection, the provided crashbars didn’t look like they could absorb much of my sort of fall-down-for-no-reason abuse.

A slight miscommunication

As well, I’d left Ducati Canada HQ under the mistaken impression I was not to hit any trails. That, plus a desire not to risk dropping such a fresh and beautiful bike on Canadian hard rock permeated the soul. In five days of city and expressway riding, then a nine-hour Saturday ride through various touring conditions, this is what was learned about the Enduro: It's an absolute full-scale riot. Its power is awe-inspiring, yet never too wild to handle, even with all granny gear turned off.

The 1198.4cc Ducati Testastretta DVT engine’s power band is much improved over the previous Multistrada 1200, most palpably in the lower end. In city rides, executing a right turn at an intersection did not require a downshift to first, as before. Pulling out of that turn in second and giving it the full liver & onions was an audio-visual-physical experience. Which is to say, the sound in the cockpit is exhilarating, and you know you’ve just kicked 152 horses in the goolies. Ducati has ably managed to combine the elegant throatiness of the slip-on Termingnoni titanium exhaust with an exceptionally pleasing intake aria. What a great idea.

Recall last year’s review of the Ducati 950 Enduro when it was explained to this reviewer that Ducati engineers had spent considerable time and effort on intake sound. The result is when you gun it all-out, you know you’re doing so, but the rest of the world more or less goes about its business un-annoyed. Given the excess of aftermarket exhaust notes running afoul of public tolerance for them, and thus driving the powers that be in many lands to crack down on loud pipes, this counts as an artful compromise. If I owned this bike, I'd feel no pressing need to replace the exhaust.

Comfort factor yes, but what of the wind?

The saddle is 95% as comfortable as the Multistrada 950 Enduro’s, one of the best stock seats this rear end has experienced. The ride position is ADV-perfect. You can sit up tall, slouch, lean back, arch your back or duck down in equal comfort. The windscreen has two settings: Low and lower. Honestly, I prefer no screen if buffeting comes standard. It did. But I have a long body, and have yet to find a stock windscreen that didn’t beat me up. Strangely, at highway speed, the lower screen setting was better.

Ducati has refined the digital controls and screen, making everything much more intuitive to work out than previously. The suspension changes between riding modes were noticeable and appreciated. I like it non-shocking, but fast, and it took me all of 60 seconds to set that and save it.

Highway and twisted gravel beckoned

Aggressive cornering on the Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires (front 120/70 ZR19; rear 170/60 ZR17) was rewarding. Solid, confidence-inducing and thrilling – especially while drifting on gravel curves. With the added reassurance of the included steering damper, I grabbed hundreds of handfuls of grunt and almost wore out my hooligan laugh. Any excuse to rotate the hell out of the throttle was a great excuse. Top speeds in each gear were absurdly high and reached in a second or two. The lack of quick-shifter was noted, yet forgiven. Such extras add costs and not everyone wants them.

Would I recommend it?

If you’re looking for a true long-distance tourer that’s been around long enough to have both the technical bugs and the design flaws shaken out of it, and you’re not keen on dropping a fortune, this bike's a viable choice. It has loads of personality. It does not feel, look or sound German. Not that I’m anti-BMW, but c'mon, the R1200GSA just looks ridiculous. I’ve ridden several R1200GS machines over the years, and did not get much tingle in my spine.

If you buy the Multi and you’re serious about attacking trails, you’ll need to look into higher, more substantial crash bars than those shown in these photos. There’s lots of surface area to damage above the engine. I'd be thinking of ways to keep that shiny muffler out of harm’s way, too. Also of concern are the handguards, with their built-in turn signals. It's hard to see them absorbing much abuse.

My advice is to be brutally honest with yourself: If you’re certain you'll go hardcore-technical, and you’re not spendy by nature, this bike is probably not your best option. But for touring curvaceous lands, chicanerous gravel, logging roads and straightforward trails, this bike is designed to steer you away from strife and deliver you hundreds of rewarding rides at a reasonable cost.

Get the full specs here.

Many thanks to Ducati Canada for loaning the bike.

Get more of Mr Fenn's bike, gear and event reviews, stories and fool's errands here.