Five things: Ducati Multistrada V4 RS
Ducati’s MotoGP-derived racing engine has a new home that puts insane performance within reach of regular riders.
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Ducati’s Multistrada V4 RS puts the heart of a racing superbike in a much more practical package.
Fast bikes aren’t supposed to be easy
The most powerful motorcycles require the most compromise from their owners. MotoGP lookalikes such as the Ducati Panigale have a riding position like an Olympic sprinter in their starting block – legs crouched, back arched, arms stretched low.
It’s great for racing aerodynamics, but not the best for long rides. But people suffer through the ergonomic torture, lack of creature comforts and raging furnace of an engine to be able to enjoy the performance of a thoroughbred bike. This one changes that. The Multistrada is one of the most comfortable and practical bikes on sale. High and wide handlebars meet sensibly placed foot pegs that make it easy to live with. It joins BMW’s S1000XR as one of the most comfortable high performance bikes on sale.
It really is super fast
There are hazards to riding this sort of bike for one, the insane acceleration feels as though it will lengthen your arms until you look like a helmeted orangutan. It makes conventionally quick cars and bikes feel as though they’re stuck in second gear. And if you’re not careful, it will shred your licence within the first few days of ownership. The big selling point for this RS model is what Ducati calls the “Desmosedici Stradale”, a four-cylinder engine with ties to MotoGP bikes campaigned by Aussie heroes such as Casey Stoner and Jack Miller.
The 1103cc machine is detuned slightly compared to the range-topping Panigale V4, though it still makes 132kW (180hp) at a screaming 12,250rpm – and will rev harder than that, too. Let’s put that into context. The bike weighs 225kg. Pop a 75kg rider on there (for the sake of simple maths) and you have 300kg, propelled by 132kW of power. Hot hatches like the VW Golf R weigh about 1500kg are reasonably rapid with 235kW of power. T
he fast Golf would need to have almost triple its power – 660kW – to match the Ducati’s power to weight ratio.
The details are impressive
There are so many details to drink in. The Brembo Stylema calipers from the Panigale superbike, a tidier tail with simpler lines than the regular Multistrada, supported by a titanium subframe that helps shed mass. There are lightweight Marchesini forged aluminium wheels, sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa rubber, golden Ohlins suspension with an impressive array of electronic adjustment through a beautiful digital display that also controls its riding modes, sat nav, maps and music. Then there’s the stuff you can’t see – like the removal of rubber vibration dampening elements that improve feel and precision from the front end, or the counter-rotating crankshaft that lends a rare combination of agility and stability, or the dry clutch that plays its distinctive percussion at low speed.
And there’s clever software too, such as wheelie and traction control systems that help you explore the potential of that magnificent engine without getting into too much trouble. It even has radar guided adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection to make short work of highway commutes.
It’s brilliant to ride
We tested the big Multi on a three-day ride to the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales.
It was too easy on the highway, where cruise control, electronically adjustable adaptive suspension and the infotainment package made it easy to pop on a favourite album and unwind along the Hume.
It’s exponentially more comfortable than a superbike on the motorway.
And offers similar performance when you turn onto a quiet road and roll on the throttle.
The V4 sounds like a traditional twin at low revs, then transforms closer to the redline into a frenzied, serrated and manic beast with an insatiable appetite for fuel, time and tarmac.
The motor feels unstoppable, and the six-speed transmission’s quickshifter lets you bang through the gears like a MotoGP pro, accompanied by a crisp pop from the titanium Akrapovic exhaust.
The brakes are similarly awesome, as is the easy way you can pour it into a corner, scythe past the apex and let rip down the next straight. It’s nothing short of intoxicating – and it comes in a package that won’t require chiropractic appointments when you get home.
Should we be surprised that it costs a lot of money?
This is not a cheap bike. Priced from $56,000 ride-away, the Ducati Multistrada V4 RS is undoubtedly a premium machine … and you can spend a lot more than that. We’d plump for the $2200 touring pack including heated handgrips, side bags and a centre stand, and consider the $300 heated passenger seat if there are plans to take a pillion from time to time. The big ticket item is a $6000 racing exhaust, which is hard to justify until you start applying “man maths” to the cause. Remember, this is two bikes for the price one – a comfortable touring machine and a fire breathing superbike. You’re already saving money, so why not splash out?
Originally published as Five things: Ducati Multistrada V4 RS
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