Ride Review: 2014 Ducati Multistrada S

2014 KTM Multistrada S (demo ride)

Finally got out on a test ride on the Duc….red of course, a S model with the large bags, top box (all removed for the test ride), crash bars & full Termignoni exhaust...surprisingly not over loud but likely too loud for touring, actually rather tame at idle but barks very nicely once on the gas.

First thing that hits you is the seating position, the dished out seat limits you to one location that is very motard-like forcing you into what initially feels like too close to the tank/bars & an upright position, the bars are wide, almost too wide, leg room is good with pegs positioned a little farther rearward than my K1300GT, can’t flat foot with the std seat (4 different seats are available, but none are adjustable...I would opt for the touring seat which is a little higher, with less curve to it & either memory foam or gel, hopefully providing a little for & aft movement), the seat is firm, but unable to comment on comfort with just 40 min in the saddle...back to the pegs…they seem narrow to me with my feet almost falling off the ends when seated in a natural orientation…would require changing.

The pic below really displays the cab forward riding position I previously mentioned...no room to move around & surprisingly detracted from loading the pegs & hanging off (compounded by my feet falling off the ends of the short & narrow pegs)…I suppose it is a trade off to the standing off-road riding position they desired to compete with the BMW GS.

Two things jump out when starting off from a stop….the clutch take up lacks feel on the engagement point which is somewhere in the middle of the lever travel….keeping me guessing if it was actually engaged & making judging how much throttle is needed to prevent stalling difficult….my K1300GT is in direct contrast where the engagement point is immediately known & additional lever travel provides further feedback which is lacking on the Duc. The transmission is very good, never gave it a thought the entire ride, light, quiet, positive shifts & easy neutral + the chain drive never drew attention to itself, but the exhaust likely masked any noise.

Once under way the soft bottom end (<3500rpm) surprised me for a big twin, but she accelerates with verve >3500 rpm…easily keeping pace or surpassing the K1300GT from the mid range on up (the huge weight difference is beneficial)...she seems lazy in 5th & 6th in the 80 - 110 km range, needing to drop 1 or 2 gears to be back on the boil…she preferred 5th over 6th going up the Hwy #1 Upper Levels Cut….4th would have been required to take advantage of gaps & move briskly thru traffic up the long steep climb….she is a hoot from 4k to 7k rpm but oddly has more high frequency vibes than the K1300GT >7k rpm, which is felt pretty much everywhere…I guess that is the price you pay for 150hp twins, at least Ducatis. The motor revs very quickly, almost too quick as redline arrives very fast…I would have preferred if Ducati had added more flywheel mass to aid low speed tractability as an acceptable trade off to the ultra quick rise in rpm. Fueling was spot on, even with the light flywheel & low speed running This is a quick bike if you use the amazing mid range, but underwhelming on the bottom & too vibey on the top for sustained use. 

This bike features the Ducati drive by wire system with 4 modes that automatically adjust power output, throttle response, abs, traction control, suspension spring & damping rates…touring mode is what I started with which provided smooth inputs & very well damped suspension…very little dive upon hard braking…Sport was my favorite throttle setting combined with manually choosing touring suspension settings for a well controlled yet compliant ride. The ride by wire system was light but has a better feel than BMWs…so kudos to Ducati there. 

Braking is what you would expect…strong, no drama. The bike feels very tight, solid, intuitive, but not flickable which was a surprise given the 17” front wheel….a very secure handling bike that loves to lean & responds well to added power when healed over….this would be an easy bike to always ride FAST & therein lies the truth of who this bike was targeted for….go fast guys & hooligans…I struggle to see this as an everyday/touring ride for me.

Has heated grips, but not seats & NO cruise control…surprising given the ride by wire setup & all the electronic rider aids/nannies. The dash seems good & easy to read…I like digit speed & gear indicator display, not so fond of the bar tach, particularly given how quickly this motor revs…when I was recording the exhaust sound byte I was surprised that just blipping the throttle had the revs peaking over 11k rpm! There is a separate display for the adjustable electronics, which are very simple to scroll thru & select.

Mirror stalks & housing are non-adjustable & too short providing a wonderful up close view of your arms, only the mirror itself is adjustable, like cars, which limits changing angle of view…..maybe 50% of it provides view of the road…..very poor design & execution & would snap off if hit by even a passerby, let alone a tip over. NO self cancelling turn signals & the switch requires physically moving my hand off the grip…worse than the K1300GT!

Wind coverage is decent, protecting the upper torso, but with less leg coverage than most other ADV bikes…the windscreen is reasonably effective & easily adjusted with 1 hand while riding…the fully raised position produced average wind noise, lowering it put my helmet in cleaner air….earplugs & face shield would be necessary companions on tours.

Philosophically, I think KTM has a better approach by offering 2 models…one street biased 19/17” wheel pkg/suspension set up & a second off-road biased 21/18” wheel pkg/suspension set up vs the all 17” alloy wheeled pkg derived from the Pinnagale on the Duc...yet surprisingly most of the magazine testers claim the Duc is decent off-pavement….but then the scribes don’t have to pay for bent or broken ultra-light & ultra-expensive alloy wheels resulting from a pot hole or rock encountered on even a smoothly graded gravel road.

I think that Ducati is like Harley & makes all their bikes with similar core characteristics, more variations on a theme vs different genres & rely on the marketing gurus to seduce us into thinking we are getting an apple instead of a different coloured/sized orange….the Multistrada & Diavel are just disguised Ducati sport bikes for riders that either can’t or don’t want to ride in a Pinnagale race position….Ducatis are all about power & handling wrapped in chic Italian style & flavour…they are the hot, exotic, sexy mistress that we all dream about having an affair with, but would drive us crazy as a long term companion. Hmmm, but then I keep meeting those fortunate riders who have more than 1 mistress in their stable 😎.

The after ride home on the K1300GT always provides an interesting contrast…more top heavy, more preferable ergos, vastly superior room & wind protection, surprisingly a more preferable power band with less vibes, more bottom end & virtually as much mid & top acceleration (so much so that I move around on the sheepskin/gel seat pad I reinstalled for summer…hee, hee, hee..ya gotta like a motor that pulls so hard it forces you back on the seat…or is that just super weak core muscles…now if only it would sound like the Ducati.