Surprise, surprise, Ducati factory test rider Casey Stoner loves the new Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro.
The two-time MotoGP champion won in 2007 for Ducati and in 2011 for Honda and stopped off at the Ducati factory in Bologna after the Mugello MotoGP last weekend.
There, he rode the new, more dirt-oriented Multistrada with higher clearance and a 19-inch front skinny tyre.
The above video shows him enjoying the bike, but it doesn’t show the short-statured rider mounting the rather tall machine with a 870mm seat height. Perhaps they fitted the optional 850mm seat, but that’s still pretty high for Casey who stands 171cm (5’7″).
Casey rode the bike over the hills around Bologna on a mix of asphalt and gravel roads.
The official Ducati press release talks about “off-road terrain”, but the closest we see to that in this video is a bit of double-track gravel.
While Casey is a natural talent and apparently very handy on a dirt bike, we don’t get to see much action, in fact only three seconds of the bike on dirt in the 30-second video.
Consequently, Casey’s comments in the following official press release can’t be backed by video evidence:
“I love it”, were the first words uttered by Casey Stoner as he stepped off the new Multistrada 1200 Enduro.
“We know how Ducati is on-road, but honestly in off-road I can’t explain how good the Multistrada 1200 Enduro works. The riding position is almost better than an off-road bike and you don’t get tired because it’s so stable, also on really gravely and rocky terrain.
“The weight keeps the bike stable as on all of the big bikes, but on the Multistrada 1200 Enduro it feels like it’s a toy all the time. You want to change your line, and it changes line.
The Multistrada 1200 Enduro looks big but when you ride it you don’t feel it. It’s really something special, it has no limitations. You can enjoy the road, you can enjoy the dirt, you can take a lot with you when you travel everywhere, it’s the best of every world and you can take your family on the back as well. I’m really impressed!”
Really? “No limitations”?
Ducati Australia says they have started filling orders in the past couple of weeks for the Multistrada 1200 Enduro. It costs $29,990, which is only $200 more than the current Multstrada S.