A Story of Tech, a V-4 Engine, and Italian Heritage
The ever-growing Italian-made Ducati ADV family gets a new addition with the Ducati Multistrada V4 joining its 1260 (two-cylinder) and 950 brothers.
What makes the V4 so much more special than the other two ADV/touring bikes Ducati has to offer you might ask? It’s all in the name. V4 engine power.
This rendition of the Multistrada comes equipped with Ducati’s new 1185cc liquid-cooled V4 Granturismo engine featuring 16 total valves (four on each cylinder) to produce a wicked 170 horsepower and 92 lb-ft of torque for peak off-road grunt.
The Multistrada V4 will come in three total versions: the V4, V4 S, and V4 S Sport. The base model will come in a single colour option (Red), while the V4 S will come with Aviator Grey option to add to classic red. If you end up shelling out the big bucks for the V4 S Sport, you’ll be stuck with only one colour option -the ‘Sport Livery’ – but also get a full carbon fiber Akrapovic exhaust system and carbon fiber front fender to top it all off.
One of the big draw-backs of owning a new Ducati in my experience is the frequent valve adjustment intervals, but Ducati claims that this new platform will be able to make it to 36,000 miles between valve services. That is awesome.
To make this motorcycle as off-road friendly as possible, Ducati has taken the liberty to construct the bike out of an aluminum monocoque frame married to a steel trellis subframe. The double-sided swingarm provides much rigidity to the rear end of the motorcycle, while the front end on the standard V4 comes with a fully adjustable 50mm inverted fork. If you scoop up the V4 S or S Sport editions, Ducati has packaged in their Skyhook Suspension system that allows for auto-leveling among other features.
Ducati is taking pride in the sheer amount of technology these new Multistradas feature, as they boast wheelie control, TC, ABS, cornering lights (only on S and S Sport editions), four riding modes, VHC (Vehicle Hold Control that that keeps the bike steady for easy restarts on a gradient), and their long-awaited new adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detecting systems.
You can expect the new Multistrada V4 to hit dealerships as soon as January of 2021.