Ducati Multistrada V4 2021, an adventure bike with a genuine sporting heart

Over its 18 years of history, during which it has sold more than 110,000 units worldwide, Ducati has had the time to reinvent one of its most successful models in every generation and a major contender in the adventure bike world: the Multistrada. For this new generation, the Ducati Multistrada must continue to be a benchmark, but it will also do so from a more sporty variant thanks to its new V4 engine.

Ducati will offer the new Multistrada V4 in the standard, “S” and “S Sport” versions, to which we can also add some of the 5 optional packs (Enduro, Touring, Urban, Performance and Functionality) that will adapt it to the use we intend to give it. Even so, although aesthetically it will be quite similar to the outgoing model, there will be small differences, such as the fact that it abandons the 17-inch front wheel in favour of a 19-inch one, and we can also fit spoked wheels to the “S” and “S Sport” versions if we wish. Perhaps the most interesting gadget we can install is a radar mounted on the pillion seat, which will warn us via the mirror of approaching vehicles to prevent an accident if they are in a blind spot.

This styling embraces a monocoque aluminium chassis that wraps around the engine from the steering head, where the mounting is made, while the double-sided swingarm is attached directly to the engine, which helps reduce the weight of the Multistrada V4 along with the new V4 engine, which is lighter than the outgoing V2 and gives the final weight of the assembly as 215 kg. For an adventure bike, the new Ducati Multistrada V4 maintains a compact wheelbase of 1,567 mm, along with a ground clearance that rises to 220 mm. To this must be added a standard seat adjustable in height between 840 mm and 860 mm, although riders with shorter inseams will have a low seat that lowers the height to 810 mm without having to cut the foam, and taller riders will have another seat that sets the height at 875 mm.

Mechanically, the new Ducati Multistrada uses the new Granturismo V4 engine, a more compact engine compared with the outgoing V2 that is also more powerful, with 170 CV at 10,500 rpm and a torque of 125 Nm at 8,750 rpm. In this engine Ducati has abandoned its desmo system for valve closing in favour of traditional springs. The engine uses a gearbox with a quickshifter for rapid gear changes, which now has a shorter first gear, especially useful for off-road riding and in town, along with a longer sixth gear that will calm the V4 when we travel on the motorway. Furthermore, when stationary, the engine can disconnect the cylinders of the rear bank, thus saving fuel and preventing the rider from suffering more heat from the engine, and it is also designed not to need major servicing until 60,000 kilometres.

All this power in the Ducati Multistrada V4 comes with first-class electronics, using an IMU platform for the ABS Cornering, anti-wheelie control, Ducati Traction Control and lights with cornering function. To this must be added the adjustable suspension by Marzocchi, including, from the “S” version, the latest evolution of the electronic adjustment system called Ducati Skyhook, which also incorporates the self-levelling function, meaning that when we carry a passenger or luggage, the Multistrada V4 itself adjusts according to the configuration we have set. Nor should we forget the M4.32 brake system by Brembo, which ensures effective braking at all times.

The new Ducati Multistrada V4 will be available from next December at the brand’s dealerships.