WE’VE known about the Multistrada V4 for a while now, with pictures doing the rounds on the internet since the middle of last year. Now though, we can see the clearest images of the new sports tourer from Ducati, and without any camouflage to get in the way.
Ducati Multistrada video review
The bike shown in the pics looks to be still in some form of testing (see the cable running into the bike’s top-box), although it is also looking like it is extremely close to the new machines' final specification.
While many will be drawn to the bike’s V4 engine as being the biggest change for the new bike, there is also a raft of updates and changes for the bike. Gone is the single-sided swingarm of the previous generation Multistrada, instead, the new bike is fitted with a double-sided item that is fairly boxy in appearance. The rear shock mounting location is also revised, with the unit now sitting nearer to the rider’s left leg than before.
Slotting the 180bhp engine into the Multistrada has also meant the frame has undergone extensive updates, with the new bike wearing a convention frame and not the steel trellis if the 1260 and 950 versions of the bike. The seat is supported by a steel trellis, mounting to the main frame just above the rearsets.
Another big talking point with the new Multistrada V4 is the use of extensive safety and security systems, one of which is visible in the pictures above. If you look at the front fairing, located between the new, angular headlights is a small black device that is widely expected to be a radar receiver for a collision-avoidance system. There is also another tucked away at the rear of the bike which will warn the rider of the of a following vehicle hidden in the blind-spot.
Within the crankcases of the MotoGP-derived engine, there are also going to be extensive changes to mechanics and electronics. We’d expect the Multistrada to have a much smoother torque curve than the Panigale or Streetfighter V4, possibly even making use of a different crank, possibly a 70°, big-bang design.
Pictures: Motorrad.de | Stefan Baldauf
