Ducati has never had a problem pushing their two-wheeled speedsters to those who can afford it, but their Multistrada model has always suffered from a seeming lack of interest in the adventure-touring bike market. That’s what Ducati is looking to change with the 2010 Multistrada 1200, a veritable world-beater that combines monster horsepower, stylish Italian design and cutting-edge technology.
Three years in the making, it has been spawned by Ducati’s goal of producing the most flexible adventure bike the market has ever seen. The result is a sporty vehicle that acts as a versatile four-in-one, able to serve reliably as a sportbike, a tourer, an enduro off-roader and an urban commuter.
The 2010 Multistrada bellows 150 horses, courtesy of the Testastretta 11, a variant of the liquid-cooled 1199cc V-Twin found in the 1198 Superbike. It weighs a light 189 kilos, which the company claims is lighter than any sports, touring or adventure bike in the market. Drooling yet? That’s not even half of it.
It comes with an eight-stage traction control to help keep you upright (at the highest level, it intervenes at the slightest wheelspin; at the lowest, you’re on your own), allowing you to adjust how much help you want out of the rear wheel. It’s got keyless ignition, ride-by-wire throttle management, electronically-adjustable suspensions, a Bosch-Brembo ABS system, a dash LCD displaying a wide array of vitals and a huge (we do mean huge) number of options. Don’t want to fiddle with all those electronic settings? Simply access the dash menu, choose the riding mode you want (Sports, Touring, Urban or Enduro) and the bike will automatically adjust for the ideal engine mapping, suspension settings and traction control.
Looking to topple the BMW R1200GS from its market dominance, the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 should make it just a little harder for adventure bikers to decide on their next purchase. It rolls out late in the first half of 2010.