I Spent Years Avoiding Ducati. The Multistrada V2S Made Me Regret It.

The moment I realised I might have been wrong about Ducati happened at a traffic light. To my left sat a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. To my right was a Yamaha Super Tenere 1200. Both riders had assumed the position. Both were giving the dirty eyeball. Both clearly felt that whatever this shiny red Ducati adventure bike was, it wasn't about to outrun them. The light turned green. A few frantic gear changes, a rapidly disappearing speed limit and several traffic lights later, neither of them looked quite as cheerful.

The funny part?

At that stage I still had absolutely no idea what I was riding. I hadn't read the spec sheet. I hadn't watched a single review. I hadn't looked up horsepower figures. I hadn't even bothered to find out the engine capacity.

I wanted to ride the Ducati Multistrada V2S completely blind and make up my own mind before somebody else's opinion infected mine. That decision would later make me look like a complete idiot. But before we get to that...

Turns Out I Was The Idiot

Anybody who knows me knows I've spent years taking the mick out of Ducati. Some of it might or might not have been deserved. Most of it is not. Most of it stemmed from a grudge that, if I'm being completely honest, had bugger all to do with the motorcycles themselves.

Years ago, while at a previous publication, we had a run in with a previous Ducati importer that got blown completely out of proportion. Looking back, Ducati as a brand hadn't actually done anything wrong. I had simply tarred an entire brand with the sins of one importer because I possess all the emotional maturity of a pitbull when I've been wronged. It's a character flaw. One of many. As a result, I largely ignored Ducati for years. Which, as it turns out, meant I missed out on quite a lot.

Now there's a new sheriff in town. Ducati South Africa has found a home under VWGA and the team running the operation seems genuinely passionate about getting bums in saddles and growing the brand properly in South Africa.

Machines are machines. They're just metal, plastic, electronics and rubber. But every now and then somebody builds one with enough soul and character that it leaves a mark. The kind of machine you park and then look back at. Twice. Maybe three times. The kind of machine you find yourself thinking about while sitting around a braai or pretending to pay attention during a meeting. 

And that brings us to the Multistrada.

First Impressions And Cream Doughnuts

When the security officer handed me the keys in the basement of VWGA, I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a marketing person hovering nearby trying to explain why every bolt had been inspired by Valentino Rossi's left eyebrow.

The bike was just there. Waiting. I climbed aboard, poked around for a few minutes and immediately found everything where I expected it to be. No weird Italian logic. No treasure hunt. Just normal motorcycle stuff. Then I headed into Sandton.

Flippen Heck!

That part of Sandton is a complete 'pigs ear' of roadworks, one way streets, traffic congestion and enough frustration to make even a monk develop road rage. Things weren't helped by the fact that the Ducati had been left in Sport Mode. The throttle response was as wicked as my temperament dealing with Sandton traffic. And I was already in a foul mood and the bike felt far lighter than something this size has any right to.

Eventually I found sanctuary at our favourite bakery where a cream doughnut or six and a litre of Creme Soda restored peace to the universe. After that I sat down, worked through some of the electronics and switched things into a slightly more civilised setting…. Slightly....

A Bike Having Some Sort Of Identity Crisis

And this is where the Ducati started confusing the hell out of me. It looks like an adventure bike. It tours like a grand tourer. It handles like a sports bike. And when the tar runs out, it suddenly starts behaving like a dirt bike. Nothing about this motorcycle makes sense. And I mean that as a compliment.

A few days later I joined Bikers On Adventures for a Magaliesberg run. Along the way came the aforementioned Traffic Light Grand Prix against the KTM and Yamaha. At the first coffee stop the conversation inevitably turned to engine capacities, horsepower and motorcycle bench racing. Eventually we looked up the specifications.

We all just stared. The Ducati Multistrada V2S is powered by an 890cc V-twin. That's it! 890cc! Not 1200. Not 1260. Not some giant adventure-bike monster…. A frikkin’  890! To make things even more controversial, Ducati has also moved away from the famous Desmodromic valve system that has become synonymous with the brand. Yet somehow this thing feels far stronger than the numbers suggest.

The owners of the KTM and Yamaha were less than thrilled by this discovery.

I was considerably more amused.

Into The Dirt

Now came the part I was really interested in. The dirt. Because if we're being honest, the Multistrada doesn't exactly scream hardcore adventure bike. Mag wheels. Beautiful bodywork. Italian paint. Road-biased tyres. It looks like it would be far happier outside a Sandton coffee shop than bouncing through a rocky farm road. Or so I thought….

The route included rocks, powder dust, erosion ditches, ruts and all the other nonsense that adventure riders seem strangely attracted to. I set the bike to Enduro Mode and hoped for the best. Turns out that was more than enough.

Following Sir Paddy through the rough stuff while filming at the same time, the Ducati simply soaked everything up. Watching the footage later showed the wheels bouncing around all over the place. From the saddle I barely felt any of it. The electronic suspension is pure wizardry, proper science and engineering, that could have easily been called ‘Witchcraft’ in days of Yore.

At one point I was filming with the camera in my left hand while trying to keep up with the group. Nobody cared that I was filming. They were there to ride. If I wanted the footage I'd have to keep up. The Ducati made sure I could.

The Comfort Thing

At two metres tall I've become very accustomed to adapting my riding position to motorcycles. Something akin to folding myself up like a camping chair Most bikes weren't designed with giraffes in mind.

The Ducati is different. For once I could sit normally. My knees fit. My feet fit. The bars are wide. The screen is easy to read. The whole rider triangle just works.

Then came the wife test. My wife is around 172cm tall and generally views large adventure bikes the same way most people view crocodiles. Interesting. But she'd rather not climb on one. A few minutes later she was completely comfortable.

Later, while filming for Mzansi Rydaz, Andile had exactly the same reaction. That's impressive. Building a bike that works equally well for somebody my size and somebody their size is not easy.

Yet Ducati somehow managed it.

Is It Perfect?

No…. Thankfully. Because perfect motorcycles are usually sterile and  boring. According to the spec sheet there's a charging port somewhere. I still haven't found it. The Ducati Link App defeated me completely right when I needed navigation for an important meeting. The fuel consumption can become somewhat alarming when you're addicted to the soundtrack at full thrash. And if heated grips were fitted, they were hiding alongside the charging port.

Would I Buy One?

In a heartbeat. The amount of times I've parked this bike and turned around to look at it is becoming slightly embarrassing. I've deliberately parked it where I could see it through office windows. I've caught myself staring at photos of it on my phone. I've even started calculating what internal organs I can live without.

The other myth that got busted during this test was that Ducati ownership automatically requires a trust fund. At one of our coffee stops another rider commented that I must clearly be one of those okes with all the zeros in his bank account…. If only he knew the reality…...

Actually, if my information is correct, the Ducati Multistrada V2S comes in at around R255,000 depending on the spec you go for. In a world where adventure bikes routinely sail past R500,000 and R600,000, that's starting to look like a lot of motorcycle for the money.

Final Thoughts

The biggest surprise of this review wasn't the speed. It wasn't the comfort. It wasn't even how good the bike was in the dirt. The biggest surprise was discovering how much it tugged at my heart, how absolutely fantastic it was to ride, the kind of ride that has you thinking up reasons to to go ride it.

The Ducati Multistrada V2S isn't perfect. It's better than that. It's interesting. It's fast. It's comfortable.It's genuinely capable. And most importantly, it has character. Real character. The kind that makes you look back when you park it. The kind that makes you think about it long after you've handed the keys back.

More than that, this motorcycle feels like a reflection of what Ducati South Africa is trying to build under its new stewardship. Less focus on mythology. More focus on riders. More focus on community. More focus on getting people onto motorcycles and letting the machines speak for themselves.

This one certainly did. And for the first time in a very long time, I was more than happy to listen.

Now if anybody needs me, I'll be investigating the current black-market value of kidneys.

A Second Opinion

I then gave it to Veteran Adventure Rider and long time Adventure Bike Reviewer to swing a leg over it for a few hours: 

“My impression of the Ducati V2S Multistrada is that it is a much better finished and versatile bike than the original, which I tested back in 2008. That bike seemed to suffer from something of an identity crisis by trying to be capable on dirt and tarmac, but not really succeeding, whereas this new one actually does , thanks especially to its riding modes.

Their ability to alter suspension, traction control and engine performance make the V2S much more effective on dirt than the original Multistrada, to the extent that it now really does live up to its name’s promise of being a bike that’s effective on many different types of roads . Of course it is still most effective on tarmac, where it goes like a scalded cat, while I would definitely prefer a Desert X for really rough going, but as a stylish, comfortable to ride bike that is effective enough on dirt and tar roads whilst exuding the sexy charm that only Italian bikes can.

I reckon that it’s in a class of its own. Its braking, handling and ergonomics are all first class too, so there is no need to suffer for the sake of looking good!

Ducati’s decision to fit it with a non-desmo engine also makes sense in terms of lowering its costs  of purchase and maintenance, which should translate into relatively more riders being able to afford and enjoy the benefits of Ducati ownership, without going deep into debt to do so. 

As a bike that seems to combine the best traits of Japanese and European motorcycles I cannot think of anything that I can really  fault on it, so if someone is looking for a pretty Italian sports bike that is also seriously capable on a decent dirt road, they would be doing themselves a favour to take one for a good test ride, especially if looking cool whilst riding and owning a piece of Italian exotica is something that appeals to them . 

Ride Safely and Enjoy Yourself - Sir Paddy.”

And that is a wrap, if the V2S is this wild, I am a little trepidatious about swinging a leg over the V4 Multistrada.

Until then, you can read up more and find your nearest stockist by clicking here.