2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 S vs. 2008 Ducati Multistrada 1100 S

[Hugh Janus]

The 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 S and the 2008 Ducati Multistrada 1100 S. (DW Burnett/)

It’s ironic that the original Ducati Multistrada, a motorcycle named and designed for many roads, was in fact built for a single road. The Futa Pass, a serpentine route connecting Bologna and Florence through the Apennine Mountains, is no major thoroughfare. Yet Ducati looked at it as the strada writ small. In the Futa’s cracked asphalt and hairpin turns it saw the roads of the world.

It seems like part of the Italian character to focus on what’s close to home. Yet by concentrating on the local and the specific, it gives itself to the world by making things which are at once both self-assuredly Italian and universally resonant. Consider the delicacies of Ducati’s home region of Emilia-Romagna; the best parmesan in the world is made using milk from the Bianca Modenese cows of the Po River Valley, while prized prosciutto di Parma comes from a single native breed of pig whose authenticity is ensured through rigorous genetic testing.

Our 2021 Multistrada V4 S Travel + Radar testbike cost $26,495. It came equipped with the following accessories: Akrapovič slip-on ($1,700), crash guards ($600), skid plate ($330), protective mesh oil cooler guard ($120), and hand guards ($180), for a total price of $29,425. (DW Burnett/)

If local flavor is part of the original Multistrada’s renown, what can we make of the latest Multistrada? Because Ducati is quite clear: Merely representing the Futa Pass is not enough for the 2021 Multistrada V4. The new Multi, the company says, is designed “to dominate all roads.” To legitimize this claim, Ducati points out the Multistrada V4 can circumnavigate the globe one and a half times (or 37,300 miles) before needing a major service. However, to achieve this feat, Ducati ditched its signature desmodromic valves for conventional valve springs. This is perhaps the Ducatisti’s equivalent of making carbonara with mere bacon instead of proper pork-jowl guinciale.

Related: How Much Power Does the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Make?

On the Futa Pass, the Multistrada V4′s adaptive cruise control would be practically useless. Its Enduro mode would be the wrong mode altogether. And its V-4 engine would rarely have the chance to reach the upper limits of its rev range, where it’s most exuberant.

By turning its gaze further afield, by adding more tech, more performance, and more capability in its journey from Multistrada to Molto-Multistrada, did Ducati abandon what made the original recipe such a delicacy?

The past leading the future. (DW Burnett/)

To find out, we got our hands on a 2008 Multistrada 1100 S to test alongside a brand-new V4 S. Yes, the 2003 Multistrada 1000 is the original, but the 1100 is close enough for our purposes, differing only in minor ways such as an 86cc displacement hike and the addition of a wet clutch.

Seeing the V4 and the 1100 side by side, it’s easy to recognize the evolution of the adventure-touring motorcycle since 2008. Back then, a full quiver of adjectives was necessary to describe riding a 500-plus-pound motorcycle anywhere near gravel, let alone one quite that red and Italian. The ‘08 Multi is decidedly diminutive next to the hulking V4; but in spite of its larger dimensions and the added weight associated with its far greater complexity and two added cylinders, the claimed dry weight of the V4 S, at 480 pounds, is only 11 pounds more than that of the 1100 S.

The ‘08 Multistrada has been a reliable motorcycle since we purchased it several months ago. A weeping clutch slave cylinder is the only issue we’ve experienced. (DW Burnett/)

The 1100 is dressed immaculately in sportbike attire, with carbon fiber timing belt covers and fenders, Marchesini five-spoke wheels, and gold-tubed Öhlins suspension. The Multistrada V4, on the other hand, has a Ducati performance catalog’s worth of rugged skid plates and crash bars.

Back when the original Multistrada was on the drawing board, Ducati couldn’t have dreamed that the evolution of the adventure-touring segment would morph the bike so far from its sporting heritage. Ducati also couldn’t have foreseen the Multi V4, or perhaps it would have given the original Multi a superbike-derived desmoquattro or Testastretta engine rather than its more conservative desmodue.

Brembo, Marchesini, Öhlins. Yup, all the players are here. (DW Burnett/)

The desmodue 1100 is an air-cooled SOHC dual-spark two-valve 1,078cc engine. All in all, it isn’t that far removed from Fabio Taglioni’s 1975 500cc Pantah V-twin, the engine that introduced rubber timing belts to the Ducati lexicon. While the crankcases were beefed up over the years and the vertical cylinder head was rotated 180 degrees, the profile is virtually unchanged from Taglioni’s design.

As Bruno dePrato points out, “That the engine has more than doubled in size from the original, with great reliability [valve-adjust intervals are at 7,500 miles], is a remarkable achievement.” Equally remarkable is that the venerable desmodue engine is still in production in 2021; it’s currently powering the Scrambler 1100.

When the ‘08 Multi was new, Ducati claimed 95 hp at 7,750 rpm and 76 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm. When CW tested it in 2007, it produced 84.1 hp at 7,750 rpm and 66.6 pound-feet at 4,800 rpm.

The Multistrada 1100′s cable-operated twistgrip feels direct with a heavyish pull. The clutch and brake levers require some force too. It’s a trait characteristic of the era. There are those among us who prefer the feel to ultralight clutch pull and “attached-to-nothing” ride-by-wire throttles. (DW Burnett/)

Opening the throttle feels and sounds like a celebration of Ducati’s heritage. Fuel injection is a bit on/off at first touch, but otherwise fueling and throttle response are nearly flawless. Snappy response from the bottom begins an adamant, though not terribly rapid, climb through the rev range, and though power tapers off at the upper register, there’s still satisfaction in grabbing a gear a little late just to hear the motor at full song. At about 70 mph in sixth gear, the tachometer needle hovers around 4,000 rpm, and thanks to perfect primary balance and those big power pulses, the 1100 lopes along, confident in its own sense of modernity.

But then one rides the Multistrada V4, and the 1100 feels its age. It’s no less wonderful. Just kind of, well, slow.

The V4 Granturismo engine is at once composed and audacious. On the CW dyno, the 1,158cc engine produces a substantial 143.82 hp at 10,580 rpm and 77.78 pound-feet of torque at 7,410. But because it’s derived from the 200-plus horsepower Desmosedici Stradale engine from the Panigale V4 and Streetfighter V4, those figures come easy, giving the sensation that it’s in a rather conservative state of tune. Even with the throttle pinned it never breaks a sweat, practically yawning as it zips to redline. On the 1100, with the throttle wide open, it feels like it’s working hard to give everything it’s got, two big pistons pounding away. The V4 makes such hard work seem uncouth. Its smaller power pulses make the engine feel impossibly smooth and civilized, at least for a Ducati. The immediate, almost instant throttle response makes it think-and-you’re-there quick. In power delivery and feel, the V4 Granturismo is lightning to the desmodue’s thunder.

The V4′s user interface is excellent. The new thumb joystick makes it easy to navigate through the various menu options, though it may take some getting used to in order to not mistake it for the turn signal switch when initiating a turn. (DW Burnett/)

Yet just because it accelerates so rapidly with so little fuss doesn’t make it bland. Power wheelies are incredibly frequent, even more frequent than on a Hypermotard 950. Crest a hill in fourth gear—fourth!—and grab some throttle, and the front air lifts with ease. It’s intoxicating. Its happy place is 7,000 rpm and above. The airbox resonates with a honk that would make a GSX-R or a Yamaha YZF-R1M proud, and the rider’s laughter makes the whole cycle repeat in another gear. Shifting, come to think of it, may be one of the V4 Granturismo’s best attributes. With a light flick of the lever, up or down, at any rpm, the rapid-fire shifts are as near seamless as you’ll get this side of a MotoGP gearbox.

Related: Ducati Multistrada 1100 vs. Triumph Tiger 1050 Comparison Test

As excellent as the engine is, the V4 lacks presence compared to the Multi 1100′s desmodue. When cruising at 60 mph, turning 4,000 rpm in top gear, the engine all but vanishes from thought. The desmodue makes an impression that never quite leaves the consciousness, being so visceral and engaging that the experience of using it stays with the rider long after hitting the kill switch. The V4 Granturismo is just flat-out exceptional to use, which makes up for its occasional inconspicuous moments.

The Multistrada V4 averaged around 37 mpg, which is not exceptional. The performance is worth it, I say. Some will understandably disagree. (DW Burnett/)

Long-distance tourers asked for refinement, and got it. They asked for comfy ergos and good wind protection, and got those too. The Multistrada V4′s seat is the most comfortable Ducati saddle ever. The windscreen provides smooth airflow over the rider’s head. Heat from the engine is pretty minimal for a big V-configured engine, thanks to cylinder deactivation at idle and clever aerodynamics that pull heat away while directing cool air onto the rider. It’s all basic but significant stuff, stuff riders still don’t take for granted because memories of poor aero and uncomfortable seats are not too distant. The year 2008 comes to mind.

The 1100 is by no means the hottest-running Ducati of all time, but creature comforts are certainly sparse. The rider sits on top of, rather than in, the motorcycle, and the bars are narrower and lower than the V4′s. It’s a nice place to be perched, but the ergonomics go downhill from there. The Ducati Performance “comfort” gel saddle on our testbike was uncomfortable after only a couple of hours. Wind protection is minimal at best. There’s no buffeting at speed, but the short windscreen directs air to the upper chest and shoulders, making wind noise loud and tiring; avoid billed ADV helmets at all costs. Unsurprisingly, the Multi V4 is the obvious choice for long-distance riding.

Ducati deserves a gold star for the V4′s amazingly comfortable seat and its easily adjustable windscreen. The outgoing Multistrada 1260′s pinch-to-adjust screen was already great but the new pinchless operation is even better. (DW Burnett/)

Not that you won’t second-guess yourself. You see, the 1100 handles so well that you might be willing to overlook some discomfort if your route includes enough twisty roads. In the corners, the Multistrada 1100′s chassis and Öhlins suspension prove the distance from the Futa Pass to Mugello is not too far (it’s actually about 25 kilometers, or 16 miles). The bike feels low and long, not nosey like a sportbike or high up like an ADV bike, and imperturbable through corners. Because of all the feedback through the front end and its prodigious midcorner stability, it begs to be leaned over farther and farther. The suspension is so firm it’s difficult to compress at a standstill, but so compliant that fiddling with the adjusters seems unnecessary. Handling on this 13-year-old Ducati is a revelation.

We found our 2008 Multistrada 1100 S on Craigslist and purchased it for $4,500. It has less than 20,000 miles on the odometer and runs like a champ. It included aftermarket mirrors, R&G frame sliders, Oxford heated grips, a rear rack for top box mounting, and a dark windscreen. The S model came with Termignoni silencers that were very quiet. We sourced Staintune silencers from eBay that let the 1100 sound as Taglioni intended. Huge thanks to the author’s friend, Rob Bandler, for purchasing the motorcycle for this story, and for riding it in the photos. (DW Burnett/)

The V4 can also hustle through the twisties, but without applying the front brakes during corner entry, the front end feels slightly vague; its 19-inch front tire is almost certainly a contributing factor. At neutral throttle in long sweepers, the front tire doesn’t feel quite stuck in, as though there’s not enough weight on the front. Overall, it’s not an alien experience; it handles like an adventure bike of 2021, whereas the Multistrada 1100 handles more like a sportbike from 2008. On the plus side, jamming on the front binders on the V4 is a delight. Stylema calipers offer great power and feel. If only the same could be said of the 1100, which is rather let down by weakish brakes requiring Popeye forearms to get the shortest stopping distance from the lever.

Note the difference in handlebar positions. (DW Burnett/)

The V4 may not perform like the 1100 through the twisties, but happily it doesn’t handle like the 1100 off-road either; this may provide some insight into its on-road handling character, if one comes at the expense of the other. While the 1100 handles no better than a Monster when the pavement ends, the V4 is surprisingly adept on fire roads and gravel tracks, especially considering V-4-powered motorcycles don’t make the most natural off-roaders. The biggest surprise is that executing tight turns in gravel reveals a well-balanced and stable chassis that inspires confidence when swinging the wide bars from lock to lock. Dropping the outside knee and shifting body weight to the outside is all it takes for the handlebars to turn nearly of their own accord and for the bike to lean.

Unfortunately, off-road performance suffers in other areas. The Multi’s lowest level of traction control offers far too much intervention, cutting in to prevent even modest wheelspin. It’s best to turn TC off altogether and use Enduro mode’s softer throttle response and truncated power output. Locking the rear wheel is also frustrating, as the rear brake is too weak. While serious adventurers have more suitable options for hardcore trail-riding, the V4′s off-road personality is winsome enough that off-road novices will be tempted to get their expensive, shiny motorcycles a little dirty.

Unlike some manufacturers that make ride modes “untouchable,” Ducati lets riders adjust individual settings within each mode. Everything is customizable—from suspension to TC to throttle response. (DW Burnett/)

As wrong as it may feel to ride such a pricey motorcycle in low-traction, cosmetically hostile environments, it’s equally foreign to turn the adaptive cruise control on and hand over throttle control to the Multistrada. It’s also amazing how quickly one becomes accustomed to trusting one’s life to a computer. To experience what 2021 feels like on two wheels, cruise down the highway with adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection working in the background, on-screen navigation leading the way, heated grips and seat keeping things toasty, all while using the dash and thumb controls to make a phone call. Some riders may be predisposed to dislike such amenities. Others may note that, rather than detracting from the riding experience, they add another dimension by augmenting the ride with technologies unimaginable when the 1100 was new.

Adaptive cruise control works incredibly well. The only niggles are when the rider applies the front brakes while the motorcycle is doing the same, the lever feels extra firm and sensitive. Additionally, several times the radar lost sight of the motorcycle I was following, but it found it as soon as I swerved directly behind it. (DW Burnett/)

When considering the evolution of a single motorcycle model, it’s difficult to conceive of one more drastically altered over the course of 13 years than the Ducati Multistrada.

Back in the early 2000s, when the first Multistrada 1000 DS existed only as a test mule, designer Pierre Terblanche told Cycle World: “This bike will have a big visual impact…as much as the MH900e. It’s a franchise bike.”

He was right. The original Multistrada’s unconventional design did indeed make a big impact, though that impact was not always positive. From our vantage point in 2021, its blend of curves and creases looks at once utilitarian and flamboyant, appropriate on a bike made for long rides up the Futa Pass. It’s significant because it represents Terblanche’s attempt to devise the look of a then-new motorcycle category.

Pierre Terblanche’s design always looked best in three dimensions, and time has made it more attractive. To each his own, of course. (DW Burnett/)

The Futa Pass made the Multistrada 1100 feel uniquely Italian. It’s charismatic, unconventional, and endearing almost in spite of itself. It’s a motorcycle to be cherished as much as the more conventional beauties in Ducati’s history, not simply because the engine is stalwart, the handling sublime, and the bike as a whole fairly practical. But because, interestingly, it’s almost unrecognizable as the thing it would eventually become.

In 2003 a motorcycle built for many roads seemed rational. But a motorcycle built for very many roads, some of them leading to the ends of the earth, is what ultimately captured the imaginations of motorcyclists. The Multistrada V4 is Ducati’s response to changing but not fully realized expectations, to a world larger and rougher than the Futa Pass.

Old Ducatis representing a certain slice of Italy will always be cherished. They express, perhaps premeditatively, something that’s universal, yet can only be articulated in Italian. But the Multistrada V4 is Ducati fully embracing its customers’ vision of adventure. It’s accessible enough to be ridden around town on a whim, and comfortable and versatile enough to be ridden around a continent. It can be ridden casually or aggressively, in the dirt or on the pavement. It’s both the safest, most refined Multistrada ever and the most rapid-accelerating, wheel-in-the-air, laugh-out-loud Multistrada ever. “Refinement” was once a byword for bland. But the Multistrada V4 redefines refinement for thrill-seeking Ducatisti who want to ride farther, faster, and safer than they could have imagined in 2003.

The modern Multi. (DW Burnett/)

It may have lost some of its Italian flavor in its journey from Multistrada to Molto-Multistrada, but the 2021 V4 S is an achievement, a technological marvel, and a phenomenally good time. This go-round, rather than seeing the Futa Pass as the strada writ small, Ducati transformed the Multistrada itself into the motorcycle writ large. The wide world shrinks beneath its wheels.

Italian adventure separated by more than a decade. (DW Burnett/)
On-screen navigation is a game changer in the two-wheeled space. The Multistrada V4 uses the Sygic navigation app and the Ducati Connect app in conjunction with a smartphone. It works but it takes a while for the bike and phone to sync and requires the phone never goes to sleep. At the end of the day, Sygic is not Google maps or Apple maps. The system is good enough to use, but it’s also bad enough that I was angry every time I used it, accustomed as I am to my Volkswagen’s Apple CarPlay. (DW Burnett/)
Ducati says it didn’t use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they aren’t available worldwide. Yet they are available in the biggest markets and on most continents. It’s a lame excuse. At the very least, Ducati should make CarPlay/Android Auto available as optional extras. It’s a great shame that a motorcycle this expensive and equipped with the technology has to make do with a subpar solution. (DW Burnett/)
The $1,700 Akrapovič silencer is Euro 5 compliant and very quiet. (DW Burnett/)
The V4 has a handy mode button to switch ride modes on the fly, but rather than simply cycle through them on the main screen, it goes into its own submenu which is a little finicky. I’d say it’s the only UI annoyance, and a very minor one at that. (DW Burnett/)
Which one would you buy with your own money? (DW Burnett/)
While the V4 makes the 1100 (and just about everything else) feel old-fashioned, it doesn’t make the old Multi feel any less good. The Multistrada 1100 is by and large a great motorcycle even by today’s standards. Get one while they’re still cheap. (DW Burnett/)

Gearbag

Multistrada V4 S rider:

Helmet: AGV AX9 Carbon

Jacket: Spidi Mission-T H2Out

Pants: Spidi Thunder H2Out

Boots: XPD X-Trail OutDry

Gloves: Spidi X-Force

Multistrada 1100 S rider:

Helmet: Arai XD4

Jacket: Klim Carlsbad

Pants: Klim Carlsbad

Boots: Klim Adventure GTX

Gloves: Klim Induction

2008 Ducati Multistrada 1100 S Price and Specifications

MSRP	$13,995 (2008)
ENGINE	SOHC, air-cooled, 90-degree V-twin
DISPLACEMENT	1,078cc
BORE X STROKE	98.0 x 71.5mm
COMPRESSION RATIO	10.5:1
TRANSMISSION/FINAL DRIVE	6-speed/chain
CLAIMED HORSEPOWER	95 hp @ 7,750 rpm
CLAIMED TORQUE	76 lb.-ft. @ 4,750 rpm
FUEL SYSTEM	EFI w/ 45mm throttle bodies
CLUTCH	Wet, multiplate; hydraulic operation
FRAME	Steel trellis frame
FRONT SUSPENSION	Fully adjustable Öhlins 43mm inverted; 6.5 in. travel
REAR SUSPENSION	Fully adjustable Öhlins monoshock; 5.6 in. travel
FRONT BRAKE	Brembo semi-floating calipers, twin 320mm discs
REAR BRAKE	Brembo, 245mm disc
WHEELS, FRONT/REAR	Cast aluminum; 17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 5.5 in.
TIRES, FRONT/REAR	120/70ZR-17 / 180/55ZR-17
RAKE/TRAIL	24.0°/ N/A in.
WHEELBASE	57.6 in.
SEAT HEIGHT	33.5 in.
FUEL CAPACITY	5.3 gal.
CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT	432 lb.
CONTACT	ducati.com

2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Price and Specifications

MSRP	$26,495
ENGINE	DOHC, liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-4 w/ counter-rotating crankshaft
DISPLACEMENT	1,158cc
BORE X STROKE	83.0 x 53.5mm
COMPRESSION RATIO	14.0:1
TRANSMISSION/FINAL DRIVE	6-speed/chain
CLAIMED HORSEPOWER	170 hp @ 10,500 rpm
CLAIMED TORQUE	92 lb.-ft. @ 8,750 rpm
FUEL SYSTEM	EFI w/ 46mm elliptical throttle bodies; ride-by-wire
CLUTCH	Wet, multiplate w/ slipper action; hydraulic operation
FRAME	Aluminum monocoque
FRONT SUSPENSION	Electronically adjustable 50mm inverted w/ Ducati Skyhook; 6.7 in. travel
REAR SUSPENSION	Electronically adjustable monoshock w/ Ducati Skyhook; 7.1 in. travel
FRONT BRAKE	Radially mounted Brembo Stylema Monoblock 4-piston calipers, twin 330mm discs w/ Cornering ABS
REAR BRAKE	Brembo 2-piston floating caliper, 265mm disc w/ Cornering ABS
WHEELS, FRONT/REAR	Spoked; 19 x 3 in. / 17 x 4.5 in.
TIRES, FRONT/REAR	Pirellis Scorpion Trail II; 120/70ZR-19 / 170/60ZR-17
RAKE/TRAIL	24.5°/4.0 in.
WHEELBASE	61.7 in.
SEAT HEIGHT	33.1–33.9 in.
FUEL CAPACITY	5.8 gal.
CLAIMED CURB WEIGHT	536 lb.
AVAILABILITY	Now
CONTACT	ducati.com

Source

[Buckster]

I used to like Ducati until they recently became associated with pedophilia.

[XTreme]

3 hours ago, Buckster said:

I used to like Ducati until they recently became associated with pedophilia.

[Pedro]

23 minutes ago, XTreme said:

It’s a bit of a stretch but you’ll get there in a bit

[XTreme]

27 minutes ago, Pedro said:

It’s a bit of a stretch but you’ll get there in a bit

I've got no idea what the connection is with Ducati's and Pedos!

[Six30]

31 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I've got no idea what the connection is with Ducati's and Pedos!

its Uncle Bucks attempt at the quality of being amusing or comical....  he's a funny gay.

 

[XTreme]

6 minutes ago, Six30 said:

its Uncle Bucks attempt at the quality of being amusing or comical....  he's a funny gay.

 

Right.....I'm with you now!