The weather forecast showed today was going to be a great day to ride. The morning was a bit foggy around Oshawa and the surrounding areas, and by midday it got hot enough that riding with a thermal layer became uncomfortable. Despite all that, I had a great day riding to Haliburton and back to TO.
Here’s my brief review of the Multi V4: It’s a friggin missile! Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Bad jokes aside, this was my first longer trip with it after the break-in period.
The mehs:
- The base version only gets regular cruise control instead of the radar-enabled adaptive cruise control found on the S model. Still, it gives your right hand a well-deserved break on the long, straight stretches heading in and out of Toronto.
- The base model also doesn’t get the “Skyhook” electronic suspension, but honestly I found the suspension pretty compliant on rougher roads. Not amazing, not terrible, just plain good.
- Comfort-wise, it’s years ahead of my previous Monster (as expected) and the Tiger 660. That said, around the one-hour mark I started feeling a bit tired. Not painful like on my previous bikes, just noticeable fatigue. But Ducati already has a solution for that… read the next point.
- Fuel consumption is rough. This bike is soooo thirsty that you end up making frequent fuel stops. I think my best range between fill-ups was around 250 km. My wallet is crying with current gas prices.
The bads (at least for me):
- As mentioned earlier, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a 1200 cc engine derived from Ducati superbikes is stupid fast. But oddly enough, it doesn’t give me the same rush the Monster did when twisting the throttle.
On the Monster, every hard pull came with an ear-to-ear grin. The Multi feels more muted somehow. Maybe it’s the electronics, maybe it’s because it’s less sporty. Don’t get me wrong, it’s insanely fast, definitely faster than the Monster, but something still isn’t fully clicking for me yet.
- I also don’t feel fully confident moving around on the bike. My body position feels all over the place, and I miss the suspension feedback from the Monster. I think I need to rewire my brain and trust that this thing is still capable despite being taller and softer.
The goods:
- The air induction sound above 6k rpm is absolutely insane. Even with earplugs in, I could hear it screaming. That’s also when the bike lights the afterburners and starts pulling hard.
- It’s my dream bike. Even if not this exact generation, I’ve wanted a Multistrada ever since I got into motorcycles. I’m genuinely happy and grateful to finally own one.
- The plan is for this bike to do everything: daily rider, grocery getter, touring bike, and even track days. Sure, there are probably better tools for each specific job, but here we are.
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