Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally: First Ride Review

The Visuals

The Multistrada V4 Rally is a gorgeous-looking motorcycle. But get close to it and you will see how big and intimidating it looks. The fascia hasn’t changed much in years and it continues to churn out that angry look. On the side, those large body panels – especially around the fuel tank, give out a massive road presence.

Then the combination of a tall windscreen, wide handlebar, large seat and a lot of mass around the engine area has made this Ducati look outstanding. In fact, these styling aspects make the Multistrada V4 Rally one of the best-looking motorcycles ever launched in India. Plus, when you add a pillion and all the luggage, the motorcycle looks quite big and that is how the transcontinental motorcycles are supposed to be.

The Package

The features section is where the Multistrada knocks down every other motorcycle in the segment. The list here is endless, and just like every other Ducati in the portfolio, the Multistrada V4 Rally too gets top-of-the-line features. This bike gets electronic suspension, multiple riding modes, cornering ABS and also traction control system, quickshifter, cruise control, engine brake control, and a full-colour TFT instrument cluster with a navigation system. But my personal favourite is the blind spot detection system.

This system lets the rider know that there are vehicles around, which can’t be seen on the rearview mirrors. This information is shown to the rider via LED blinkers on each of the mirrors. This bike is equipped with Radar sensors and that’s how it manages to show this information to the rider. If there’s a vehicle around you, the blinker will blink once and stay on till the vehicle isn’t around you anymore. But if there’s a vehicle that is behind you at a good speed and is in your blind spot, then the LED lights will keep blinking till the vehicle manages to overtake you.

There’s also the adaptive cruise control. Once activated, the rider needs to set a speed and the Multistrada will follow the vehicle ahead, based on the distance you have set. If the vehicle in the front slows down, the bike will also slow down with it and it’s the same story when the vehicle speeds up.

Talking about the various modes, I spent majority of the time in Urban and Touring modes. In the Urban mode, the power is limited and the throttle response is less aggressive. But in the touring mode, the bike gives full 170bhp power but it doesn’t give a sudden surge like it does in the Sport mode. While selecting the modes, the suspension settings, engine brake control and wheelie settings also change, based on the pre-set data.

The Ride

The major highlight of this motorcycle is the 1158cc V4 engine which makes 170bhp of peak power at 10,750rpm. Moreover, the torque stands at 121Nm at 8750rpm. Now I have ridden plenty of adventure bikes in the past, but this is the first time I’m riding something so powerful and torquey.

This engine is phenomenal and it is punchy and churns out torque whenever you want and with that strong mid-range, you are looking at doing some illegal speeds in no time. Due to its extreme refinement and low NVH, this engine makes you believe that you can continue to increase the speed gently, and eventually, there will be a point when the speedometer will scare you. For aggressive riding, there’s a bi-directional quickshifter, which performs flawlessly, and with the right roads, the Multistrada V4 turns into an extreme sporty motorcycle. Even with such a high-performance engine, the folks at Ducati have done really good work with the heat management. However, the only time I could feel the heat was while I got stuck in really bad traffic at the hottest time of the day. Sadly, the bike stalled a few times due to it.

On the move, this Ducati hides its weight so well. The Multistrada is a large motorcycle, but when it is on the move – be it while riding slow speed or touring on the highway – the bike manages to impress you thoroughly. The motorcycle is super easy to handle – thanks to that commanding riding position and the wide handlebar. Plus, the large comfy seat and electronic suspension allow you to have a dynamic riding experience. But the main credit goes to that chassis, which has been developed to give the rider the best of all the worlds.

Everything else about this Ducati gets you awestruck – be it the overall ride quality, which is customisable in many ways or that top-class braking system. The tyres too, are the best in the segment, and they performed well on wet tarmac.

Now when I test bikes off-road, the first thing I do is ride the bike at low speeds in a zig-zag manner. This shows if the motorcycle has good balance and after spending some time doing this with the bike, it is clear that this Ducati can comfortably do low speeds off-road. I was quite surprised with it because the bike weighs quite a bit and there are a lot of body panels on it but the Multistrada could be taken mild off-road as well. Plus, when switched to the Enduro mode, the computer allows you to play around with the bike. While I was testing in the sand, the TCS gave me enough traction to get out of some really bad patches. Usually, I switch off the TCS completely, but in the case of the Multistrada, I didn’t have to.

Should you buy it?

Is it a good idea to buy the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally? The answer is a big yes and it is an even bigger yes for someone who has a big bank balance. Yes, Rs 36 lakh is a lot of money but for that much, you are getting not just an adventure motorcycle. You are getting a bike that will show you what real comfort is when it comes to long-distance touring. You get a motorcycle that is equipped with one of the most powerful engines and along with that, you get electronics and rider aids which are usually seen in cars that cost over a crore in India.

I keep telling people who are close to me. At least once in your life, you should own the Ducati Multistrada because this bike can put a big smile on your face every time you ride it and also when you aren’t riding it. The comfort. The performance. The design. All these aspects make this motorcycle extremely aspirational. And when you own it once, you wouldn’t want to settle for anything less. So work hard. Earn more. Buy yourself a Multistrada V4 Rally.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi