Spotted a trail, switched to Enduro mode, stood up on the cast footpegs and there I was, kicking up the dirt on this brilliant dirt road on the new Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro. It is quite difficult to exit the trail, especially when the ABS on the rear wheel is switched off and there’s 100bhp at the disposal. The Multistrada 1200 Enduro is the kind of motorcycle which every adventure motorcyclist has held in awe. Sure, we experienced similar feelings with the Multistrada 1200S as well, but Ducati has changed a lot of things and made the 1200 Enduro even more off-road friendly. The suspension setup now gets more travel. The 43mm forks in the front and Sachs mono suspension at the rear offer more travel at 200mm. The Ducati Skyhook System (DSS) controls the compression and damping depending on the rider’s choice. So a taller suspension setup means an increase in seat height to 850mm - which is pretty high for the average Indian Joe. All this results in better handling of abuse and bigger jumps.
There’s also a 19-inch spoke wheel in the front (the 1200S has 17-inch) and a 17-inch one at the rear, but the best part is, the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres are tubeless, thanks to the creative spoke design. This Multistrada gets a whopping 30-litre fuel tank and that’s close to 600kms on a full tank. Ducati has used aluminium plates to cover this plastic tank. All these changes and additions have made the 1200 Enduro heavier at 254kg and bulkier, which is easy enough to intimidate anyone. We can see how serious Ducati was about perfecting this motorcycle judging by their attention to the smallest of details. The bike manufacturer has fashioned a 50mm taller handlebar and redesigned the mirror stems so that the rider’s forearms don’t touch the mirror while standing up and riding. Now this kind of detailing is not something you see in many bikes.
The 1200cc L-Twin motor hasn’t changed a bit. It still churns out 160bhp and 136Nm of peak torque. The added weight on the 1200 Enduro has made it marginally slower than the 1200S. The engine is smooth, the throttle response is crisp (in both Enduro and Touring modes) and the amount of torque this motor generates even on speeds as low as 2000rpm makes the Enduro a fun tool, both on the road and off the road. The six-speed gearbox isn’t great. It has false neutrals and needs some foot work especially while changing from first gear to the second.
Negotiating this 254kg behemoth through city traffic is a pain - blame the heat generated by the L-Twin at low speeds and the massive proportions of the bike. A full tank also hampers its steering capabilities in the city. The only advantage the 1200 Enduro will give you while weaving through traffic is the commanding view. Thanks to high ground clearance and the seat height, I was looking over the roofs of most of the hatchbacks. The motorcycle feels stable on dirt track and can easily be ridden in triple digit speeds. The only downside here is for shorter riders, who will face difficulty in balancing on the trails, in case there’s a panic stop. Getting this bike off the main stand is a different ball game altogether though.
The Brembo brakes does an outstanding job of stopping this obese Ducati bike though. The bite and the feel on the front brake lever is excellent.
1,198.4 cc
157.8 bhp
254 kg
