Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro 2016 — Specifications

Imagine an Italian engineer who woke up one morning with the desire to build a GS. But a GS, Italian-style, with a desmodromic twin under the hood and a barely tamed Superbike temperament. The result is the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro, born in 2016, and which undoubtedly represents the brand's most ambitious attempt to conquer a segment it had never truly frequented. The idea here isn't to play a supporting role to the BMW R 1200 GS and KTM 1290 Super Adventure, which have occupied the territory for years. The Multistrada 1200 Enduro arrives with its own rules, its own logic, and 160 horsepower to back up its arguments.

The first thing that strikes you is the size. The bike gains volume in all directions, with a 30-liter tank offering a theoretical range of over 530 km at a claimed consumption of 5.6 liters per 100 km. In practice, expect around 450 km before looking for a gas station. Regarding the chassis, the spoked wheels give way to wire-spoke wheels, with a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear accepting serious adventure tires, such as the Pirelli Scorpion Rally as an option. The dual-sided swingarm replaces the iconic monobrach of the Multi as standard, which shocks purists somewhat but reassures as soon as the terrain degrades. Ground clearance reaches 205 mm, which is behind the 250 mm of a well-bred KTM Adventure, but Ducati compensates with a semi-active Skyhook suspension system with Sachs dampers, which neither KTM nor Honda offer at this level of integration. A Bosch three-axis inertial platform pilots all of this in real time. It’s enticing on paper, less reassuring when you imagine an electronic failure 300 kilometers from the nearest town.

The engine is, of course, the heart of the matter and the reason to love or fear this motorcycle. The 1198 cc V-twin, derived from the Superbike lineage with variable valve timing DVT, develops 160 horsepower at 9500 rpm and 136 Nm at 7500 rpm. On the track or on the road, it's a delightful certainty. On a rocky trail at 30 km/h with 254 kg all fueled up under your rear end and a seat height of 870 mm, it’s a different conversation. The Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro’s seat height often comes up on forums, and for good reason. It is not adjustable as standard, even though Ducati offers a low seat at 850 mm as an option. Pilots under 1m80 will need to think twice before signing.

The 5-inch TFT dashboard centralizes four riding modes that modify available power, electronic interventions, and suspension behavior. Urban mode limits power to 100 horsepower and softens the dampers to swallow speed bumps. Enduro mode almost cuts everything to let the rider manage. Sport mode stiffens the Sachs and releases the 136 Nm. It’s well thought out, even if the richness of these settings ultimately turns every departure into a configuration session. The quick shifter is among the options that make daily life noticeably more pleasant on winding roads, and the Brembo radial four-piston brakes with 320 mm discs do the job without discussion.

At a launch price of 21,390 euros, the 2016 Multistrada 1200 Enduro is aimed at a specific audience, that of the grand traveler who does not want to sacrifice road feel on the altar of off-road capability. It’s not a true adventure bike in the sense that a rider capable of crossing a ford or righting a motorcycle alone on a path would understand. It’s rather the proposition of grand touring comfort tinged with off-road possibilities, provided you accept its 254 kg as a permanent road companion. On the used market, the used Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro is negotiated at more reasonable prices, and owners of the 2017 and 2018 generations report generally satisfactory reliability once the initial servicing has been carried out. Ducati has built something unique here, perhaps too much for some, not enough for others, but never boring.