On the dyno
Twin-cylinder engines with the same capacity (ish) but
very different power curves. The BMW (green) goes for
low revs and big torque, running out of puff at 7000rpm
and capping power at 127bhp at 7600rpm. The short-
stroke Ducati (blue) has a flat torque curve and makes
less of it, but carries on past 8000rpm and extends its
power curve to an impressive 145bhp at 9600rpm. Which
you prefer depends on what you want — neither is lacking
in performance; they just deliver it in different ways.
boxes are a £770 accessory (pannier rails
are included in the bike spec). Both are
top-loading, front and rear hinged and
lockable using the bike’s ignition key, and
both left-hand panniers take a full-face lid.
The Enduro’s smaller exhaust can means
the right pannier is larger than the BMW’s
and will also accept a full-face helmet (at a
push). Official capacities are 44 litres (BMW
left) and 36 litres (BMW right), and 45 litres
(Ducati left) and 40 litres (Ducati right). The
BMW’s panniers are rated to 110mph with
10kgs payload per side. The Ducati’s boxes
are made by Touratech but only have a
110mph/5kg payload rating.
What’ll it cost you?Finance
BMW’s R1250GS Adventure Rallye TE
costs £18,165 on the road (minus
panniers). A BMW Motorrad Financial
Services PCP deal, with a £3447.69
deposit at 9.9% APR and 5000 miles per
year, works out at £236.94 a month for
36 months with a £9790.69 final payment
and £21,768.22 total payable.The Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro
costs £17,901 on the road (minus the
Touring Pack). Ducati’s Tri-Options PCP
deal, with a £3501.00 deposit at 7.7%
APR and 5000 miles per year, works out
at £226.18 a month for 36 months with a
£8953.00 final payment and £20596.48
total payable.THE VERDICT
By giving the R1250GS Adventure a larger
engine and more performance, yet cleverly
preserving its essential flat-twin character,
BMWhasdoneexactlywhatit neededto
dotokeeptheGSandGSAdventureflying
outoftheshowroomsatthesamepace
theyhavebeenforthelast 15 years.It’s
thesamebikewitha lotmoregoinit;and
withthatlastpieceofthejigsawinplace
it’snowsoclosetoperfectionit’shardto
imaginehowit couldbeimproved.Orat
least,thepointofmakingit betterina way
wecouldunderstand.It surelycan’thandle
anybetter,orgoanyfaster— thatwould
spoilwhatisnowtheGoldilocks zoneof
chassisandengine.It hasenoughofboth.
ButtheDucatiMultistrada 1260 Enduro
hasimprovedtoo,inheritingthestandardMulti’s 1262cc engine, with much the same
level of power and a more-even spread of
torque across a wide rev range. And it’s
enhancedinotherareas;newclocks;
menus;switches;anda loweroverallride
heightmakesthe 1260 Enduroa realistic
prospectforbig-boreadventuretravel
riderswhodon’twanttousea stepladder
togetontheirGSAdventure.
Butwhichone?TheGS,becauseif it’son
PCPit’ll probablybeworthmorethanthe
Ducatiinthreeyears’time.Butif you’renot
usingfinance,theDucatiisa compelling
option— especiallywithits9000-mile
serviceintervals.SERVICEINTERVALS&COSTS
BMW R1250GS Adventure Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro
First service at 600 miles £0-185* First service at 623 miles £200
6000 miles or annual £ 215 9000 miles or annual £<250
12,000 miles £340 18,000 miles^ £1000**
(inc. valve clearance) (inc. valve clearance)
18,000 miles £215
*Cost depends on deal agreed for purchase ** Cost can be split over three months, interest-freeFUELECONOMY
MPG Theoretical range to empty
BMW R1250 Ducati Multistrada BMW R1250 Ducati Multistrada
GS Adventure 1260 Enduro GS Adventure 1260 Enduro
Max 43.8mpg 42.4mpg 295 miles 285 miles
Average 40.9mpg 38.7mpg 275 miles 260 miles
Min 37.4mpg 34.2mpg 252 miles 230 milesSPEEDOACCURACY
BMW R1250GS Adventure Ducati Multistrada 1260 Enduro
Indicated actual actual
30mph 28mph 28mph
60mph 56mph 56mph
70mph 65mph 67mphTurnoverfortherealityof
owninga DucatiMultistradaPOWER (HP)
ENGINE SPEED (RPM X 1000)
TORQUE (FT-LBS)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2 4 6 8 10 12
DUCATI_006.drf Max Power = 144.90 Max Torque = 89.71
BMW_003.drf Max Power = 127.14 Max Torque = 99.88