A_R_R_2015_04

62 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

Ducati’s own perch was a wee bit fi rm

for my poorly padded backside.

Skip forward to now, with 16,000km on

the odo, and the other thing that gives

me confi dence is the way the bike has

come up a er a few hours of cleaning. It

has always been garaged but then again

it has ridden dirt roads every time it has

le home. It has been covered in mud,

caked in bugs and slimed in city grime,

yet it freshens up nicely every time I

give it a basic wash. Now, with a bit more

eff ort, it looks as good as new. It has a

couple of li le scars, as you might expect,

but it’s hard to protect against rock

strikes and the like.

The Multistrada is defi ned by its

electronics. The process for altering

the root se ings of electronic engine,

suspension, traction control and ABS

modes was not something I managed

to commit to memory. Or rather, it’s

not something that stayed in my

memory a er my initial fl urry of

experimentation with the system. Later

in the year, if I wanted to make changes

I usually had to pull out the owner’s

manual and follow the instructions. A

smarter mind than mine might not need

the guidance, but I did, yet with the

book under the seat it was all too easy

to pull it out and tweak the controls.

Certainly quicker than pulling out tools

and tweaking physical components. And

because it was so easy, I never hesitated

to use the system to my advantage.

A moment of sudden clarity revealed I

didn’t have to abide by the rules implied

by Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro,

such is the scope for adjustment Ducati

has provided. Of course, they’re four

pre y desirable sets of a ributes, but as

I don’t live in town I was be er served

by turning Urban into my default night-

time Enduro mode, as I discussed a

couple of issues back.

A er a year, though, did my a itude

to all this electronic adjustment change?

I went into it knowing that I’d like the

ability to quickly adjust preload and

damping se ing to suit solo riding, the

added weight of luggage, more weight

again with a pillion or the maximum

load of being two-up with luggage. I

mean, who ever bothered adjusting all

that manually, except perhaps before

and a er a major tour? So yes, those

electronics are excellent and well worth

having.

But all the rest? I suspected I might

fi nd li le use for them and conclude

they were novelties, but in the end I

loved them. Not only were they good

for fi ne-tuning the bike to my tastes and

style, they were essential for enabling

the Multistrada to release its full

potential as an all-road sports-touring

bike. And in the context of sports-

touring, there’s fi rm emphasis on both

words.

As a sports bike it’s huge fun. The

power and response are exhilarating. No,

not Panigale exhilarating, but I’ve ridden

Ducati’s full-on superbike and reckon it

was too much for the road, a bike that

was all or nothing to an extent that I

couldn’t enjoy it. The Multi in Sport

mode, though, was my cup of speed. It’s

light enough, tight on the road, pulls

power wheelies out of corners and skims

footpegs when you crank it right over.

“Skip forward to now, with 16,000km on the odo, and the

other thing that gives me confidence is the way the bike has

come up after a few hours of cleaning”

ARR112_060-067_Long Termers.indd 62ARR112_060-067_Long Termers.indd 62 2/3/2015 9:50:43 AM2/3/2015 9:50:43 AM