AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 63LONG-TERM DUCATI MULTISTRADA
Switched into Touring mode it was
calmer, just right for eating miles.
O en I’d fl ick it into Sport for a while,
especially on a winding road where
the fi rmer suspension set-up makes a
diff erence, but mostly I le it in Touring.
When Urban mode still had its urban
se ing, I would choose it on a wet and
slippery road, where the gentler power
and more reactive traction control and
ABS gave ample reassurance, but once
I made it my alternative Enduro mode
I was happy with the way Touring’s
standard se ings dealt with dodgy
road conditions.
It’s true that the Multistrada is not a
competitor for the mighty GS BMW as
an off -roader. It’s not just the 17in wheels,
it’s in the suspension and steering
geometry too. I didn’t try to treat the
Ducati as a GS, either, but I never shied
at punting it along any unsealed road.
That’s what it’s for, a er all, and there it
was fantastic.
The ABS and traction control are
ideally matched to the Ducati’s chassis,
and I had enough trust in the bike to
dial the TC se ings to minimum and
enjoy the way the back end would slide
a certain amount before the electronic
limiter kicked in. I could have turnedCOSTS
With more than 16,000km under
the wheels, the Ducati had cost very
little to run over the year. Apart from
its fi rst service, it’d had just the one
routine service, worth around $350
at 12,000km. Fuel consumption had
averaged around 6.0L/100km, though
I didn’t keep a record through the
year; the range from tankful to tankful
varied between 4.9 and 7.3L/100km so
you can see it’ll vary a lot depending
on your riding style.
The only other running cost was a
set of tyres, replaced when the rear
wore out at 8000km. The second rear
tyre was beginning to square off and
wear down another 8000km later.
It’s a cheap bike to run, in other
words, and shows how much Ducati
has come to the party regarding
ownership costs.►ARR112_060-067_Long Termers.indd 63ARR112_060-067_Long Termers.indd 63 2/3/2015 9:50:46 AM2/3/2015 9:50:46 AM