character.Bothcomewitheasily-
operatedcruisecontroland heated
grips (the Ducati’s with the Touring
Pack). The BMW’s are hotter than hell
and can blister palms; good because it
means it’ll never be too cold to feel them.
And both bikes are supremely comfy
and will go all day without so much as a
twinge in the backside. Despite their
looks — the unadjustable Enduro seat
looks set low, scalloped behind the
massive tank; the GS, especially with its
seat on 910mm, looks taller — the rider’s
actual limb position is similar on both
bikes. The screens aren’t though; the
GS’s is flimsy and when upright its lip
vibrates at speed, generating noise and
buffeting. The Ducati’s is easier to adjust
and although it looks less effective, it’s
quieter and more useful up or down.
TOWN
Both bikes are brilliant in town and
traffic — especially if their panniers are
left at home (the Ducati’s are truly vast).
High, wide bars for big leverage; lofty
riding position for better vision and
imposing presence; and bags of instant
low down, quickshifter drive means both
theDucatiand BMWhavethe
ability to tear though gridlock
like two-wheeled PacMen.
The GS is again the more
supple and flowing bike,
floating over potholes and
diving for gaps. The
Multistrada is a different level
of blood and thunder, bearing
down on rearview mirrors
with a thundering chatterof
Desmo valve gear.
Both also have excellent
low-speed balance but theGS
is better at pottering by virtue
of being able to run downtotickoverin
top gear without transmissionlash.The
Multistrada is a world of civilised away
from lumpy Ducatis of old but it’ll still
struggle to pull cleanly from ultra-low
revs and needs fourth gear to get away.
In terms of useful urban tools, both
machines come with hill-hold control; a
squeeze on the brakes at standstill on an
up or down gradient, and the rear brake
comes on automatically, holding the bike
steady and leaving you free to put both
feet on the floor or to stretch about a bit
and admire the scenery.
OFF-ROAD
Despitewhattheexpertsmightbeable
to do, neither the GS nor Enduro are
what you’d call natural off-road tools:
they’re too heavy for novices to get
away with inexperience; the handlebars
are too low and set-back; neither the
Ducati’s Pirelli Scorpion Trail IIs nor the
BMW’s Bridgestone Battlax A41s are up
for serious monkey business; and both
machines cost the thick end of £20k.
That’s a lot of money to go toppling over
on the gravel in the name of fun. And an
out-of-control 145bhp off-road bike
WHEELBASE 1592 MM WHEELBASE 1504 MM
SEAT HEIGHT
860
MM
SEAT
HEIGHT
890/910
MM
TRAIL 112 MM
RAKE 250 RAKE 24.9^0
TRAIL 95.4MM
ERGONOMIC
TRIANGLE
Very similar riding
positions, with the
BMW the slightly
higher of the two
725 MM^715
MM*
920
MM
960
MM
*
515
MM
530
MM
*
* SEAT ON 910MM SETTING
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1260 ENDURO BMW R1250GS ADVENTURE
Busy grips on the Ducati
but easy to navigate
Ducati pannier
takes full-face lid
Enduro uses same colour
screen as rest of range
76 | JULY 2019
NEW BIKES
