‘It was a crashed
MCN test bike’
Richard Knight
‘The rear brake’s
hopeless’
Mark Zawada
‘The most
comfortable bike
I’ve ever ridden.’
Gary Payne
‘We can ride two-up
for ten days straight’
Barrie Wood
‘It’s no more expensive
to service than
anything else’
Jamie Clare
‘How the technology
works is
phenomenal’
Mike Frain
Owning a Multistrada
The highs and lows
I
T’S 15 YEARS since Ducati launched
the original Multistrada, a capable
all-rounder with the soul of a sports
bike. It was a brave effort: however the
typically controversial Pierre Terblanche-
designed styling wasn’t to everyone’s
tastes and it left some wondering just
what exactly the bike was for.
But amends were made in 2010 with
the addition of the 1198cc Testastretta
engine plus purposeful new looks and
bucket-loads of tech. The 1200 took the
original bike’s niche and ploughed it into
a furrow, forging its place as the class-
leading road-focused adventure machine
and successfully bridging the gap to
traditional sports tourers.
But what is it like to own one?
Nine Multistrada
owners reveal
what it’s like to live
with their bikes
Words and pictures Justin Hayzelden
JULY 2019 | 81
ROAD TEST EXTRA
