Review: Ducati Multistrada 950 shows bigger isn’t necessarily better
For several years everything in motorcycling got bigger. Ducati’s entry-level Monster started life as a manageable 600 but ended up a massive 1200. KTM’s Adventure line began as a 990, grew into a 1090, and eventually became a 1290.
Now, things are moving in the opposite direction as motorcycle manufacturers, dying to bring new riders into a stagnant sales market, are making smaller and smaller machines.
Honda and Kawasaki have recently reintroduced 250cc dual sport motorcycles. BMW and KTM are coming out with beginner-size versions of their GS and Duke motorcycles. And Ducati has downsized its Multi.
The latest addition to the multifaceted Multistrada motorcycle family is the littlest yet.
Like its many Multistrada siblings, the 950 is powered by a Testastretta L-twin engine, which makes 113 horsepower and 71 pound-feet of torque — compared with the bigger bikes’ 160 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque.
The power is managed through a 6-speed gearbox and Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro riding modes that get additional assistance from adjustable ABS and traction control settings.
At 500 pounds fully fueled, it’s only 18 pounds lighter than its full-sized fellows. But with less rotating mass coming from that smaller engine, it feels lighter. And, with a narrower 33-inch-high seat, it sits lower, too.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the big Multis, but that was mostly open-road riding, including two fine days traveling to Monterey and back and a full week touring the Chianti region of Italy.
With the 950, I got to do a lot more urban riding. Over four days on the Monterey Peninsula, during the Pebble Beach festivities, I found it an almost perfect city bike — an excellent canyon carver, a very able lane splitter, and a great size for dashing between interviews and appointments.
Ducati is advertising the minor Multi as a bike for people who “want superior performance without feeling intimidated.â€
In that, it has achieved its goal. In Touring and Urban, the 950 is a well-mannered machine, responsive without being twitchy, powerful without feeling punchy.
In Sport, though, the characteristics sharpen. The throttle cranks faster, and after about 5,000 rpm the full-available torque and horsepower make this rocket rock.
The bike comes standard with a small, hand-adjustable windscreen, brush guards and alloy rims wearing Pirelli Trail II tires.
Available as options are upgrades and adornments for those who’d like to make their Multis more suited to sport riding (a Termignoni exhaust), off-road exploring (crash bars, and a bash plate), touring (side bags, heated grips and a center stand), or city commuting (a top bag, and a tank bag).
The wide handlebars and comfortable upright riding position increase the manageable feel. The Bosch ABS braking system is the best in the business. The adjustable suspension (KYB up front, Sachs in the rear) felt adequate for most riding conditions.
Perhaps because it rides on a slightly longer wheelbase, with a bit more rake — on a chassis that is closer to the Multistrada Enduro (reviewed here a while back) than the standard Multis — it feels more flickable and easier to manage in tight turns than, say, the 1200cc touring model.
And yet it was perfectly comfortable at freeway speeds on longer rides. The model I borrowed sported side bags, one of which was said to be big enough to contain a full-face helmet. (But I couldn’t make it accept my Shoei Hornet, fitted with a sun visor.) With the windscreen set at its highest point, and the standard grip warmers on, I cut through the early morning Monterey Peninsula fog in complete comfort.
But you don’t always want warmth, and the Testastretta engines run hot and shed a lot of heat into the rider cockpit. This was more welcome riding down Highway 1 on a couple of foggy mornings than it would be stuck in traffic on a hot L.A. afternoon.
Some of the controls felt lacking, too. The rear brake pedal seemed poorly located and hard to reach. The front brake lever was adjustable, but the clutch lever wasn’t.
The 5.3-gallon tank seems generous enough, but perhaps because I was employing the Sport mode more often than Urban or Touring, I seemed to be running through fuel pretty fast.
But I wasn’t complaining, because the ungenerous seat had me grateful for the fuel stops.
Because the adventure riding niche is currently motorcycling’s hottest segment, many wanna-be Ewan McGregors are going to ask, “What’s it like off-road?â€
Like its many dual purpose rivals, and like its bigger Multi brothers, the 950 is more an asphalt adventure bike than dirt dog. The suspension is too soft, the seat is too high, and parts such as brush guards and levers are too delicate to inspire full confidence in the rough stuff.
But the little 950 is also softer on the wallet. The full-size Multi has a starting suggested retail price of $20,295. The 950 version starts at $13,995.
That may be the littler bike’s most user-friendly feature.
