2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally Review

[Admin]

Ducati’s latest Multistrada V4 Rally commemorates 20 years since the original 1000DS was released in 2003. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

In the past 35 years of World Superbike racing, Ducati has won 15 riders championships, and 18 manufacturers titles, so it knows a thing or two about making high-performance, high-tech motorcycles. Sportbikes had been the company’s bread and butter for decades. Bikes like the 851, 888, 916, 996, 998, 999, 1098, 1198, Panigale V2s, and now V4s are on the tip of the tongue of any Borgo Panigle enthusiast. But you know what current bike in the lineup Ducati says is its most technologically advanced model ever? The Multistrada V4 Rally.

If you think about it, that makes perfect sense. Sportbikes are built for one purpose, to go as quickly as possible on tarmac. But an adventure bike has to meet an entirely different criteria. How do you make a high-performance machine perform equally well on both pavement and dirt? Ducati has been working on that problem for 20 years, and the answer is electronics. And our recent experience with a variety of Ducati machines from across its range show that it is on the leading edge in this department, with the Multistrada its crown jewel of execution.

The original Multistrada 1000DS was released for 2003. (Cycle World Archives/)

In a slightly different slant on a traditional first-ride press event, Ducati USA planned a multiday adventure on its new-for-2023 Multistrada V4 Rally, the most off-highway-capable machine in the Multistrada lineup, and the bike that commemorates the 20-year anniversary of the original 2003 Multistrada 1000DS. What better place to put a bike like the Rally to the test than in the southwestern mountains of Colorado? Our ride would take us from Durango to Telluride on day one, and then from Telluride to Silverton the next. We’d get a bit of everything from amazing asphalt curves on the Million Dollar Highway (US 550) to miles and miles of dirt roads to an epic climb over Cinnamon Pass, just barely cleared of snow at the 12,620-foot summit. Over two days we put around 400 miles on the Multi. The purpose was to show how versatile a bike the Multistrada has become.

The original Multistrada and its high-tech successor. (Ducati/)

Engine

Before we dig into the electronics, we really have to go into a bit of detail on the Multi’s V-4. After all, it’s the lungs that make this bike sing. But first a bit of Multi history: Twenty years ago, when the Multistrada was born, it utilized the 992cc air-cooled Desmodue then used in the Monster; the second-gen bike used the 1,198cc Testastretta Evoluzione 11° engine; in 2015 the third-generation model was the ultimate expression of the V2 in the form of the 1,262cc Testastretta 11° DVT with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust cams. But in 2020, the Multistrada jumped on the V-4 bandwagon and followed its Panigale Superbike cousins into the four-cylinder world.

The Multistrada V4 Rally is powered by the V-4 Granturismo. (Ducati/)

The latest version is the V-4 Granturismo, an 1,158cc 90-degree V-4, with a reverse-rotating crankshaft (opposite of wheel rotation), twin-pulse firing order, and four valves per cylinder. Fuel is fed to cylinders by 46mm elliptical ride-by-wire throttle bodies controlled by Continental’s EFI system. The exhaust is blown through a pair of catalytic converters and into a stainless steel muffler. Quad lambda sensors help ensure combustion is optimized. The engine pumps out a claimed 170 hp at 10,750 rpm, but a massive 89 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 8,750 rpm. But what’s perhaps more impressive for those who will buy this bike for globetrotting are the extended service intervals: Valve checks take place at 37,000 miles and oil changes at 9,000. The original 1000DS required valve checks every 6,000 miles.

Related: Ducati Cost of Ownership

Power is transferred to the chain drive via a multiplate wet clutch with hydraulic actuation that has both an assist feature for light pull, and a slipper. The six-speed transmission comes standard with Ducati’s Quick Shifter that allows clutchless up and downshifts; we’ll touch more on that in the electronics section below, but  this quickshifter is really good.

A cool look inside the V-4 Granturismo and at its valve train. (Ducati/)

The first part of our two-day journey would start out on asphalt and head up the amazing Highway 550 out of Durango toward Ouray, then through Ridgeway, onto some dirt backroads before pulling into Telluride. If you haven’t ridden the 550 through the San Juan Mountains on a motorcycle, it is total bucket-list material. When it comes to on-road sporting performance, the Granturismo V-4 is amazing. It’s doubtful that the engine is producing anywhere near its claimed power output at Durango’s 6,500 feet of elevation, let alone Telluride’s 8,800 feet, but having ample performance to begin with means there’s a lot more left over in the Colorado Rockies’ thin air.

This V-4 is as good an engine platform for adventure-touring as anything out there. In the open-class-ADV world you have big twins like KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure S and R, Harley-Davidson’s Pan America, and BMW’s R 1250 GS Adventure, and a triple like the one in Triumph’s Tiger 1200, but the V-4 in the Multistrada makes more claimed horsepower than the lot. But there’s a lot more to this engine than just peak numbers. The way that this machine lays down its power is everything when it comes to ADV riding.

It’s a tight fit, every single cubic inch of space is occupied by something. (Ducati/)

Great on-road performance isn’t surprising at all. The Multistrada eats up sweepers with sportbike-like performance, pulling hard through the rev range and reminding you that the engine is based on the one that’s powered Álvaro Bautista to 17 wins thus far in 2023 on his factory World Superbike. But it’s the flexibility of the V-4 and the way it pulls from idle to redline with seemingly endless torque that makes the engine so capable of jumping from asphalt to dirt and back to asphalt without hesitation. The Million Dollar Highway is packed with hairpin and carousel turns, and snapping out of them in second gear and riding the wave of V-4 torque is impressive, especially considering the bike’s 573-pound wet weight when fueled up with 8 gallons of gas.

The V4 Rally has an engine mode for every situation. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

If 170 ponies sounds like too much for off-highway riding, you’d be right in most situations. But the engine’s broad torque and then the ability to tame it down to 114 hp in Off-road mode means that you always feel in total control no matter the surface or riding conditions. As mentioned, we had the opportunity to ride the Rally over some pretty rough and rocky terrain, fast dirt roads, and even through a 100-yard section of super-slimy 6-to-8-inch deep mud. The bike is totally capable of adapting to every surface encountered and performs like it is optimized for each situation. But the reality is that the Rally’s electronics are equally responsible for that impression.

Engine Electronics

As we mentioned above, it can easily be argued that Ducati is at the forefront of the electronics revolution in motorcycling. Our recent experience riding models like the Panigale V4, Diavel V4, Streetfighter V4, and DesertX have impressed us, but as Ducati itself tells us, the Multistrada is the most technologically advanced model in the company’s lineup.

The list of electronic rider aids is long. You can split those aids into a few categories, engine related, chassis related, and safety related. Each contributes to making the Multistrada very capable. Let’s first focus on the wizardry that makes the engine so versatile.

Starting with the modes, the Multistrada has four including Enduro, Sport, Touring, and Urban. Compared to other Multistradas, the Rally gets that aforementioned new Off-road power mode, which is limited to 114 hp and has dynamic throttle response which is the default for Enduro. Sport defaults to High power (170 hp) with Dynamic response, Touring is set at Medium power, which is still 170 hp but with Smooth throttle response, and finally Urban gets Low power (114 hp) with Smooth throttle response. The Multistrada doesn’t have a “rider” or “manual” mode as all of the modes can be customized to your liking. If you get lost, you can always reset back to the default settings.

The left handlebar is the control center. Two items of note are the new joystick (very bottom) that greatly improves menu navigation, and the button for the Minimum Preload function. (Ducati/)

Inside of those modes are some other features that are set to defaults, but as mentioned, can be customized. Before we go any further, we have to mention the new left-bar-mounted control pod that has a new joystick-type toggle to help navigate the menus on screen. This control is unique to the Multistrada, but we can’t imagine it will stay that way for long, as it makes navigation considerably easier than on any other Ducati we’ve recently ridden. Inside the modes you can scroll through settings for the aforementioned power and throttle-response settings, DTC (traction control), ABS, DWC (wheelie control), DQS (quickshifter), EBC (engine-braking control), and then Skyhook suspension settings that we’ll go into further below.

Here are what the default settings inside all of the modes are set to. (Ducati/)

Out in the Colorado wilderness, and with two days at our disposal, we played with all of the modes, primarily toggling back and forth between Enduro and Sport. But by the second day we’d built custom versions of those that we’d switch between. For most riding we did on road, we’d set up Sport with smoother engine response, but with TC dialed way back or off and wheelie control off, and engine-braking right in the middle. For the tighter and nasty dirt rock-strewn passes, Enduro is really nice, but we dialed TC back to 1 or off depending on the road. For ultrafast dirt roads, Enduro mode with 170 hp is the ticket to big sweeping slides, spinning the rear tire. The reality is that with the easy-to-adjust interface, experimenting for your ideal setup is really easy, and the results instantaneous.

Getting into the menus and making changes is logical and well executed on the Multistrada. (Ducati/)

Ducati has refined its electronics package to such a level that sometimes you aren’t even aware that you’re dipping into intervention, until you see a flashing indicator on screen for the TC cuts for example. “Smooth” and “refined” are two words that come to mind, while “effective” is another, especially playing with the engine-braking settings that instantly change how the bike rolls into corners. While the eight levels of TC can be the difference between total security and hanging the rear end out two-feet sideways.

One of more impressive features is the new software for the DQS, which not only knows what gear you’re in, but knows the throttle position, allowing the system to make the smoothest shift possible, even when shifting between first and second or vice versa at low engine speeds that often make other systems clunky. It has the ability to adjust the cut so that when it’s snicked into the next gear, the transition is as smooth as on any bike we’ve ridden.

Chassis

We’re in a new era, people. Talking about the Multistada’s chassis is now as much about software as it is about hardware. For sure, the Rally has top-notch hard components that you’d expect, like top-of-the-line Brembo Stylema radial-mount four-piston brakes, and nice looking wire-spoke, tubeless wheels in 19-inch front and and 17-inch rear sizes, off-road footpegs, a height-adjustable rear brake pedal, a heavy-duty skid plate, and so on.

On the hardware side, the V4 Rally comes with Ducati’s Skyhook suspension with Marzocchi components. Top-of-the-line Brembo Stylema brakes are used up front. (Ducati/)

But now there is the latest generation of Ducati’s Skyhook electronic suspension that provides more travel than the other Multis in the lineup (7.8 inches front and rear), and 30 percent more preload range at the rear. It also comes with a few bells and whistles, like the minimum preload button which allows you to manually remove preload at the touch of a button when coming to a stop so you can touch the ground easier, has a new easy-lift function that softens the suspension and makes getting the bike up off the sidestand require less effort, and also has auto leveling that will adjust the preload when you fill up your panniers or throw a passenger on the back. Plus it enjoys a vehicle-hold feature that keeps the bike from rolling backward when you’re trying to get moving on a steep incline.

The rear brake pedal can be adjusted to two positions for better control off-road. The rubber footpeg inserts can easily be removed for better grip in wet or muddy conditions. (Ducati/)

Of course the Skyhook settings are tied to the modes with default selections for preload and optimized damping for the chosen setting. This is why it’s a good idea to utilize the modes properly. For example, if you hit a dirt road and leave it in Sport, not only is the engine not going to be optimized, but you can instantly feel how unforgiving the suspension is once you hit a few washboard sections or it starts getting rocky. Picking the right mode when changing surfaces is not only very simple, but makes the Rally soften up dramatically and suck up the rough stuff amazingly well considering its size.

Cinnamon Pass was in full run-off mode with the snow melting and water running. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

Heading over Cinnamon Pass into Silverton, we encountered what is basically a full-on Jeep road, with a ton of embedded rocks, erosion ruts filled with running water and mud, a creek crossing lined with unseen baby heads, and plenty of loose marbles to keep your attention. The Rally somehow defies its claimed curb weight and only feels heavy when moving it around in a parking spot or at really low speeds off-road. Once in motion and picking your way through chunder at a crawl, the bike is pretty darn impressive at hiding that weight and handles almost all of the nasty stuff you can throw at it. However, where a bike like the DesertX surpasses it, is maneuvering in really tight spaces, and sucking up jump landings. Hit a decent size waterbar at speed and the Rally is going to use every millimeter of its travel on the landing.

Helping glue it to every surface were the optional Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires fitted for our two-day trip. They ended up being a great choice for the terrain we tackled, providing great feedback and grip on the asphalt, good grab on the dirt, and even tackled some deep mud relatively well. The standard tire for the Rally V4 is the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II, which is a less aggressive and more road-oriented tire.

With Cinnamon Pass just recently passable, and snow flurries at the top, the road itself was a perfect challenge for the Multistrada Rally. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

If there is one type of bike that benefits from electronic suspension, it has to be a heavyweight ADV. Trying to optimize a bike’s manual suspension for every type of condition when loaded up with overlanding gear has to be a nightmare. You will always be compromised for one condition or another. But with the Multistrada’s Skyhook, you’re almost always in a near-perfect range no matter the surface. It makes every ride as enjoyable as possible.

On the asphalt, the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally is basically a big upright sportbike. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

As good as the off-road performance impresses, it’s a Ducati, and moves like a fast and fun sportbike once you get on a curvy road. Switch it over to Sport or Touring mode and it tightens up the suspension and gives you a more firm damping setting with great composure from the chassis. But the nice thing is that the tall off-road handlebar and upright seating position help you flick it into tight corners like a giant supermoto bike. Ducati really does have this “all roads” theme dialed.

The Multistrada V4 Rally’s ergonomics are adaptable and comfortable for a variety of rider sizes. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

Speaking of the riding position, Ducati has gone to great lengths to ensure that a wide range of riders comfortably fit on the Multistrada Rally. The standard seat can be adjusted between 34.3 and 35 inches, but there is an optional Low seat (33.7 to 35.5 inches), an Ultralow option (32.5 to 33.3 inches) and a High seat (34.9 to 35.6 inches). A new taller and wider and easy-to-adjust windscreen provides all-day comfort and protection, but isn’t so tall as to hinder your view off-road when lowered. Fairing-mounted air ducting can be opened or closed for cockpit comfort, while the standard hand guards and heated grips (and seat) ensure all-season comfort. As the saying goes in Colorado, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. We had it all, sun, rain, hot, cold, and even a snow flurry at the top of Cinnamon Pass. The Multistrada deals with the weather as well as it deals with road conditions.

Ducati nailed the riding position for standing off-road; Conner is 5 feet, 11 inches. The reach to the tall bar is ideal, while the view over the windscreen is really good when lowered. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

Safety Enhancements

Before we wrap this up, we have to talk about a few more electronic features that come on the configuration of the Rally in the US. Our bikes come standard as the Multistrada V4 Rally with the Adventure Travel & Radar package. The later part means that the bike is equipped with Ducati’s front and rear ARAS radar that provides adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection. In order for either system to work, ABS (level 2 or 3), DTC, and DWC must be active.

Ducati’s adaptive cruise control allows the user to set the distance to the vehicle in front of you and makes utilizing the feature so much easier. No having to disable your set speed every time you come up on another vehicle. (Ducati/)

When active the system works like most automotive systems. You can set the cruise control up to 112 mph, with a minimum speed of 18 to 30 mph depending on the gear you’re in and can then adjust the distance to the vehicle ahead of you in four steps. The rest of the functionality is quite familiar, but having the adaptive feature definitely reduces the hassle of utilizing cruise control and having to constantly activate or deactivate the set speed. It slows and accelerates for you smoothly and reliably.

The blind-spot detection system is more straightforward and simply informs you if you have another vehicle lurking where you can’t see them by lighting up an LED on the mirror on the side of the bike where the vehicle is. Ironically, the Multistrada’s mirrors are some of the best mirrors we’ve ridden with in ages, they are slightly convex and provide an excellent view to begin with, so the addition of the BSD only improves an already excellent reward view.

The square in the center of the Multi’s nose conceals the ARAS radar unit. (Ducati/)

Conclusion

Having spent a significant number of miles on quite a few of the Ducati Multistrada’s competitors this past year, as well as a variety of the lighter middleweights like the Husky Norden, KTM 890 Adventure R, and Ducati’s own DesertX, we can honestly say that the Rally has the most complete complement of electronic enhancements in the ADV world. But unlike so many bikes we’ve tested this year, utilizing those features and optimizing them for the conditions is more well-thought-out than most.

The Multistrada provides the rider with logical and useful preset modes for those who don’t want to get into the weeds experimenting, but at the same time allows anything and everything to be customized to suit your needs. Nothing in the long list of electronic features feels like a gimmick, everything has its use at one time or another. But like we’ve experienced recently on some other Ducati models, the way that the rider aids are integrated into the riding experience only add to the enjoyment and don’t hinder what you’re trying to do in any way.

Ducati’s V4 Rally is by far the most technologically advanced and capable Multistrada ever made. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)

But none of this would mean a damn thing if the bike at its core wasn’t a really solid and well-balanced platform, and it is. The V-4 engine, as much as Ducati purists might miss the V-twins, is amazing in this application, providing excellent peak power, broad torque, and smooth delivery. The chassis is hard to fault for a large adventure-tourer that carries enough fuel to put 300 miles between stops. Throw in the Skyhook suspension and you wonder how you’ve ever lived without the electronic cush. If you’re looking for a hardcore ADV that can tackle really gnarly stuff, the Rally isn’t it, look to the DesertX, but for those who want to truly explore just about everything else, this Multistrada is amazingly capable, comfortable, and versatile.

Of course, we’d be remiss to ignore the fact that the Multistrada V4 Rally has one of the highest price tags in the ADV class at the as-tested price of $30,595 (an extra $600 for the brushed aluminum and matte black finishes), which is a solid $3,000 to $10,000 premium over the base prices of its rivals from KTM, BMW, Harley-Davidson, and Triumph. However, with that being said, the Multistrada Rally comes with very nice luggage hard cases, and every one of the electronic and or hard-part bells and whistles we’ve mentioned comes standard. Every one of the competitors above require that you add luggage and other features as options, even some of the electronics have to be purchased this way. When you take that into account the Rally is in the ballpark and only a couple of grand more than its rivals, fully loaded and ready to rip.

Putting pricing aside, there is no question that the Multistrada V4 Rally is one hell of an awesome open-class adventure machine, and lives up to its name more than it ever has in its 20-year existence.

Cockpit air vents can be opened or closed depending on the airflow the rider wants entering the cockpit. (Ducati/)
Heated rider and passenger seats help make the V4 Rally an all-season tourer. (Ducati/)
Really nice quality hard cases come standard on the Multistrada V4 Rally, unlike its competitors that charge extra for luggage. (Ducati/)
There is a cubby for your smartphone with a USB port inside. (Ducati/)
Top view of Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally. (Ducati/)
Rear three-quarter of Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally. (Ducati/)
The San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado are bucket-list material. (Gregor Halenda & Scott Rounds/)
Day 1: Durango to Telluride, via the Million Dollar Highway. (Rever/)
Day 2: Telluride to Silverton via Cinnamon Pass. (Rever/)

2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally Specs

MSRP:	$29,999 ($30,595 as tested)
Engine:	Liquid-cooled, Granturismo 90-degree V-4, counter-rotating crankshaft; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	1,158cc
Bore x Stroke:	83.0 x 53.5mm
Compression Ratio:	14.0:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Claimed horsepower:	170 hp @ 10,700 rpm
Claimed torque:	89.25 lb.-ft. @ 8,750 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic fuel injection w/ 46mm elliptical throttle bodies; ride-by-wire
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate slipper and self-servo; hydraulically actuated
Frame:	Aluminum alloy monocoque
Front Suspension:	50mm Marzocchi, electronically adjustable compression and rebound damping w/ Ducati Skyhook Suspension EVO (DDS); 7.9 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Marzocchi w/ electronically adjustable compression and rebound damping, spring preload w/ Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DDS); 7.9 in. travel
Front Brake:	Brembo 4-piston Stylema Monoblock caliper, dual semi-floating 330mm discs w/ Cornering ABS
Rear Brake:	2-piston floating caliper, 265mm disc w/ Cornering ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Spoked aluminum; 19 x 3 in. / 17 x 4.5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR; 120/70-19 / 170/60-17
Rake/Trail:	24.7°/4.2 in.
Wheelbase:	61.9 in.
Seat Height:	34.4–35.6 in.
Fuel Capacity:	7.9 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	573 lb.
Contact:	ducati.com

GEARBOX:

Helmet: Arai XD4

Jacket: Rev’It Stratum GTX

Pant: Rev’It Stratum GTX

Gloves: Rev’It Sand 4

Boots: Alpinestars Tech 7

Goggles: 100% Racecraft 2

View the full article