Many manufacturers claim they’ve produced a bike able to take on the world. ‘A true global explorer,’ they’ll claim, with ‘no horizon too far.’ And they do so with the aim of taking sales away from BMW’s imperious R 1250 GS Adventure, which has dominated this segment for so long. And while many have come close to the mighty GS, in my opinion none have truly conquered it on every level. At least, perhaps, not until now.
Fact is, Ducati’s all-new Multistrada V4 Rally is as equally capable off-road as it is on it. And anyone who’s piloted a Multistrada V4 over a decent variety of roads will testify that this is quite a statement. Quite a moment in the story of the adventure bike. Sure, the Rally will set you back $41,400 (ride away) but owners will be buying a rather remarkable and clever motorcycle, one that would certainly make me smile every time I open the garage door.
Let’s get the easy bit done first. Ducati has kept the power and torque output of the Rally’s Granturismo engine identical to the more roadfocused V4 and V4 S Multistradas, with peaks of 127kW (170hp) at 10,750rpm and 121Nm at 8750rpm. However, it has added the heat-reducing rear cylinder deactivation system seen recently on
