2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Review | Motorcycle Test

2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Review

With Wayne Vickers

Following my quick taste of the Ducati Multistrada V4 S on the DesertX launch (which you can find on our YouTube channel here), I was lucky enough to have the big Italian red head in my shed over the Christmas-Summer break.

Actually I should say that it was one of two Ducati’s I had to play with. The other being a DesertX… Obviously I must’ve been a good boy this year.

I spent a decent amount of time on the bike in all conditions. Commuting, touring on the tarmac, and I probably spent just as much time probing the limits on unsealed stuff and came away both surprised and impressed. It’s a very, very compelling proposition if you’re looking at a full size adventure bike.

The original Multistrada was released into the world in its V2 variant back in 2003 and has subsequently been refined and evolved over the twenty intervening years.

While you can still get the V2 option, us lucky punters now also have the glorious, full fruit, Granturismo 1200 cc V4 unit as an option as well. Apparently the V4 engine is 1.5 kilo lighter than the previous V2 engine too… Engineers eh? Apparently they know stuff.

Now, glorious is not a word I use lightly. However in this case it is both justified and necessary, as it really is a lovely, lovely engine, which sets the whole tone of the bike. Smooth, flexible, pulling cleanly from even below 2000 rpm.

The V4 behaves well in its various riding modes and is generally one of the most aurally inspiring engines I think I’ve ridden. The bike sounds brilliant even with the stock muffler barking out a tune combined with a meaty, grunty intake snarl when you really get up it.

All that and it goes hard. Proper hard. 170 horsepower hard. Me likey. Very much. And I’ve said before that my personal preference for adventure bikes is probably not at the full size end of the spectrum, so that’s saying something.

I can’t talk about the engine without mentioning the quick-shifter which is my new benchmark by which all others will be judged henceforth. It is just superb, with a lovely smooth shift and terrific lever feel. I never had any awkward shifts either sitting or standing, it just does its thing.

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It’s more than a bit ironic that a bike with such a flexible engine has the best quic-kshifter out there, because even though I didn’t need to stir the box I found myself doing so just to use it.

The electronics suite is as well endowed as you’d imagine, but the important bits are that the riding modes not only control the engine mapping and output (and a bunch of other pre-sets like traction and wheelie control), but also alters the electronic suspension set-up.

More importantly, they are each individually customisable. So once you’ve spent a bit of time you can quickly flick from mode to mode into your finely tuned preferences. Yummo.

It’s not a single button tap affair like the new Tuareg that is now setting the standard for quick mode changes, but it’s easy enough and can be done on the fly, only requiring a few flicks and prods of the multi-toggle controller and for you to roll off the throttle for a bit.

I spent most of my time in either Touring – the main ‘road’ mode, or Enduro – the ‘off-road’ mode. But I did spend enough time in Sport to feel the full-on road potential. Let’s talk about that one first.

Moving from Touring to Sport it was immediately obvious not only how the suspension had firmed up, but moreso that the throttle response was sharpened and that V4 missile was set to warp 170. A quite eager throttle and overall crisper handling balance made for very rapid progress.

Not just rapid for an Adventure bike. Rapid. For any bike. You’d be hard pressed to drop a V4 S on any road if it was being punted by a half decent pilot. It seriously hauls arse. You’ve been warned – don’t take one on unless you’re ready for your pride to potentially take a belting..

Oddly enough though I actually preferred Touring mode, which just backed things off slightly. Throttle response was a little more forgiving, suspension was a little more plush and it still had plenty of shove. Both in town and out on the open road it proved to be a superb thing.

Easy to ride, super comfortable, just a generally nice place to be. Great weather protection from that generous front fairing and screen, with no buffeting at all from the screen. That main screen is easily adjustable on the go, but I never felt the need – at its lowest setting it was just fine for me. And combined with the side winglets provided a terrific little cocoon of gentle air around me.

While we’re talking aeros, I should mention the lower flutes (Ducati call them deflectors I’ve since found out)  located on either side of the bike in front of your legs. They funnel air in and onto your legs and no doubt suck warm air out of the engine bay area – working quite nicely in warmer weather. There is a bit of a problem there when it rains though…

They collect and funnel rain and mist and blast it straight onto your shins. Like a hose pointed at your legs. Not only that but they do look particularly vulnerable to me should you have a lay down even at low speed in the sand or something. I’d suggest experimenting with taking those off altogether should you be keen on doing much offroading. Or engine protection bars. Or both.

On the road the Multistrada V4 S totally belies its 240 kg weight, being surprisingly agile and easy to flick from side to side or to change lines. The bike does so in a way that communicated exactly what was going on back to me in a totally inspiring way.

No it’s not racebike nimble, but the bike is plenty nimble enough for road charging and that extra suspension travel over a sportsbike comes in handy on what seem to be ever worsening road conditions. I’d be hard pressed to choose a sportsbike over this even if I knew I was going corner chasing. Lovely and stable, soaks up bumps and unexpected hits completely without fuss. #realworldsportsbike

I should mention the ergos, because it’s damn near perfect. Sitting or standing is super comfortable, but what surprised me was just how good the standing position is. I’m a bee’s whatsit under 6ft (181 and a bit cm.. ergh), and the contact points for my legs fall beautifully between the front of the seat and the tank junction in a terrific position that was an easy lock.

It’s as good a standing position as I’ve ridden on any bike – up there with the Tiger 1200. Better than the Desert X when I’ve been riding them back to back which again was surprising.

The only negative I see on the standing position is the size of the foot-pegs. Little narrow road pegs. If you run a stiff-ish soled adventure boot you might not mind, but I’d definitely suggest opting for a wider foot-peg option from the get-go if you’re going to be doing any serious standing time.

Speaking or getting off the beaten track, Enduro mode was nearly bang on for me out of the box. Power is dropped to 115 hp, throttle response softened a touch also and suspension settings revised.

I only made one small tweak to stiffen the front up one additional step just to avoid bottoming out over erosion mound lips which also helped keep the rear in line, but otherwise it was surprisingly capable.

Even on the Pirelli STRs that come fitted as delivered the bike really impressed me. I expected it to be far more road focussed than it proved to be, but I got along with it just fine on even fairly rough fire trails.

Braking wise the Brembo ABS does a fine job both on and off road, despite having a softer lever feel than I expected – they pull up just fine and once you’re used to the levers that front can be put to great use especially off-road. I found the rear to be wanting for power, moreso on road – I suspect a simple pad change would give a little more bite there.

Overall styling is always going to be subjective, but I don’t think there will be many who say that it’s not a well executed design. It’s beautiful to look at from every angle in my eye. Ducati’s designers have done an amazing job here again. They don’t seem to produce many bikes that aren’t good looking do they…

Speaking of budget… the only real wincing moment comes at the point where you look at the entry price. Once you’ve ticked the option for the centre-stand, heated grips/seat and radar (bundled) which I assume most people will want to go for – that puts you near enough to forty-grand. And that’s before you tick more boxes like engine protection and exhaust options. So it certainly isn’t cheap. But nothing good is cheap I guess.

Is it that much of a premium over something as good as the Tiger 1200? Only you can make that final call, but damn that V4 is compelling…

I like the Ducati Multistrada V4 S because:

• That V4 engine is just sublime. Smooth, flexible and more than enough power for anyone.
• And the quick-shifter is the best in the business. Absolute ripper.
• Overall ergos both sitting and standing are brilliant, onboard is a lovely place to be.

I’d like the Ducati Multistrada V4 S even more if:

• That rear brake could definitely have some more power.
• Those side airflow deflector thingies aren’t awesome in the rain and look vulnerable to me in a bike drop.
• Teeny, tiny footpegs. You’d have to opt for bigger ones if you’re wanting to do much standing.
• That price doesn’t pull any punches either does it…

2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Specifications

Images by RBMotoLens