A 1260 Pikes Peak will be the 100,000th Multistrada built by the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer Ducati.
18 Sep 2019 | 6817 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Sixteen years after the first Ducati Multistrada motorcycle rolled off the assembly line, the family has now reached the 100,000-bike milestone. Multistrada No. 100,000, a Pikes Peak version of the 1260 with a customised laser marking on the top yoke, was handed over to Dave Hayward – a German Ducatista who had ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
Sixteen years after the first Ducati Multistrada motorcycle rolled off the assembly line, the family has now reached the 100,000-bike milestone. Multistrada No. 100,000, a Pikes Peak version of the 1260 with a customised laser marking on the top yoke, was handed over to Dave Hayward – a German Ducatista who had ordered his Multistrada from the Düsseldorf dealership – by Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali in person.
Ducati's dual-purpose motorcycle has always been technologically cutting-edge. In 2010 the Multistrada was the first bike to feature riding modes, the system that changes the very character of the bike. With the D|Air version, introduced in 2014, Ducati offered the first motorcycle with a system capable of interfacing with a dedicated airbag-equipped jacket. In 2015 it became the first motorcycle to feature a variable-timing engine: the Testastretta DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing).
And as the technology evolved, so too did the reliability. Ever-longer, stricter development tests were applied. Production processes were improved, materials enhanced, numerical simulations honed, taking the Multistrada 1260 and 950 to unprecedented levels of dependability. Today, all the engines in the family have valve play checks at 30,000km intervals – three times that of the first version.
The Multistrada family over the years.
With no less than 7 versions, today's Multistrada family has never been more complete: two 950 cm³ (115 hp) bikes and five 1260 cm³ (160 hp) ones.
Presented in 2019, the new Multistrada 950 – also available as an S version – is designed to put Multistrada performance within everyone's reach while maximising versatility, thanks also to the 19-inch front wheel.
The most recent interpretation of the original dual-purpose sports concept, the Multistrada 1260 combines the comfort and load capacity of a dual-purpose bike with tyre sizes, wheels and brakes that are, instead, typical of sports motorcycles. Equipped with Öhlins suspension, forged wheels and a carbon fibre end pipe, the Pikes Peak model offers maximum sports performance.
For those who prefer adventuring, Ducati has the Multistrada 1260 Enduro, designed to take on the toughest terrain and longest journeys thanks to the 30-litre tank, long-travel suspension, 19-inch front rim and, the hard-wearing spoked wheels.
Development is ongoing, and in 2021 the Multistrada family will expand to see the twin-cylinder 1260 and 950 motorcycles joined by a version with a new, specific V4 engine.
Multistrada milestones
2003 Multistrada 1000 DS
2005 Multistrada 620
2007 Multistrada 1100
2010 Multistrada 1200
2015 Multistrada 1200 DVT
2016 Multistrada 1200 Enduro
2016 Multistrada 950
2018 Multistrada 1260
2019 Multistrada 1260 Enduro