Ducati Multistrada: Big, strong and ready for fun

The massive 9 inch guns at Whangaparaoa Military Training Area were scrapped soon after World War II, only their emplacements now giving a clue to their massive size.

The 1200cc Ducati Multistrada is an education in modern design, writes Paul Charman

Naval gunners of old shared common tastes with today's real estate tycoon. The Whangaparaoa Military Training Area truly has "views to die for".

To me, building a 1200cc adventure bike always made about as much sense as adapting an ocean liner to shoot rapids ... too big to do the job properly, surely.

My view clearly makes me the odd man out. Countless riders seem to adore big-bore adventure bikes.

Hundreds are sold every year and you see them out and about - not just Ducatis but BMWs, KTMs and the Japanese makes.

How many just sit in garages or pose outside hip biker cafes is another matter, of course...

But despite reservations, my 100km ride aboard a Ducati Multistrada a couple of weeks ago - a journey from Barry's Point Rd on the North Shore to the defence land at Whangaparaoa - was huge fun.

My old friend, Richard Milne, and his colleague, Matt Bidnay at Cyclespot Ducati, entrusted me with the $28,490 motorcycle; it was a perfect spring day and a great education in modern motorcycle design.

That's despite the fact that modern motorcycle seating is generally not for me. Often what's provided these days seems to be effectively a single-saddle, with stepped-up pillion seat behind the butt and raised-up petrol tank in front of the crotch. I prefer the option of sliding back and forward during a long ride but most Multistrada riders find comfort a strong point.

The technical innovation of the Multistrada is impressive in anyone's terms.

This bike is famously four bikes in one. At the flick of a switch you can set engine power/suspension to sport, touring, urban or enduro.

My bike was pre-set to touring (which still delivered the full 150hp), yet was easy to change to the other settings while under way.

Enduro is for gravel roads and, among other things, "commuting" cuts the power to 100hp.

The bike has traction control and ABS, and the so-called "Skyhook" suspension constantly reads the road and adjusts itself accordingly. Barring some nerd inventing a virus to attack motorcycle onboard computers, I don't see a downside.

You can't stop the march of progress, without which we might all still be rumbling round on 500cc Suzuki Titan two-strokes.

By the way, the well-designed Multistrada screen was easy to raise or lower while riding and it did a fine job of protecting from wind.

The bike felt smooth and - of course - very powerful. It managed steep, tight tracks on the army land with surprising agility.

None of this changed my hunch that up to 650cc is ample for most adventure biking purposes, though my short spin gave no indication of the true long-range capabilities of such machines.

The likes of McGregor, Boorman and Morgan cross entire continents on big-bore tourers, taking the rough with the smooth in style.

My only previous taste of adventure riding was exploring the Far North aboard an XL 250 many years ago. Smaller bikes may not be able to stay up with fast highway traffic but they come into their own once exploring more difficult terrain. Example: Any large tourer can reach the famous Whangamomona Pub, but only the more agile get to explore the rugged tracks leading from there, up into the hills.

Also, taking a heavy bike on an adventure could have a down-side. What about loading the machine onto a trailer, or heaven forbid, pushing it down the road. To me, the much-hyped 800cc Ducati Scrambler Classic - due to arrive in the New Year, is a step in the right direction.