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Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak
Ducati special edition Multistrada celebrates Greg Tracy’s famous victory in the 2010 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race in Colorado. Dubbed Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Special Edition This newly unveiled edition sports a
replica Ducati Corse-style paint scheme with passenger foot-peg hangers and
engine guard anodised in black finish and sport red pin-striping on the wheels. According to Ducati North America the United States will not get the carbon fiber Termignoni exhaust can, and instead will feature a numbered badge on the engine crankcase cover
The bike claimed the title mostly thanks to its four different Riding Modes
(Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro) that immediately adapt the motorcycle to any
environment. Source Ducati
1200 S Road Test
We had lots of side wind during the day touring the island, and even with
the panniers on I had no problems pointing the Multistrada to where I wanted
to go--it wasn't a struggle fighting the winds even at high speed. I am
immediately impressed by the practical elements of the Multistrada 1200 S
Touring Edition package. I will mention this straight away, as all content
in this test involves the Multistrada 1200 S, which is a whole lot more than
the standard version than what's usual from Ducati. For instance, you don't
get electronic suspension at all and ABS is only optional, which renders the
four riding modes toothless compared to the S model.
The traction control and three engine mappings enable me to swap with ease
between four different riding modes on the go. After playing with the Sport
and Touring modes, which both provide 150 horsepower but with different
suspension, engine (aggressive or smooth throttle), and traction control
settings, I switch to Urban as we enter a village. When I hit the Urban
button the suspension softens up a bit, the engine mapping changes to the
100 horsepower one and the traction control changes to setting 6 (5 in
Touring; 4 in Sport) which is a high intrusion for maximum safety over
manhole covers and dusty patches.
I took the Multistrada for a very short off-road section. When selecting
Enduro, which I did miles in advance to see how it worked on the road, the
engine map stays on 100 horsepower, just like the Urban mode. The suspension
however softens further and the traction control setting automatically
changes to level 2. On the road, the Multistrada in Enduro mode changes
character completely. When switching from the Sport mode to the Enduro mode,
the feeling is almost as if you suddenly had a tire puncture--that's how
much the suspension softened. What I would do for off-road riding is to turn off both DTC and ABS. ABS will turn itself on again automatically after turning the ignition off and then on again though, which is a required safety feature from one or more of Europe's babysitting governments. This is awkWard if you're in the middle of Africa with days and days of graveled roads. For that reason, I'd like a separate ABS button, as on the BMW GS, to make it easier to re-de-activate ABS. I'm not suggesting that the Multistrada 1200 S would be suitable for such a trip, but I'd be willing to try.
Interestingly Ducati have worked with Pirelli to come up with the world's first 190mm trail rear tire. I spoke to Fabio Sabbioni about this and several other technical features on the Multistrada 1200 S. The main reason the Multistrada 1200 features a 190 section rear tire is that the engine produces 150 horsepower and anything less than 180 would simply not be safe riding on the extreme side in Sport mode. These new Pirelli Scorpion trail tires have a ZR rating safe up to 168 mph.
Back on the gravel, the rear tire would slide at half- throttle. But, as
soon as I applied full throttle and held it there, traction control kicked
in, even at level 2. The Enduro standard mode is only suitable for complete
newbies on the rough stuff, but for everybody else I'd recommend turning all
electronic aids completely off for the best off-road experience. The
automatic suspension setting I'd like to keep, though. Another useful enduro
feature is the solid aluminum engine protection should you bottom out the
suspension jumping out of one of those dried out river beds or similar.
The shock is a high spec TTX electronic version that does the same as the
front, but with mechanical preload. Both front and back suspension carries
an adventure worthy 6.7 inches of travel. Within the menu system you can
even set up whether you're riding solo, with passenger, or with passenger
and luggage--the electronics will do the rest for you. The system results in
much more noticeable the changes than on a BMW.
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Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated. |