After 6002 miles with the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally, Rich has decided it's 'the one'... maybe

I’m not a ‘one bike’ kind of a guy. I love being able to pick a style, age, or character of bike for the ride ahead, and that’s led to me having a five-bike garage (for now) that spans 50 years of models, three engine configurations, three styles, and three different brands.

Every year when I answer the big ‘would you buy it’ question on my long-term test bike the decision is hugely influenced by cost. I simply can’t afford to buy a high-end new bike like the Multistrada V4 Rally. Except, it transpires, I can…

If I add up the current value of my own bikes, it comes to circa £32k – meaning I could flog them all and buy pretty much any new bike I fancied. So, as I watch the Multistrada V4 Rally get loaded into a van for its return to Ducati UK, is it the bike I’d drop that cash cow on? Yes, it is. Or at least, it might be. 

With only one bike in the garage, it would have to do everything – and while you can argue that most bikes in any niche do largely the same thing, there’s no doubt the Multistrada does everything better than most. Some will criticise its ‘superbike on stilts’ aggression, but I love that attitude. Some will say it’s too big/heavy/expensive for hardcore off-road, but I’m not a hardcore off-road rider. Some will say it’s a fragile and delicate Italian that’s bound to be unreliable, but neither aspect rings true in 2024. 

The Multistrada is a chameleon that adapts to its environment or your mood with near-seamless transitions. You can shrink motorways, then moments later carve a mountain pass, negotiate a byway, dominate city streets, or knit together a network of bucolic B-roads while admiring the view.

And all the time you’re supported by a frankly astounding suite of electronic rider aids that are tailored to almost any riding environment – all delivered though a superb TFT dash, using intuitive menus and backlit switchgear that prioritise simplicity, navigability, and minimal distraction.

You only have to fill up every 300 or so miles, too – thanks to the 30-litre tank and decent economy (48-52mpg is easy to achieve, even at pace). 

The engine is smooth or savage, docile or maniacal, depending on what your right hand asks of it, and there is drive everywhere.

Build quality is impressive as well. This bike has had a tough life, been used hard in all weathers, on all terrains, and its only scars are from a static drop on a rocky beach while being shot for a group test.  

So why is it only a ‘maybe’? Its V4S sibling is to blame. If I were trading my eclectic fleet for this eclectic chameleon, I’d choose the Multistrada V4S – while constantly missing the Rally’s fatter tank.

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Rich reflects on his 2023 in bikes

Published 17.10.2023

The arrival of the new year inspired a bit of reflection on the best and worst rides of the old year – and with the majority (46%) of my 2023 mileage total having been spent on the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally adventure bike, and the next biggest single chunk being aboard a Ducati DesertX (23%), it’s inevitable that these two bikes dominated my memory banks. 

First came the 2023 DesertX. And I couldn’t stop smiling. Mostly. There’s something puppy-like in the Ducati’s endearing stance, looks, and playful attitude that just makes you want to throw a stick for it and spend sunny afternoons bouncing around the countryside. 

Adventure bikes can lack that playful ‘big enduro’ feeling, but the X hits the spot oh so well, managing to be a comfortable and capable mile-muncher, while also behaving like a ASBO-touting yoof on twisty B-roads, and looking after its own mass – and yours – with deft control off-road. 

• What’s that kit? Read Rich’s Shoei GT-Air 3 helmet review

Big days in the saddle revealed a surprisingly comfortable package. The seat’s more forgiving and cosseting than it looks/immediately feels; the bars spread your arms fairly wide for easy leverage and a relaxed posture tips you neither forward nor back; the balance of the chassis – soft-ish rear shock aside if you’re also a cattle-class unit like me – exists just a smidgen on the performance side of neutral; and the suite of electronics all add to the ride without needing a doctorate in menu navigation. 

Back-road blasts and off-road frolics have an air of ‘big enduro/supermoto’, while motorway drudgery is improved by the natural riding position and road-smoothing suspension. It’s a jack of most trades – but not all. 

Niggles? We had a few. An electrical gremlin got into the dash causing occasional dashboard disco lights, and Ducati have never quite been able to establish the cause, or replicate the error. A seemingly small number of similar reported instances are discoverable if you delve into forums.

• What’s that kit? Read Rich’s Richa Daytona 2 jacket review

Mid-year saw the switch to the V4 Rally – which is a change that can’t help but shock your senses. More power, more torque, more revs, more mass, more tech, more presence. And yet also instantly familiar. It’s the Spinal Tap epitome of Ducati’s adventure bike genus – turning everything up to 11 in a bid to bamboozle you with excess. 

That excess is laced into every facet and feature – but it’s so harmonious as a package that no single element dominates or detracts. Any bike is only as good as its ability to match your wish list of needs and desires – but if your list includes sublime chassis control, a wildly flexible and visceral engine, pleasingly effective electronics, and a split personality (docile enough to tour, insane enough to do a trackday), then the Rally will make you smile on almost every ride. 

Having been at the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale at the start of 2023 in order to speak to the development and design team, I was interested to know which V4 they would buy. I was surprised that every single one of them said the Multistrada V4 S – a bike I know very well from spending 2021 on one – not the just-released Rally. I thought I’d disagree with them and favour the Rally, even if only for its 30-litre tank and 300+ mile range between fill-ups. But you know what? They were all right. And so was I. Sort of. 

• What’s that kit? Read Rich’s Shoei Hornet ADV helmet review

I adore the V4 Rally’s range, but in almost every other metric, I’d edge towards the V4 S. Fuel range aside, it has all the same Rally-matching brilliance, but delivered in a package that’s just easier to live with. One of the biggest issues with the Rally is finding a perfect tyre, which I don’t feel I ever achieved. No such issues with the S. 

So, which machine would I buy? Rally, V4 S, or DesertX? Money-no-object, it’d be the V4 S in a heartbeat, but the DesX is very hard to ignore if your pockets are baulking at the V4 price tags.

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Feeling the radar love | Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally has tech you didn’t know you wanted

Published 17.01.24

When I first heard about adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection – like the system Ducati use these days – I was nonplussed. I’ve only ever used cruise control to stretch a wrist out or engage in some ill-advised game of hands-free mile-counting (hey, we were all young and stupid once). So why would I want a cleverer version of something I don’t use?

But when I first rode with both systems back in 2021 on Ducati’s Multistrada V4S, I was amazed by how much both systems enhance every ride. All the reasons I didn’t love normal cruise control are answered by the ACC system. And the BS detection is a lovely second layer of defence, too.

Fast forward to 2022, and my long-term test bike was a BMW K1600GT – which has neither system (they’re not even options). Suddenly, I was missing something I thought I’d never wanted or needed – so it was great to have both systems back this year with the Multistrada V4 Rally. 

The ACC is almost faultless, and 99% of the time it’s like having a near-autonomous second rider at your disposal, looking after an aspect of your ride. It’s genuinely brilliant, and makes long motorway journeys much more pleasant. But there is still the odd foible. 

Using anything other than the closest distance setting results in too much electronic caution – but in the shortest setting it will operate how you’d wish the vast majority of the time. The only negative is that approaching a vehicle before sweeping out for an overtake requires more space than you’d normally allow if you were controlling the bike.

As the radar picks up the vehicle you’re sweeping out to pass, it sees the car, not your trajectory, and backs off the throttle until you’re fully in the lane to pass. Yamaha’s system avoids this by overriding the intervention if your indicator is on. 

The only other foibles I’ve found are that manually overriding the system by opening the throttle for a burst of pace can cause you to momentarily panic as the bike slows, then picks up the throttle again as it gets back to target speed.

It’s not the bike’s fault, it’s the rider’s, but it gives you a fleeting sensation that the bike’s developed independent thought. It also has a tendency to be more hesitant around small white vans, too. 

I did also have a ‘BSD’ (Blind Spot Detection) error warning on the dash recently. It stayed on for about 15 miles, then went out – and has never done it before or since. The only danger was that I didn’t know what the ‘BSD’ warning related to and had to look it up later. Thankfully, I look before I change lanes, so didn’t come a cropper.

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Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally: 4500 miles into the love affair, what’s hitting the mark – and what’s lost in the dark?

Published 15.11.23

With the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally adventure bike‘s odo close to 8000 miles, and over 4500 of those with me at the ’bars, it seemed like a good moment to pick on the positives, and to try damn hard to think of something to criticise. But first a note about the bike’s resilience.

It’s had a tough life. It was a normal press bike before I refused to give the keys back, endured three on-road and off-road group tests for MCN, including being launched all over the countryside by James Hillier, and has been through everything the skies could throw at it. The fact that it cleans up like new (barring headers and the odd bracket) is reassuringly impressive. 

So, the hits and misses…

Semi-active suspension – hit

The Multistrada V4 Rally’s semi-active suspension is genuinely impressive. James Hillier didn’t much like it at Dakar-rider pace off-road, but that was always going to be a tough gig. On road, and at mere mortal speeds off-road, it’s superb. Every time I question whether it’s really necessary/a big benefit, I just ride something without it, and the positives become clear.

Heated seat – hit

With the mercury dropping, there have been several 5°C stints in the saddle, sometimes in the lashing rain, too – and the heated seat has been a godsend. To date, I’ve not felt the need to dial it any higher than the ‘Low’ setting, which feels like plenty for warming your cockles. In addition, there are heated grips (this is a fully accessorised bike) that do a fine job of taking the chill out of your digits. Again, I’ve predominantly used the lowest setting (of three) and really felt the benefit. 

Headlight – miss

With about 50% of my saddle time now under the cover of winter darkness, headlamp performance has suddenly become really important. And it’s a bit disappointing. Certainly not bad, but not impressive, either. The quality of light is good, but the reach and spread is less so. The cornering lights are decidedly average, too, doing little to execute their brief, and mainly just annoying other road users through right-hand bends. 

Switchgear – hit

The other observation when half your rides are after sunset is the invaluable benefit of illuminated switchgear. The Multi has a really pleasing lack of clutter and confusion in its switchgear layout, but being able to see what the hell you’re pressing is still absolutely crucial. Jump on a Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE or Honda Africa Twin after riding the Multi, and you’ll want to smash the cubes with a hammer for all the good guessing buttons will do you. Top marks Ducati.

Ventilation – hit

The other impact of colder weather comes from the huge air-scoops on either flank. Now sporting a useful blanking flap secreted within, one can simply push the spring-loaded paddle, and deploy them to the closed position.

Bar adjustment – hit and miss

The Rally boasts marking on the handlebars to allow you to set the bar and controls to road and off-road positions. If you’re gonna be lazy, leave them in the road position. Most owners spend 99% of the time on tarmac – so don’t compromise that comfort with the bars set for off-road. 

Tyre update

In my last update I waxed lyrical about the Metzeler Karoo 4s – only marred by sub-45mph steering feel. 3000 miles ago I fitted a set of Dunlop TrailMax Raids, and their performance considering their 50:50 terrain ability is superb. They don’t have the soft tackiness of the Karoos, but equal grip, braking control, and wet/dry performance – and also cure the steering gripes. However, the tyre noise is highly intrusive.

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Update two: Tyred and emotional – Multistrada V4 Rally gets new boots in the search for all-road performance

Published 17.10.2023

The Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally’s wheels have done a lot of rotating over the last few weeks, adding another 2000 miles to the odometer in a blur of sun-baked hot tarmac, floods, muddy byways and the best that Wales, the Peak District, the North York Moors – and more – have to offer. 

Several things have become lodged in my brain a result, including an interesting lesson about rubber choices. First up is that when piling on the miles in rapid order, you really, really, appreciate the 30-litre fuel tank.

Even with the V4 wailing, and the front wheel skipping over the tarmac, it’ll return 48mpg, a solid 4 or 5mpg improvement over the V4S that I ran in 2019. Travel at pootling pace for a long day in the saddle, and it’ll creep over 50mpg. The upshot of both things combined showed on a 500-mile day with Gareth (Honda Transalp) and Steve (Yamaha Tracer 9GT+) when I needed to refuel at half the rate they did.

The second revelation was the impact of new tyres. The Rally arrived on a set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail IIs, which proved fantastic in all road settings. Fast to warm, more neutral than Switzerland, pleasingly stable but also sporty, and unshakeable in terms of wet and dry grip – they’re great if your off-road ambitions are no more savage than a pub’s gravel car park. But I wanted to get the Rally into stickier situations. 

On went a set of Metzeler Karoo 4s (circa £290 per pair + fitting) – and I very nearly didn’t make it around the first roundabout. So, let’s deal with the one downside first: They had a tangibly negative impact on steering characteristics at sub-50mph speeds.

Turn-in was akin to having a flat tyre and a rudder to steer it with, and the back pressure on the bars as the front wheel tried to undo your steering input and get the bike straight and upright, was exceptionally unusual. Once used to it, it was in no way prohibitive to progress, but it wasn’t nice. But there’s a big but coming. 

In every other aspect, they’re some of the most impressive adventure tyres I’ve ever used. They feel ready to go from the moment you pull away, the large blocks are super-stable, tyre noise is very low, and the grip from both front and rear is astounding.

Aggressive throttle and brake inputs at big lean don’t faze them, and – wet or dry – it takes deliberate brutality to inspire any sort of warning-light disco on the dash, other than the anti-wheelie constantly bringing the front back into contact with the tarmac thanks to the drive grip from the rear. Steering oddness aside, I couldn’t find a single thing to criticise. I’ve now switched to the excellent new Dunlop TrailMax Raids. More on those next time…

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Update one: Karma chameleon – Award-winning Multistrada V4 Rally replaces the DesertX in Rich’s affections

Published 06.09.2023

It shouldn’t be this good. It really shouldn’t. How Ducati have managed to create a bike that packs 168bhp into its superbike-derived wailing V4, while also managing to make it docile and effortlessly controllable on all terrains, in all conditions, at all aggression levels is really rather extraordinary.

The fact that they’ve packaged that beautifully schizophrenic mill into a bike that weighs 260kg fuelled and ready to ride, but which feels like 210kg is also impressive.

And the design ingenuity they’ve employed to get the fuel tank up to 30 litres with a barely visible (or physical) increase in outward tank size from the stock Multistrada V4’s 21 litre offering, is really satisfying. No birthing-position splayed legs here. And the rider-supporting aids on offer really do change the character of the whole package to be the ultimate mirror to your mood or environment.

Shape shifter

Navigation through the backlit switchgear (a godsend in the dark) will guide you intuitively to almost any setting within the menus with just one or two clicks. It’s possibly the best interface on any bike for logical simplicity and effectiveness.

And if you want to ride connected, the Ducati App is as good as most (but not amazing), while the Sygic-driven mapping is also effective rather than class-leading. It’s got a lot better, and more stable, than when the system debuted on the Multi V4 in 2021, but it’s not perfect. 

But it’s the bike’s dynamic electronics that are most incredible. The semi-active Skyhook suspension is astoundingly good on road and off it – and the amount of adjustment on offer in each mode is excellent. Come to a halt for 20 seconds and it’ll even automatically dump all its preload so your feet can be more intimate with the ground. 

In the heat of the day

The V4 kicks out a fair bit of heat. Lovely in winter, potentially less so in summer. But the rear-cylinder deactivation is impressively near-impossible to detect – and effective in reducing heat and fuel consumption at low rpm. It really is stepless in operation, too. If you didn’t know it could do it, you wouldn’t know it was happening. 

The new flaps in the ‘wings’ really help with rider airflow management, too. Exceptionally cooling in summer, they can now be closed off in winter to stop you being blasted with cold air. 

‘Free’ time has been in short supply of late, meaning much of the 1500 miles I’ve racked up in the last four weeks has been delivered in 200-mile chunks, almost all on B-roads, covering everywhere from West Wittering on the south coast, to Winnats Pass in the Peak District and Cromer on the East coast.

Wales is next on the list, along with some planned 500-mile days of on- and off-road exploration. What I can be absolutely assured of, is that I’ll be comfortable at all times. 12+hour days in the saddle are more effortless than on pretty much any other bike you can buy. Whatever your mood, destination, terrain or weather – it’s close to perfection, which is why it’s our 1000cc+ Adventure Bike of the Year 2023.