Following on from my test of BMW's S1000XR I finally got my hands on the new Multistrada today. Less sun and less grippy tarmac than I enjoyed for the BMW but it was at least dry. Seastar Superbikes up near Norwich were the obliging dealership. Again I went with my mate, who took his 2013 Multistrada along for comparison.
Visually, the new Multistrada looks like a soft evolution from the 2013 model. The fairings are less angular and more smoothed, and it looks as refined as you'd expect a third generation model to be. Riding position is good (we took out two versions - the standard and the D-Air) and we had the lowered seats on each. The screen feels a little further away than the 2013 model, and from the Caponord too. The seat is more padded than the Caponord but doesn't really feel too different. Perhaps you lean forward a little more than the Caponord but that's about it. With a lowered seat my legs were bent a bit more but that didn't prove a problem over an hour's riding - maybe it would be on a full day.
On the base model the display is pretty spartan but still has a lot more information than the Caponord - it just feels a little lost on such a big screen. On the S and D-Air models the colour TFT screen is marvellous with lots of little details in the animation, such as main numbers highlighting as you go up the rev range. The amount of customisation you can do to the bike's settings, for traction, wheelie, ABS control, is immense, but I imagine that unless you're going to take this off road then you'll soon end up with settings that you're comfortable with and then stick with them. I ran both bikes in full power mode on the Touring setting, with suspension set up for one rider. The power is huge (more on that later) but in this mode there was no snatch on the throttle and I don't think I'd drop down to the lower power modes unless the weather was extreme.
Firing up the engine and the improvements Ducati have made are immediately apparent - it doesn't sound like a souped up sewing machine any longer! Blipping the throttle doesn't give the same bark that the Caponord has but it is still quite musical. I don't know whether it was the clutch settings but I found it an easy bike to stall - it needs a few revs to get it moving away. It might be my problem though, rather than the bike's.
The new Multistrada had no fuelling issue that I could sense. It will hold a speed down to just below 2,000 rpm without surging in all the gears, and is a world apart from the Aprilia. At real extreme low revs it felt better than the BMW but once you're over 2,000 rpm the BMW was smoother. Open the throttle at those low revs though and there isn't a huge amount of torque nor a pleasant sound - very agricultural Ducati. Move up to 2,500 - 3,000 rpm though and then the engine starts to sing. I needed a few miles to find where the engine was happy, and once I did then I started to get a big grin that just kept getting bigger. It is an absolute joy - seemingly endless power that's both brutal and controllable. It didn't feel like it enjoyed holding sustained revs at the top of the range, but provided you were moving through the revs - up or down - it was perfect. Coming down the revs you can feel the variable timing kick in as they sink below 3,000 - it becomes looser and loses some engine braking.
The handling is excellent. Not as razor sharp as the BMW but a step up from the 2013 model and significantly better than the Caponord. The standard suspension was surprisingly good, and there were times on the ride where I preferred it to the D-Air's active suspension. The active suspension is marvellous though - it firms up beautifully when you ask more of it, but also eats up cat's eyes and other bumps in a very similar way to the Caponord. It feels far lighter and easier to change direction than the Caponord, but not as sharp as the BMW.
The gearbox is great, and once you work out where it is happy then the clutch really isn't necessary. I didn't experience any false neutrals either, a problem on the 2013 model especially when looking for 5th gear. There was some vibration though, I think around 4,000 to 5,000 rpm. The base model had something on the left side behind me audibly vibrate, and on both models I had a little tingling in my right hand. Less than the BMW but it was there nevertheless.
Riding both the S1000XR and now the new Multistrada has left me feeling that they're both superior to the Caponord in many different ways, and reaffirmed my thoughts that it is time for a change. However, as with the BMW, I think it is worth mentioning the price once again. A fully loaded Multistrada S with the travel option (panniers, heated grips and centre stand) will give you enough change from £17,000 to fill it up, tax it and make a contribution to your insurance. It is a very expensive bike. When I look at my 2013 Caponord I cannot say that it is £8,000 better. But it is better enough, as is the BMW, to think about a change. I just don't know what to change to. Time for another ride on the XR before making my mind up...
