Built For Adventure 2016 Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro

The 2016 Ducati Multist rada 1200 Enduro is decidedly not a street bike dress ed in ADV clothing. Ducati has done their due diligence and set their sights on acquiring a piece of the adventure motorcycle market.

- Bret Tkacs

The 2016 Ducati Multristrada 1200 Enduro is decidedly not a street bike dressed in ADV clothing. Ducati has done their due diligence and set their sights on acquiring a piece of the adventure motorcycle market. To find out if Ducati was ready for prime time, I flew on behalf of ADVMoto to the island of Sardinia (Italy) for Ducati’s international press launch. The goal was to determine if the Multistrada 1200 Enduro could withstand the duties of long-distance touring with the capability to handle both twisty roads and off-road excursions.

It was immediately obvious that Ducati didn’t simply put a 19" front rim on the Multistrada 1200 and rebadge it as the Enduro. Over 30% of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro is completely different than the Multistrada 1200, including a stronger sub-frame, a twin-sided swing arm that no longer mounts to the motor, a six-speed transmission with a shorter first gear ratio for off-road use, altered steering geometry in its trellis frame, and numerous other changes. The one carryover that really mattered was the powerful 1200cc Testastretta engine with Desmodromic Variable Timing (DVT), remapped for its new role as a globetrotter. This proven motor puts out 160hp at 9,500 rpm with 100 ft. lbs. at 7,500 rpm. The torque curve has the profile of a picnic table and pulls like a diesel truck.