Would you go bushbashing in a Ferrari? If Ducati bolted it together for you, the answer is probably yes. When Ducati’s Multistrada Enduro was released a couple of years back buyers were slightly sceptical … until they rode it. Now the model has been so successful it’s getting the larger 1260 V-twin engine fitted earlier this year to its road-focused stablemate.
While the oversized 1260 badges leave no doubt as to which version you’re looking at, the changes to the Multistrada 1260 Enduro are subtle. The extra 64cc is all about creating a much bigger mid-range. Ducati claims 17 percent more torque (127Nm) at 5500rpm and 85 percent of peak torque on tap all the way from 3500rpm.
Bodywork changes are limited to a reshaped fuel tank to allow 30mm lower bars than before and a seat 10mm lower, plus there’s a new aluminium sump guard. Key elements that distinguish the Enduro – the 30-litre fuel tank and the 19” and 17” wire wheels – remain.
The Multistrada Enduro is packed with the latest tech. There’s Ducati’s DSS ‘Skyhook’ electronic suspension, made by Sachs, which is retuned for the 1260 model. And that leads a host of tech goodies including multiple riding modes, IMU-assisted traction control and ABS, hill-start assistance and wheelie control. The dashboard – Ducati calls it a Human Machine Interface, or HMI – is a colour TFT unit featuring Ducati’s smartphone-linking multimedia system.
There are four ready-made accessory packs Touring, with Touratech aluminium panniers and heated grips; Sport, with a Termignoni exhaust; Urban, which adds luggage and a USB-equipped tank bag; and Enduro which loads the bike with Touratech parts including crash bars for a more off-road look.
It’s set to go on sale in early 2019
