READY FOR THE WORLD

Is the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally an able contender for global exploration?

- Joshua Varghese

WHEN CONSIDERING circumnavigating the globe, the GS range of motorcycles come to mind first for most people. Ducati set out to create their own globe-trotter with a capital G and it is called the Multistrada V4 Rally.

The Ducati Multistrada V4 is among the best ADVs I have ever ridden but the thought of going around the world on it never occurred to me until the V4 Rally came by. The Multistrada V4 Rally is not just a V4 S with spoke wheels. We already had that. The V4 Rally is the most off-road-ready and I would even say everything-ready Multistrada yet. It is as Multi as it gets but taller, wider, and heavier.

No cast alloy wheels for the Rally, just lightweight cross-spoked rims, 17-inch rear and 19-inch front. The icing on the cake is that these wheels are lighter, making considerable savings in terms of unsprung mass; 3.2 kilograms to be precise when compared to the V4 S' spoked wheels.

The question "should it not have had a 21-inch front wheel?" may be pertinent if one is looking at this machine as a pure off-roader but it is not. It is Ducati's overlander and while it is their most off-road capable Multi yet, it is also expected to live up to the manufacturer's handling prowess on the road; which it does in good fashion.

The Marzocchi semi-active units controlled by Ducati Skyhook Suspension Evo is impressive in keeping the rider blissfully ignorant of most imperfections on the road while also working the tyres into the ground to generate enough grip to go around corners with maximum speed and minimum effort. The leverage offered by the wide handlebar contributes generously to the latter. The electronic suspension also changes the way one lives with a motorcycle like this because one can always press a button and have the preload set up perfectly for rider only, pillion, and even luggage.