2018 Ducati Multistrada 1260 S: Heaven on two wheels

I'm a firm believer that motorcycles should inspire special feelings in your daily life. Heck, just looking at my Triumph makes my juices flow, even if it's snowing outside. Bikes are inherently less practical – not to mention far riskier – so why not get one that's worth the compromises? Buy a car with your brain, I say, but let your heart choose the right bike.

When I spent the first few minutes contemplating the Ducati Multistrada 1260 S, well … let's just say that my heart was not exactly racing. This is not a bad-looking bike by any means, but aesthetically, it's far from evocative. Visually, the taller and somewhat ungainly, with two Ducati's badier, two-wheeled offerings. On that first meeting, I was left feeling a bit cold.

That quickly changed. After a few miles in the saddle, I was keenly aware that I was one of the greatest motorcycles ever.

The package

Ducati has made a Multistrada of some shape or another for over 15 years now, starting with the original Multistrada 1000 back in the early 2000s. That bike helped the gap between the touring and high-strung super motorcycle. Now, the 1260 S is the latest, and fastest, evolution of that theme: extreme speed and commitment in an upright, comfortable and effortlessly capable package.

The new bike is built around Ducati's 1,262cc Testastretta DVT engine, which is shared with the sporty Diavel cruiser. DVT stands for Desmodromic Variable Timing, which enables the bike to automatically and continuously adjust its valve overlap to provide both smoothness and power. "Testastretta" meanwhile means "narrow-head," a moniker attached to this latest flavor of the company's iconic L-twin configuration, which you can think of as a laid-back V-twin. Not laid back in terms of performance, mind. A whopping 158 horsepower means this bike is far from relaxed.

It would not be a problem if it was not possible to do so. The Multi S offers what Ducati calls Skyhook Suspension Evolution, so named to represent the feeling of being attached to the sky, not riding along the road. Evocative titles aside, this is one of the most advanced active suspension setups on the road, relying on a series of accelerometers and gyros to detect bike position and suspension movement, dynamically adjusting both front fork and rear shock with latency times measured in milliseconds.

Layer on a lean-sensitive traction control, anti-lock braking system and a quick-shifter that can manage clutchless up- and downshifts, and you have one of the fanciest bikes on the planet – as you might expect for its $ 20,995 starting price .

The ride

You do not need to read the latest version of Multistrada, but it helps. The 1260 S offers multiple seat heights, the lowest being 825 mm (32.5 inches), the one that my 31-inch inseam demanded. For those with longer legs, it raises to 845 mm (33.3 inches). Even lowered, swinging a leg on the pillion and generous grab-handles still required a bit of a stretch for me. But once a day on the bike, and surprisingly folding seat, I had no problem getting both feet on the ground.

They would not stay there for long. For my first 90 minutes astride the Multi, my feet did not touch the ground ounce. That's partly because I'm lucky to live in a place with few stop signs and less streetlights, so I could just motor along freely. More importantly, despite my height, the Multi is so well-balanced that I would be able to bring it down to a full stop where required by law, and then accelerate away again without a wobble and without putting a foot down. That's the kind of comfort that usually takes some time to develop on a new machine.

The riding position on the Multistrada does not feel good at first. You sit upright, hands splayed out wide and high, feet pulled back in a sporty way out. But the broad position delivers incredible leverage on the wide bars. The lightest bit of pressure on one grip or the other sends the bike dipping towards the apex, showing the kind of responsiveness you might expect from something so lanky.

Cornering, then, is borderline telepathic, as is braking. Just a quick squeeze with one or two fingers on the back of the head. And then, there's throttle.

Though the latest variable-valve magic, the L-twin is still a big twin. At very low revs, it can still be a bit grumpy, shaking and rumbling and fussing. But let that motor has its head a bit, which you really should anyway, and the rush of speed is compelling. The Multistrada surges forward with the kind of manic aggression that will make you think you're astride at sportbike snarling. But, with a comprehensive traction and stability control system, you need not worry about a wheelchair or wheelies spoiling your fun. Just point and squirt.

And when it's time to grab another gear, a quick flick of the ankle will do. The quick-shifter here is smooth and capable at any time and any throttle opening. It makes it easy to grab the next gear, or indeed the previous one, without worrying about the clutch. And that brings us back to the Multistrada's repertoire: touring.

Though the 1260 S is a lot of fun in shorts blasts, this is really a bike made for much longer wrinkles, and it's here that it really, really shines. Those high, wide grips hide behind generous brush guards that will keep the worst of the weather away from your gloves. When it gets really hot, heated grips are just a button-away. The tall windscreen, too, creates a heck of a cocoon, and if you need more protection it raises or lowers with a quick, simple, manual mechanism.

The suspension is a remarkable job of delivering positive feel and response, yet it soaks up mbadive road imperfections without complaint. And, should the ride be too hard, a few flicks with your left thumb can pick a softer setting. Fresh pavement ahead? Go ahead and dive back to Sports mode and live it up.

So the perfect tourer, then? It would be for me, but perhaps not for everybody. If there's a problem here, it's that the Multi always feels "on." Even when dialed back to a gentler mode, it's never short of playful and lively. For endless runs down amazing mountain pbades, that's not a problem. But if your concept of "touring" has more to do with relaxed droning down the highway, this bike may be a little too on its toes for you.

The tech

Switchable drive modes are just the beginning of the wonderment buried in the Multistrada's multifunction LCD display. It's here that you can customize each of the bike's ride modes (Sports, Touring, Urban and Enduro to start) to an amazing level of detail. You can adjust the firmness of the suspension from hardest to softest You can also adjust (or disable) the traction control and the ABS, plus change the throttle mapping and dozen other things.

The level of customization is amazing, and it is possible to do it via thumb checks is similarly impressive – though I'm a bit dumbfounded why Ducati did not include a simple "back" button. Instead, you're left scrolling to the top or bottom of the list.

Controls on the bike are intuitive, my only real gripe being the headlight controls. The high-beam switch is in the traditional place, but it does not stop there. This meant I was flashing others.

But, alone on a country road in the middle of the night, prepare to be amazed. The headlights on the Multitrans are more than many cars I've driven, covering the entire road ahead, even popping on additional lights that shine left or right when you dip into a turn.

Pricing and configuration

The 2018 Ducati Multistrada starts at $ 20,995, which is well worth the money Honda Civic. But, it's a good thing that it will not excite like this. For that outlay, you'll get yourself an active motorcycle with all the adaptive suspension features and rider aids, plus niceties like keyless ignition that I did not know I wanted on a motorcycle.

Options, then, are mostly cosmetics and comfort, with many bits like carbon fiber mudgards, a center stand and, of course, panniers. This being a Ducati, you can also speculate with a carbon-wrapped Termignoni exhaust, which will fill your ears while lightening your wallet by $ 1,072.08. Curiously, heated grips are not standard. You'll need to drop another $ 350 for those.

Otherwise, that $ 20,995 gets you everything you need. Yes, that could be seen as an outrageous sum of money, but in terms of overall capability and poise, the Ducati Multistrada 1260 S. Ducati Multistrada , I confess I still did not care much for the look of the thing, but I did not look back.

What a machine.