John BraunPhoenix Wheels Examiner
I'm here to tell you that there is such a thing as a free lunch. I had one today courtesy of Go AZ Motorcycles in Scottsdale. Turkey sandwiches. Tasty.
As if the free lunch wasn't enough, Ducati was on hand to unveil their latest creation for dessert. Multistrada 1200. Delicious.
Following the free lunch and fellowship with other like-minded enthusiasts, Jeff, the visiting Ducati rep, gave a primer on the new bike, complete with a PowerPoint presentation to punctuate the particulars. The whole while, the Multistrada 1200 sat in the back, under a floor length black veil.
Once the final slide disappeared, Jeff was quick to gather the crowd, and yank the veil.
Woo-hoo!
Ducati has swung for the fences on this one. Billed as a four-in-one motorcycle, the Multistrada 1200 has four modes to accommodate just about any riding style. Sport, touring, urban and enduro. Pretty much covers it all.
Let's start with the basics. The 1200 cc L-Twin engine has 4 valves per cylinder, Desmodromic and liquid cooled. The upshot is 150 hp at 9250 rpm with 87.5 lb-ft of torque at 7500 rpm. Connected to the transmission via a wet clutch with slipper action, the bike is sure to carry on Ducati's tradition of performance. The fully adjustable suspension, big Brembo brakes and a dry weight of only 412 lbs further ensures great performance. Finally, the Multistrada sports a keyless ignition system. Keep the fob in your pocket, and push the button.
The Multistrada has a selector which changes various suspension, traction control and engine mapping settings to dial the bike into any one of the four modes available. Commuting to work? Start out in Sport mode for ramp ride onto the 51, switch to Touring mode for the cruise downtown, then into Urban mode for the final leg to whichever office building is home to your top floor executive suite. Take an extended lunch, and head up north a bit to enjoy some off-road trails in Enduro mode. That's a work day.
Available in base, Touring edition and Sport edition, Ducati has done a great job of covering just about everyone with this bike. The Touring edition comes with side cases, heated grips and a center stand. Sport comes with some additional carbon fiber bits (cam belt covers, air intakes and rear hugger). Both include the DES (Ducati Electronic Suspension) and ABS.
Delivery begins in April. Contact Go AZ Motorcycles for more information.
Watch the video.
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