A motorcycle that is four bikes in one. That’s the claim Ducati makes for its 2010 Multistrada 1200 S, a machine with traction control, an electronically variable suspension, and “ride-by-wire” throttle control—all administered in four selectable categories: sport, touring, urban, and enduro (for off-road riding). This technology isn’t exactly new—luxury and performance cars have enjoyed it for a few years—but employing it on motorcycles is.
In the first two modes, the bike’s Testastretta 1198-cc V-twin engine produces its full 150 horsepower, but in urban and enduro modes, the power is cut back to 100 horses to keep things sane. There are different throttle maps for each of the four settings, along with eight levels of traction control. The Öhlins front fork and rear shock automatically vary compression and rebound damping, and the shock can also vary spring preload.
Beyond the four riding modes, the system allows the selection of a rider-only setting, in addition to “rider with luggage,” “rider and passenger,” and “rider and passenger with luggage.” This ought to endow the $19,995 Multistrada 1200 S with a versatility heretofore unknown to motorcycles.
Add its high-performance engine and chassis, the extensive ground clearance, and the bespoke Pirelli Scorpion Trail tires, and a rider will be able to undertake a long journey in comfort, speed up to dice some other bikes in the canyons, and then leave the road to explore a trail—all with equal facility.
In case you think this is an isolated development, consider BMW’s sharp new S 1000 RR sport bike. It, too, features a four-category menu for its “race ABS” and dynamic traction control. This bike has a rain setting that cuts power from a volcanic 193 to “just 150,” then trims it further if the gyro angle sensor detects the bike leaning beyond a preset threshold.
The systems relax their vigilance in steps as the rider selects sport, race, or slick modes, which allow increasing amounts of wheelslip, rear-wheel lift under braking, and even diminishing wheelie protection. The slick mode is intended for use on the track with slick tires and requires insertion of a special key to actuate it, à la Bugatti Veyron.
For riders who know what they’re doing, the ABS and traction control can be shut off completely. Indeed, the base-model S 1000 RR ($13,800) is not fitted with the multimode option, which adds $1480 to the price. BMW also offers a speed-shift option ($450), allowing full-throttle clutchless shifts.
It’s clear from the arrival of these two bikes that electronics are changing the once primitive iron horse into something more like a cyborg horse.