Adamchildchad Forties, 5'7, has been professionally bike testing for 20-years and has attended more than 350 bike launches and covered over a million road test miles. International road racer, with race wins at Oliver's Mount, podiums in NZ and two top ten TT finishes. Chad is just as happy off-road or on a classic bike.
Just when you thought Ducati had provided us with every possible variant of the Multistrada, from the excellent off-road biased Rally complete with 19-inch front wheel, to the sporty 17-inch wheeled Pikes Peak, the Italian factory comes up with yet another.
With every market niche and nuance seemingly covered by the V2 and V4 Multistrada platforms, Ducati suddenly and unexpectedly announced an even faster, sportier, more powerful and exclusive Multistrada than ever before. A machine that goes like stink on road and even track but, crucially, retains that all important Multistrada usability.
The RS uses the more powerful Desmosedici Stradale engine from the Streetfighter, and not the spring valve-operated Granturismo found in every other Multi V4, making it the most powerful Multi yet, but still comes with adaptive cruise control, a comfortable riding position and the facilities for integrated panniers. If it were a car, it would probably be a Lamborghini Urus - comfortable, practical, blisteringly quick, and a bit mad.
Pros and Cons
The fastest, sportiest and most extreme Multistrada ever
192hp (with optional Akrapovič exhaust fitted)
A genuine track bike that is also a capable tourer
Expensive
Demand will probably outstrip supply
Full race exhaust isn’t road legal and costs €3300
Ducati already offers a 170hp Pikes Peak version of its Multistrada V4 range, but if that wasn't mad enough, take a look at this: Ducati's Multistrada V4 RS which is fitted with the same engine as the Streetfighter V4 and produces 180hp, or 192 if you fit the full race exhaust.
How much is the 2024 Ducati Multistrada V4 RS? £30,695.
Yes, the new and exclusive RS is, at over £30,000, pricey indeed and, at £5000 more than the Pikes Peak, the most expensive Multistrada in the range. However, the performance and exclusivity of the RS are more on par with a limited-edition superbike or Ducati’s own Streetfighter V4 SP2 (£31,295). The standard Streetfighter V4 S (£23,795) shares the RS's Stradale power unit but the Multistrada has a superior spec, including Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Detection, and is more versatile.
Our test bike was fitted with the optional Akrapovič exhaust system that increases peak power to 192hp and reduces weight by 5kg but costs an additional €3300.
Looking across the wider market it’s hard to find a direct competitor to this near-200hp crossover with superbike dimensions and chassis (including the latest Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 semi-active suspension). Kawasaki has the 197bhp supercharged Ninja H2 SX SE performance tourer (£27,649). It's certainly fast and suitably mad but tops the scales at 267kg to the RS's expected 210kg (dry). BMW has shown the sports-focused M 1000 XR, but prices and specs haven’t been released as yet.
2024 Ducati Multistrada V4 RS - Power and torque
This is a big step and a significant transformation for the Multistrada, as every other V4 in the range uses the non-desmo 1158cc Granturismo engine. Introduced in 2021, it makes 170hp/125kw @10,500rpm and 92lbft/125Nm of torque @ 8750rpm and features extra wide service intervals, including a 36,000-mile valve check.
The new RS uses the 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 that you would normally find powering the Streetfighter V4 or Panigale V4. This smaller-capacity V4 retains Ducati's signature desmo valve system and narrower, conventional service intervals but revs higher to generate up to 180hp/130kw at 12,250rpm. With the booming, optional Akrapovič race exhaust fitted that figure is elevated by a further 12hp, pushing claimed peak power to 192hp. Not bad for an all-rounder.
A slight downside of the revvier, racier engine is that it produces a little less torque and makes its peak numbers higher up the rev range than the 'normal' Multi V4s. Peak torque is a claimed 87lbft/118Nm @ 9500rpm, compared to 92lbft/125Nm @8750rpm. That race exhaust pushes it to 88.5lbft/120Nm.
Pub note: the RS's Stradale is not a direct lift from the Streetfighter, as peak power and torque are slightly higher on the naked sportster: 205hp/153kw @13,000rpm and 90.4ftlb/123Nm @9500rpm.
This is quite a transformation, and a step few outside the Bologna factory were expecting, as the Pike Peak is already a seriously quick and sporty Multistrada. But adding the rev-happy Stradale engine moves the goal posts not a few yards but into the next field. The RS's 180hp is ten more than the Pikes Peak, and with the race exhaust fitted (as tested), 22hp more. To add to the excitement, the RS runs shorter gearing than the Pikes Peak and punches more like the super-aggressive Streetfighter than a Multi.
Being a Ducati, there's a plethora of rider aids to help the pilot get the most out of the bike's improved performance. We still have four riding modes: Sport, Touring, Urban and a Race mode to replace the usual Enduro setting and bring the RS in line with the street and track focused Streetfighter and Panigale. Each riding mode also controls the level of intervention of a large raft of lean-sensitive rider aids. There are four power modes – low, medium, high and full – again like the Streetfighter and Panigale. Even in the high-power mode, there is a reduced torque in first, second, and third gear. If you want undiluted power in every gear – and I'm not sure many will! – you have to opt for the full-power mode.
The power delivery is immense and feels more dramatic on the RS than it does on the Streetfighter, even though it’s a few horsepower down. As I left the pitlane to join the Autodromo di Modena racetrack in northern Italy, the RS felt just like a 17-inch wheeled Multistrada, but then, when I opened the taps, it revved and delivered with the brutality of a Panigale V4 – a bizarre and most exciting combination.
Aware that I was only the second rider outside of Ducati to ride the new RS, I was certainly a little anxious. Thankfully I’d ridden the Modena circuit many times, including on a Pikes Peak, so was able to focus on what is a startling machine, and attack from lap one.
It’s a tight and twisty track with a lengthy straight, which gave the RS the chance to stretch its legs. Instinctively, I revved it hard – the Stradale V4 makes you do this – shifting from second gear to third and fourth, then fifth gear on the straight, only when the shift lights illuminated.
This is racing bike territory. Fast group pace with Multistrada comfort.
The digital rev counter builds as the V4 revs with liquid ease. There's no such thing as a slow Multistrada – the Granturismo V4 is truly class leading – but the conventional all-rounder, tuned for midrange and drive through an Alpine pass, is done with just 10,000rpm showing. At these rpm, the new RS is still revving towards peak power at 12,250rpm and will happily rev on to 13,000rpm. In the twisty sections of the circuit, I could hold onto the revs as if I was chasing a lap time on a Panigale.
On paper, torque is down compared to the standard Multi, but when you are on track and using the upper 25% of the rev range you don’t miss the slight lack of grunt. Out of Modena's final turn, with the anti-wheelie on a low setting, I could feel the 17-inch forged Marchesini wheel hovering above the Italian track as the power kicked and shovelled me down the main straight.
The combination of a fast-revving, powerful engine, a perfectly synchronized up-and-down quick-shifter, and excellent rider aids understandably perhaps, tricks you into riding the RS like Streetfighter V4 S or even the Panigale – a hyper naked for the ages or a superbike built to win WSBK rather than a machine designed to take you and your partner on holiday. When you remember it can accommodate fixed panniers, it feels, as noted, pleasantly odd.
A significant change from Multistrada normality is the introduction of a 17-inch front wheel to replace the 19-inch front on the standard Multi. The rims are also 2.7kg lighter, which saves on un-sprung weight, and can also be shod with track-focused rubber. Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa are the OE fitment, but our test bike wore Pirelli slicks.
Other weight savings include the introduction of a titanium subframe, which is a first for Ducati and saves another 2.5kg. (Ducati had a separate subframe in the garage for me to examine, and I couldn’t believe how light it was.)
The premium Multistrada V4 S and new Grand Tour both use the familiar Skyhook Marzocchi semi-active suspension, whereas the new RS uses Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 units similar to the Panigale V4 S, Streetfighter V4 S and the Pikes Peak.
Each riding mode changes the damping characteristics of the suspension. To allow me to get used to the new RS I initially opted for Sports mode, with a little more support from the excellent rider aids. However, within a few laps on grippy Pirelli slicks, it was obvious this was a little too soft with too much transition and the pegs were close to touching down, toes sliders occasionally touching too.
You can change mode on the move (with a closed throttle) but I opted to return to the pits, change the mode and trim the rider aids. Now in Race mode the suspension was very different with far less dive on the forks and the suspension holding the chassis on the apex and giving the Pirelli slicks an easier time. Ground clearance was also increased meaning the RS could carry more corner speed. Every lap it encouraged more lean angle and more corner speed.
Long-travel, semi-active suspension – ideal for long-distance performance, less ideal for the racetrack – could be seen as a red flag to sporty riders but the feel and feedback from the Öhlins units are excellent, especially considering the Multi started life as a multi-purpose adventure bike. The RS instilled so much confidence that I turned down the traction control intervention and removed the anti-wheelie altogether. I could feel the limit approaching as if I was on a well set-up sports bike.
In the pictures, the RS certainly looks like a big bike, but that's not how it feels onboard. Ducati hasn’t yet quoted its weight at the time of writing. Since then, the firm has confirmed a wet weight with no fuel - confusingly - at 225kg.
I’d like to run the RS against the stopwatch to see how close it is to a Streetfighter or Panigale over a lap or three. I think on the right (possibly tight) track the RS will be close; its wide bars and tall stance should make it relatively easy to throw around in slow corners.
As you would expect, the RS gets the very latest stoppers from Brembo: Stylema monobloc calipers and 330mm discs with a radial master cylinder and corning ABS. These race spec stoppers are the same as you’d find on the Multistrada V4 S and Pikes Peak, but now they are stopping less weight.
On the track, they were faultless, and the high riding position and upright stance resulted in excellent stability. The corning ABS is superb, even at a solid track day pace, it’s not intrusive and can be relied upon.
Ducati has added a more progressive rear brake lever, something they did on the Multistrada Rally, and changed the master cylinder to makes the rear brake sharper and more usable. Because the RS runs a similar engine to the Panigale and Streetfighter, this allows the introduction of a three stage Engine Brake Control, which allows you to control the amount of engine braking from the V4 and is a first for the Multistrada range.
This was a track-only test, but the RS is still a Multistrada and should come with all the excellent ergonomics and comfort certainly of the Pikes Peak model with which it shares many similarities. As mentioned, the RS still comes with adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection. There is even an Urban mode which drops maximum power to 84kw/113hp and reduces the power in all gears.
The slight downside of a revvier engine with more performance is worse fuel consumption. The standard Multistrada Pikes Peak is quoted at 7l/100km or 40.3mpg, whereas the RS is 7.3l/100km or 38.7mpg. That’s not a huge difference but I’d expect an RS owner to use the revs and ride a little harder, which could drop its mpg to the mid-30s. With a 22l fuel tank, however, you won't have to fill up as often as you would on a Streetfighter, which has a 17l fuel tank. Plus, if you are overly concerned about fuel consumption on an exotic Ducati, you’ve probably bought the wrong bike.
An extensive list of rider aids and high-tech features, including radar detection, makes the RS the most advanced Multistrada ever. In fact, it’s one of the most advanced bikes on the market as it combines the racy tech of the Streetfighter and Panigale with the proven touring and distance-focused electronic wizardry of the Multistrada range. For example, you have track-focused rider aids including changeable engine brake control, and also Vehicle Hold Control, backlit switchgear, that radar – not forgetting the Öhlins Smart EC2.0 suspension. All this is managed via a familiar 6.5-inch TFT dash with Ducati Connectivity. Yes, you can have a full map navigation on the display to guide you to your next track day.
Carbon fibre bodywork (mudguard, 'beak' and handguards) is standard, along with the road-approved Akrapovič muffler (unlike not full race exhaust as fitted to our test bike).
Other small touches worth noting are a new heatshield, closable air deflectors and an air-cooled phone compartment, all of which were first seen on the Multi Rally.
If you want to add more, the colour-matching integrated panniers look very neat. The catalogue of optional factory goodies is pleasingly long and expensive and includes a dry clutch, which sounds fantastic, crash protection and even an indoor bike cover.
As someone who likes a crisp sporting edge to their all-rounders, I was impressed by the Multistrada Pikes Peak when I rode it at the Modena track a year ago but, with the RS, Ducati has moved the game on and pushed the boundaries of what it possible on a crossover machine.
A 192hp, free revving beast of a V4 in a chassis that possesses many of the qualities of the excellent Streetfighter and Panigale, mixed with the all-round versatility of the Multistrada, makes for an intoxicating blend. Especially when, for me at least, it's the best-looking Multi in the range.
This was a track only road test but I'm certain that, like all the Multis, the RS will be capable of churning out some big miles in comfort, and I can hardly imagine how exciting it will be on unrestricted German Autobahn.
Yes, at over £30,00 it’s expensive but so too is it exotic. How many times, I wonder, have Panigale owners craved a little more comfort, range or practicality? Well, give or take a few meaningless tenths of a second from a trackday lap time, here is that motorcycle. It will tear up Europe as easily as it will hold its own in the trackday fast group.
Who needs that? I do, actually, and I suspect many more will too. I love the fact that Ducati has been brave and bold enough to produce something that's somehow both so practical and so utterly crazy.
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