After its global unveil in November last year, Ducati had Indian enthusiasts waiting for quite a while before launching the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 and V4S here. The Multistrada V4 joins the Ducati V4 family along with the Panigale V4 and Streetfighter V4. Prices for the 2021 Multistrada V4 range starts from Rs 18.99 lakh and at Rs 23.10 lakh, the more expensive V4S features the world’s first front and rear radar assistance on a bike.
The Multistrada V4S comes with the world’s first front and rear radar assistance on a bike with blindspot detection (BSD) and adaptive cruise control (ACC) as standard. The ACC has four levels of adjustment and can modulate the braking and acceleration depending on the distance from other vehicles when riding between 30 to 160kmph. The BSD detects and signals when vehicles approach at high speeds from behind or when they are approaching from behind and might not be visible to the rider.
Both variants come with four riding modes — Travel, Enduro, Sport and Urban. The V4 comes with a 5-inch digital cluster whereas the V4S comes with an adjustable 6.5-inch digital cluster and comes with a mirroring function along with Ducati Connect and Ducati Multimedia System.
The Multistrada V4 shares its powertrain with the rest of the Ducati V4 family — a 1158cc V4 ‘Granturismo’ engine producing 168bhp at 10500rpm and 125Nm at 8750rpm. The new engine is 1.2kg lighter than the previous ‘Testastretta’ powertrain that was in the Multistrada 1260. Ducati says that the compactness of the new engine allows it to achieve a lower centre of gravity, which improves handling. The V4 and V4S have an increased valve clearance interval of 60,000km, which is 35,000km more than the outgoing Multistrada 1260 and has a maintenance interval of 15,000km.
Both variants in the Multistrada V4 range come with a 170mm wheel in the front and 180mm on the rear, allowing for a ground clearance of approximately 220mm. The Multistrada V4 gets Marzocchi mechanical suspension with a 50mm adjustable fork and an adjustable monoshock at the rear, plus Brembo M4.32 callipers at the front. The V4S gets semi-active Marzocchi suspension, controlled by the Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS) Evolution system and is anchored by Brembo Stylema callipers.
The Multistrada V4 comes in just one colour — red, whereas the V4S comes with the choice of a red or a grey paint scheme. With its launch in India, the Multistrada V4 will be going up against the likes of Harley-Davidson Pan America and BMW R 1250 GS which are priced at Rs 16.90 and Rs 20.45 lakh, respectively.