Ducati has won the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with the Multistrada thrice. So, a special edition to pay homage to the success of the brand is befitting. The Multistrada family has had a Pikes Peak edition for years but there has been a void since the Multis with the V4 engine launched. Well, after a brief hiatus, the Bolognese motorcycle maker has introduced the 2022 Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak. And they went to town with it. The sportiest Multistarada gets smaller wheels, a comprehensive suspension kit, a dedicated livery, and a new ‘Race Mode!’
Although sportier, the V4 Pikes Peak looks like a traditional Multistrada. In terms of aesthetics, to differentiate itself from the standard model, it gets a dedicated ‘Pikes Peak’ livery with the graphics inspired by that of the Desmosedici GP ’21. There is even a number plate on either side of the petrol tank. It also carries other distinctive elements like a smaller windshield, golden Öhlins front fork, ‘Ducati Corse’ badge on the beak, and dual-tone seats with the V4 logo. The Pikes Peak version also has lots of carbon-fibre bodywork across the bike, including a road-legal carbon fibre Akrapovic titanium exhaust, for weight reduction.
The chassis has been reworked to improve the handling of the motorcycle. The steering head angle, for example, is altered to give a rake of 25.75 degrees instead of 24.5 degrees and it even gets a single-sided swingarm! This puts both 17-inch forged aluminium wheels 1595mm apart. The wheels are 2.7kg lighter than the 19-inchers on the standard Multi, bettering the bike’s agility. Tipping the scale at 213kg, the V4 Pikes Peak is 4kg lighter than the V4 S in total. This weight is suspended on Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension front and rear. The riding position has also been reworked. Now the new narrower handlebar is positioned lower and footpegs are higher while being moved back to increase the motorcycle’s lean angle. Braking duties are handled by dual 330mm discs with Brembo Stylema monobloc callipers up front and a single 265mm diameter disc squeezed by a Brembo floating calliper at the rear.
The heart of the V4 Pikes Peak version is the same tried and tested 1158cc V4 Granturismo engine. It is in the same tune even, with the output figures of 167.62bhp at 10,500rpm and 125Nm at 8750rpm. The engine has an updated ‘Race’ riding mode, the first in the Multistrada family, which sets back the rev limiter and allows the rider to climb higher revs. Whereas in High Power Mode the quickshifter allows more aggressive downshifts with sharper throttle response.
The equipment list is largely the same as the V4 S variant, which is already packed with sophisticated electronics. The Pikes Peak version gets adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring systems courtesy of the radar system front and rear. It also uses the same 6.5-inch TFT instrument cluster enabling features like navigation and smartphone mirroring. And for the rider aids, it has wheelie control and cornering ABS.
The Multistrada Pikes Peak, as we mentioned, is an important bike for Ducati. It harks back to the wins at the hill climb event with Carlin Dunne astride. And the 2022 Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak will carry that baton for this legacy, despite the hill climb event being shut for the motorcycle class ever since the demise of Carlin Dunne.
We can expect Ducati to bring the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak to Indian shores sometime next year. Once they do, you can expect it to be priced at a fair premium over the standard and the S variants of the Multistrada V4.