Ducati's extremely versatile adventure-touring motorcycle, the Multistrada saw an addition of a new, lower-capacity model to its line-up. But as Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali explained at the pre-EICMA 2016 Ducati World Premier Conference, this new bike has been designed to draw in newer riders who found the Multistrada 1200 a bit intimidating, by offering an easier-to-ride, yet premium experience.
Powering this new bike is the 937cc version of Ducati's Testastretta 11-degree V-twin motor that's good for 113hp of power and a peak torque figure of 96Nm. However, in order to aid rideability, over 80 percent of this engine's torque is available between 3,500 to 9,500rpm. This should really make it easy when riding the bike off the road standing on the pegs, where continuously shifting gears isn't easily possible. The Multistrada 950 is equipped with fully adjustable suspension at both ends, with 170mm of travel at both front and rear. While the bike comes with alloy wheels (19 inch at the front, 17-inch at the rear) as standard, in order to make it easier to switch to wire-spoke wheels, the single-sided swingarm from the 1200 has been swapped for a new double-sided one. And to ensure solid braking, the front is equipped with twin 320mm discs with Brembo M4.32 monobloc calipers.
In terms of ergonomics, the seat has been borrowed from the larger Multistrada Enduro and has a height of 840mm by default, but it can be swapped for optional seats with heights varying from 820 to 860mm. There's also a Multistrada-style grab handle that allows for the mounting of both plastic or aluminium panniers. The cockpit gets brand new switchgear along with a full-LCD dashboard that's compatible with the Ducati Multimedia system. The Multistrada 950 gets a fairly large 20-litre fuel tank to help in long-distance riding, and Ducati claims a wet weight (no fuel) of 214kg.
The bike also features four riding modes – Touring, Sport, Urban and Enduro – and the best part is that Ducati is also offering accessories that will allow owners to customise their bikes according to the mode of their choice. At the conference, the company also displayed just how far you can take this customisation with a picture of the bike in an 'Enduro Pro' configuration built using just catalogue accessories that included spoke wheels, knobby tyres and titanium muffler, along with radiator and engine guards.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
