So here’s a surprise, and a most welcome one at that, because the new Ducati Multistrada V4 RS, the sixth variant in the current range of V-4 Multi crossovers, is the most unexpected, the most powerful, and the highest priced Multistrada yet. And it will be, by some margin, one of the most outrageous Ducati seen for some time.
Right now, forget the Multistrada as a machine to waft you and your partner across swaths of the country without fuss or drama, because this Multistrada is essentially a Panigale V4 S superbike on stilts. A long-range troublemaker looking to rip it up on track and road alike. Fuss and drama are what it’s all about.
It’s supposed to blow your mind, this one. That means ditching the low-maintenance, spring-valve Granturismo V-4 that has propelled the Multis so dutifully since 2021 in favor of the mighty, all-conquering animal that is 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale. Lifted from the Streetfighter V4, it makes 180 hp—or 192 hp with an optional, full-noise Akrapovič race system installed. It booms and clatters and its dry clutch rattles. Everyone knows the RS is coming.
Like the V4 Pikes Peak, hitherto the sportiest of the current Multistradas, the RS runs superlight forged 17-inch Marchesini wheels instead of conventional 19-inch rims, along with new chassis geometry that sits the bike on its nose and sets it to turn like a pure sportbike. There’s Öhlins Smart EC semi-active suspension and, from mudguard to beak, a notable acreage of featherlight carbon bodywork. A new aluminum monocoque frame is attached to a single-side swingarm and light-as-a-timepiece titanium subframe. A unique Centro Stile–designed livery echoes the MotoGP factory Ducatis and each bike’s production number is carried on plate mounted on the triple clamp. Oh, and integrated panniers are also available.
The contradictions and oxymorons are compelling. “Trackday tourers” that do it all have been tried before. and billed by Ducati as uncompromising and the most exciting Multistrada yet seen, the pressure is certainly on the RS to deliver in an array of riding environments.
Cycle World was invited to test the RS at the Autodromo di Modena racetrack in northern Italy, which, sadly, meant no road riding and that the touring side of the equation was left unaddressed for now. However, we know the track well and have ridden multiple bikes here before—even a Pikes Peak Multi in recent times; comparisons are possible to an extent. Accelerating up the pit lane onto the start-finish straight for the first time, the RS’ immense drive felt dramatic, possibly because of its shorter final gearing but probably because our subconscious was expecting the sharp but far less brutal acceleration of a normal Multistrada.
