Although much has been made of the impending Adventure tourer war between Ducati’s new Multistrada 1200 and the head honcho of the class, BMW’s R1200 GS, a comparison of the two shows they really have little in common and different ends in mind. No, the new Italian for all roads and riders has more in common with the Triumph Tiger and KTM 950 SMT than its Bavarian foe.
The BMW?
Made famous in the Long Way Round, the BMW is a true adventure tourer, capable on and off-road, although most riders probably don’t ever take them off the pavement. In this sense it is the bike equivalent of an SUV, a vehicle that can do so much more than almost anyone asks of it but in doing so forces a number of compromises. For all the carefully leaked shots of the Multistrada 1200 leaping through the air on a Motocross track in Sicily, even a casual read of the spec sheet shows the Ducati is firmly aimed at the road just like its 1100, 2-valve namesake.
Wheels and suspension travel are the give away. Whilst the BMW features a skinny 19″ front and a modest 150/70-17 rear, the Ducati has the de rigeur open class sportbike fitment of 17″ rims in the usual 120 and 190 flavors. Suspension travel follows the same pattern. The BMW has 7.5 and 7.9″ inches of front and wheel travel respectively, the Multi just 6.7″ front and rear.
Sticking to the car analogy the, the Multi is a CUV (cross over utility vehicle) designed to still look like it can blaze a trail but devoid of the compromises inherent in that full SUV design for the road. Ironically the Ducati is a BMW X5 to the BMW R1200GS’s Range Rover! Both bikes do share one thing in common though, an ugly snout! So if BMW isn’t the competition in the real world what is?
The Triumph?
Well Ducati claims their new model is 4 bikes in 1 – Sport, Tour, Commute and Enduro. That is just one more than Triumph claim for their Tiger,
“Tiger SE – Carve, Tour, Commute. Three bikes in one.” Okay, so Ducati wins on the hypebole but the Triumph Tiger does seem close. The SE comes with matching hard luggage and heated grips, not too dissimilar to the Multistrada 1200. At an MSRP of $13,399 it undercuts the Ducati by $1500 but it lacks all the electronic wizardry. It does however include ABS as standard. However the Triumph is 30lbs heavier and 39bhp less powerful and has even more road biased suspension travel than the Duke at 5.9″ front and rear.
No the closest competition to the Ducati would appear to be yet another European offering, the
KTM 990 SMT which will be introduced to the US this year after much success and
rave reviews in Europe. The KTM is even lighter than the Ducati but needs to be as it offer just 115bhp (still more than enough). The suspension travel is similar to the Ducati a little less in front and more in back. Critically it promises to offer the same emphasis on sporty on-road handling (the company tag line is ‘Ready to Race’) that neither the BMW nor the Triumph can truly match.
The biggest difference appears to be one of emphasis. The KTM is a minimalist approach to the modern take on an all-rounder, bike that is light, punchy and sporty whereas Ducati with the Multistrada 1200 has gone for a technological tour de force with ABS, traction control and electronic suspension adjustment. In reality Ducati has little to fear from KTM, their road bike presence is still nascent but I for one will be checking out the KTM when it arrives in the US.
Key Specifications Comparison Ducati / KTM/ Triumph / BMW
What do you think? Is the Ducati Multistrada 1200 really meant to compete with the BMW? Chime in with your views in the comments section below.
Want More?
Read More Posts on the Ducati Multistrada 1200
Read the Ducati Multistrada 1100 Ride Report
Try These Related Posts:
- Ducati Multistrada 1200 vs Rivals: BMW, KTM, Triumph
- Ducati Multistrada 1200 in Dealers Next Week
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 2:00 am and is filed under Comparisons, Opinion.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Although much has been made of the impending Adventure tourer war between Ducati’s new Multistrada 1200 and the head honcho of the class, BMW’s R1200 GS, a comparison of the two shows they really have little in common and different ends in mind. No, the new Italian for all roads and riders has more in common with the Triumph Tiger and KTM 950 SMT than its Bavarian foe.
Made famous in the Long Way Round, the BMW is a true adventure tourer, capable on and off-road, although most riders probably don’t ever take them off the pavement. In this sense it is the bike equivalent of an SUV, a vehicle that can do so much more than almost anyone asks of it but in doing so forces a number of compromises. For all the carefully leaked shots of the Multistrada 1200 leaping through the air on a Motocross track in Sicily, even a casual read of the spec sheet shows the Ducati is firmly aimed at the road just like its 1100, 2-valve namesake.
I’d say kTm unless they fix the snout
I had the opportunity to ride a Super Duke this year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the KTM Race Orange Day. After 6+ years on the Monster, I have to say that the KTM was a revelation to ride. I’ve also got some decent seat time on a Monster S4 and even demo’d an S4 RS last year. The KTM was a fantastic ride! It was comfortable, had good power, and good looking in that stealth-fighter kind of way.
I’m not really in the market right now, but the KTM gets my attention at this point. The biggest downside is the lack of color choices that KTM produces. It’s black, orange, or black AND orange. :-/
Honestly, if I could afford it (pay cash), I’d trade the Monster on a KTM SuperDuke or SM-T. Wouldn’t even hesitate. Of course, I haven’t ridden a M1100, Hyper 1100, or new Multi yet so take that for what it’s worth. Even still, wouldn’t buy a new one so it will be even longer until they show up on used markets…
Something I forgot to talk about…
With regard to the BMW and Triumph offerings… the BMW is just to quirky in the looks department for me to get used to, and while I’ve enjoyed the ones I have ridden, I really don’t like the “feel” of the BMW twins. It just feels over-engineered. The motor, controls, the way the electronics feel (ABS, EFI), ride… doesn’t do a thing for me. “Sterile” is what comes to mind to describe it.
I have spent a lot of time ogling the Tiger with buddies, and while I haven’t ridden one yet would likely consider the Tiger at the right price. It’s got the functionality & good looks, and a unique motor.
I think Ducati has nailed the look and performance with the new Multistrada to compete with the other bikes in the class. Even with the beak, it’s still worlds better than the look of the last Multistrada.
Interesting too that I can’t really identify any Asian competitors for these bikes. I think the Europeans have really rocked the Adventure Bike category in terms of components, performance, and quality.
@DonZ I liked the SuperDuke when I rode one too but I felt it was a bit tame, a real nice bike but not the fireball that the UK press were making it out to be at the time. I’d like to try the R version. I got back on my S4Rs and couldn’t believe how much sportier the Duke was. I agree with you on the BMW, it is a target for Ducati only because of its marketshare in the category it isn’t really a competitor at all in a motorcycle sense. The Triumph is pretty good looking but the SMT really interests me. I’d suggest you try a Hypermotard too, I loved the one I tested (review is on the site)
Interesting. I thought the S4Rs was a very intimidating bike to ride. The power was either on or off, the handling felt more like you were riding the knife’s edge, like a Superbike. That bike scared the crap out of me with how much it moved around under me.
My Monster 750 is totally opposite. It’s rock solid and stable, even with the stock suspension (adjusted with proper springs front & rear for my weight). The only “problem” is it needs more power and more seat-to-peg leg room.
To me, the KTM felt just like my Monster, but with the power & room I was looking for. It felt more relaxed in the seating position (plenty of leg room) and a comfortable lean to the bars like my Monster, had fantastic suspension and brakes, smooth motor, and plenty of power.
The original S4 that I rode had the power characteristics I liked but had the same legroom issue as mine. The 696 (and I expect the new M1100) have the legroom I want and both are more powerful than my M750.
The S4Rs I rode was a used model for sale at a dealer and had pipes and some other custom bits on it. Maybe the previous owner had tweaked the motor/suspension to be more hard edged, I don’t know. I just know it was a total disappointment to ride on the street.