Multistrada's flat bars, scalloped fuel cell,
cushy seat and rubberized footpegs combine to provide plenty of comfort, It was
no surprise to hear some of the taller
testers in our crew rave about how the
Multistrada didn't make them feel cramped
or locked into one place, One area where
I noticed this same trait was in the nonadjustable brake and clutch levers, which
felt like they were in the perfect range for
my hands.
Certainly, a contributing factor in the
Multistrada's comfort is its Windscreen,
which, while not completely isolating the
rider from any wind blast, does a great job
of eliminating any buffeting of the rider's
helmet at cruising speeds.
As far as the suspension goes, I did feel
that there was just a touch too much buffeting coming from the Multistrada's nonadjustable Marzocchi 43mm upside-down
fork, which felt just a little bit underdamped on the jouncey Sicilian pavement
that we tackled. There was nothing to
complain about with the rear Sachs/Boge
shock unit, which is preload and rebound
adjustable. You'll probably just leave it
alone, as it does a great job of soaking up
ripples large and small.
While I didn't get to ride the Multistrada
620 very far or push it through the twisties
as hard as I would have liked to, I can tell
you that its straight-line stability is beyond
reproach. Low-speed cornering, which we
did a lot of, is also a joy, as the Multistrada
feels light and flickable.
Hauling the little Multistrada down from
speed is no problem, thanks to the Ducatispec Brembo brakes found on the bike.
The twin 300mm rotors with two-piston
calipers up front offer great feel and
power. Ducati engineers actually went to
great pains to lighten the rotors and
calipers on the Multistrada 620, thus
redUCing gyroscopic effect and lowering
unsprung weight. The difference is intangible, but the outcome is that the brakes do
their job admirably. The same can be said
for the rear Brembo unit, which offers
plenty of feel but is strong enough to lock
up the rear wheel.
Well, that's about all I could ascertain
from my 5900-mile flight and 45-mile ride
on the Ducati Multistrada 620. But I'll tell
you what: That 45 miles was all it took to
fall in love with this cuddly little Due. In
fact, given the choice between the
Multistrada 620 and the Multistrada
1000DS, I'd take the 620 every time. To
me, it offers the perfect blend of aroundthe-town and highway power mixed with
the perfect blend of sporting handling and
comfortable ergonomics. Throw in the
panache of being a Ducati, and the
Multistrada 620 is a winner all around. CN
36
MARCH 9, 2005 • CYCLE HE
