HARLEY-DAVIDSON PAN AMERICA VS. BMW R 1250 GS ADVENTURE VS.
KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R VS. DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 S
COMPARISON TESTI
P128
Vehicle Hold Control,
Cruise Control, Ducati
Skyhook Suspension, and
full LED lighting without
the need to make after-
market upgrades.
The Multistrada also
lays claim to being the
first production motor-
cycle to be fitted with
Adaptive Cruise Control
and Blind Spot Detection
as standard, a feature that
put it head and shoulders
ahead of the rest in the
tech game.
That doesn't mean you
don't have any options to
spend more cash on your
Multi, no sir. Our test bike
came with spoked wheels,
and the optional Akrapo-
vic titanium muffler, which
added $1768. Then there
were engine protection
side guards at $624 and
the bash plate at $343.20,
which equals our list price
of $29,530.20.
On the plus side, Ducati
followed Harley-David-
son's lead and fitted the
minimum preload feature
free-of-charge for 2022,
something that can also
be retro-fitted to a 2021
Multistrada V4 S. The
system works by reducing
the rear ride height as you
come to a stop to make
it easier to get both feet
on the ground. It can be
activated at speeds below
59 mph, and deactivated
above 71 mph.
The Multistrada V4 S
is as close to a superbike
ADV that this segment
will ever get. This thing
is a beast.
be obvious enough—it's a top-of-the-
line Ducati, after all—but it's also bad
because it makes the rider petrified of
scratching or, God forbid, dropping it.
This is in contrast to the KTM, which
doesn't mind if it gets tipped over,
thanks to the larger engine and crash
bars.
In the end, the killer for us was the
price. Both Rennie and Sean picked
it as their winner, but the difference
between the KTM and Ducati is near
$10k as tested and that fact was im-
possible to ignore. The Ducati oblit-
erates the competition on the street
and is also very good off-road, but not
enough to topple the winner.
