Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1529511
P96 RIDE REVIEW I 2025 DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 S 4000 rpm, but the precise moment depends on the riding context and the amount of torque being request- ed. If you are running a tall gear at just 2000 rpm and grab a handful of throttle, the system will immediately revert to all four cylinders to give you the drive you need. It's such a smooth transition that I wasn't always sure whether I was riding a twin or a V4. The only glitch was unseasonably wet and cool weather, which left me unsure how effective the uprated ECD will be on the long hot rides of summer. (Below) Heated seats for rider and passenger. Get them. (Bottom) While not the largest in class, the 6.5-inch dash is plenty big enough for all mission control duties. This is great news for the likes of 5'7" me. I opted for the standard seat, which can be positioned at 33.1 inches and 33.9 inches, and turned down Ducati's kind offer of a lower seat option—but it was good to have a choice. Ducati offers not only a lower seat but also a lower suspen - sion kit, which, combined with the low seat, drops you to 31.3 inches— you even get a shorter sidestand. Crucially for the likes of me, the Multistrada V4 S isn't physically intimidating. It tops the scales at a manageable 511 pounds (without fuel) and the Automatic Lowering Device is effective at helping both feet get securely to the ground. This system dials out the suspen - sion's spring preload as the Multi's speed falls below six mph, then re-applies it automatically as speed increases to 30 mph. Alternatively, you can override the system manually and take control yourself. How much the seat height drops depends on the bike's laden sag: if, for example, you are a heavy rider with a passen- ger and luggage loaded for a week away, the seat will drop around 30mm/1.2 inches. For a lighter solo rider, roughly 15mm/0.6 inches would be more normal. That's a massive tick, one which makes the V4 S more acces- sible than ever. I was also eager to discover if I could feel or hear the rear bank of cylinders deactivate when speeds dropped to below six mph, or when we came to a halt. On Ducati's Diavel, which trialed the first ECD cut-out system, you can tell by a change to the exhaust and intake noise, but it was less clear- cut on the Multi. All four cylinders should come back online as the revs approach