2017 DUCATI MULTISTRADA 950
FULL TEST
P76
engine braking on the settings of
the ramp-style slipper clutch.
The Multi 950 further shares
with the Enduro not only the
same gunmetal-colored tubular
steel chassis common to all
three Multistrada variants, but
also its 2-1 exhaust's flat-sided
left-hand silencer, its seat and
passenger handgrips, and espe-
cially its double-sided swingarm
and 19-inch front wheel/17-inch
rear, all cast in aluminum. This
signals some degree of versatil-
ity, and indeed there's a mini-En-
duro version of the new bike also
available via the aftermarket cat-
alog, which delivers wire wheels
and Pirelli block-tread rubber.
As on the 1200 Enduro, this bike
is, once again, the work of the
man Ducati hired from KTM last
year as Product Manager for the
Multistrada family. Canadian-
born Federico Valentini spent
eight years in product develop-
ment for Husqvarna, both during
its MV Agusta ownership, then
later when BMW bought the
brand. He followed it to Austria
when KTM purchased it, and
he worked there for two years
on Husqvarna's new off-road
models. The very fact that Ducati
would hire a man with Valentini's
experience and status in the off-
road industry demonstrates its
commitment to producing such
dual purpose motorcycles in its
Bologna factory, though here on
the Multistrada 950 he's worked
with a former Ducati MotoGP
race engineer, project leader
Davide Previtera, to produce
what's ultimately a very fine real-
world road bike.
The riding stance on the
Multistrada 950 is very road-
oriented, with the 33-inch-high
seat (32.2/33.8-inch options are
available) well padded enough
to be plush rather than merely
adequate, and very accommo-
dating for a 5'10" rider, who'll find
it easy to put both feet down at
rest. This new 950 feels light-
steering and agile at any speed,
seemingly more so than the 1200
in spite of its weight and general
architecture being so similar. It
handles intuitively, since you sit
so snugly in the bike that you
feel a part of it, with the flat, fairly
wide handlebar giving good le-
verage to hustle the Ducati along
twisting mountain roads, where
it hugs your chosen line even
under power—it steers impec-
cably. The handlebar's quite fat
grips (even without the optional