That’s what I would like Now I’ve got your attention , I was just thinking that this new “non-Desmo “ V4 engine that’s going in the new Multistrada would be a great engine to put in an all new slick designed Ducati sport tourer. I like the engine, but don’t like the looks or the riding position of the Multi. I’m thinking something along the lines of the Ninja 1000sx, but Ducati’s V4 version of this? Two models, ..base one has mechanical Ohlins, abs, quickshifter/ blipper, cruise control, engine modes, heated grips, etc, priced around 18k? S model could add, electronic Öhlins, radar cruise ( you know, the sort of stuff that nobody wants!) extra driving lights and other tat, priced around 20 -21k Some nicely designed well integrated panniers and a decent tank capacity 21/22 litres, weight target of 210 - 215 kgs I reckon this would be a great home to put that 170 bhp V4 engine into If they got the styling right , I recon it would be a winner! Go on Ducati, build one I’d buy it, here....take my money for a deposit !! I’m not doing much for the next four weeks Ducati , if you give a shout I’ll help you design it! Are you all getting my drift?, who else fancies one? could send a petition directly to Ducati
Maybe they have? Maybe one of the other 3 press events will be a v4 super sport or a big capacity V2 one?
I couldn’t agree more with you. I’ve been wanting a decent sports tourer ever since I let my ST4 go. I keep saying there’s no way I’d off road a £20k bike. I find the Supersport too small both physically and engine capacity. They’ve got what looks like the perfect engine. Bang it in a Monster frame, put a Panigale fairing on it with a bigger screen, plus panniers and heated grips. Throw the electronics at it, cruise control etc and it’s got to be a decent seller. How difficult? Let’s start a poll on here.
Was driving through a sleepy village a few weeks ago and spied this. Don’t see many around now. About time it got an update
I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a sports tourer now the V4 Multi is more designed with some off road capability! It would be an expensive development for a motor to be used in only one bike.
Yes I doubt it will be for a year or so. They won’t have spent all those R&D costs on the Multi to have the focus taken away in the release year. the other issue is that I don’t think the 939 Supersport is a great seller. But who knows.
Imagine something like this, but with a Ducati badge on it, the new 170 bhp V4 engine in it , belly pan exhaust and sexed up Ducati styling.... Don’t need to watch all this clip, but at 2 mins 53 seconds the VFR comes thundering downhill, ..it wouldn’t take a lot of imagination to visualise this as a V4 Ducati sports tourer... https://youtu.be/ufW13P2I0nE I really think they could bring a concept like this bang up to date, I’m keeping my Panigale but I’d like to add another Ducati bike to the Garage, but not an adventure bike , I think a nice sleek sports tourer would plug a hole in the Ducati product line??
I'd be interested in a V4 sports tourer, there's few about and Kawasaki's Ninja SX has shown there is a big market for one.
Had a series of 800 VFRs over an extended period. The 1200 never appealed to me. The new V4 lump with Ducati panache as a sports tourer would certainly pique my interest as a replacement for my 1260 Mutley in a few years time. Though I do get the sentiment of the Honda Multistrada statement. They would need to make something pretty special, stand out from the crowd. The new V4 Mutley lacks that IMHO. The V4 Panigale has it despite the engine. The lack of desmo doesn't really bother me, that's a swings and roundabouts argument.
That’s what started me off on this whole thread Steeve, in March this year I bought a new Ninja SX for touring duties as we had 3 Euro trips lined up, totalling about 9,000 miles altogether Before I bought it, I thought, I’ll just do the tours on this and then sell it on, cos it’s just a bland Japanese in line 4, but do you know what.....it’s bloody brilliant !! Got it mid March, rode it for two weeks then the first lockdown hit us ! I’ve still managed to put 6,000 miles on it so far this year, it has genuinely surprised me what a good bike it is, Very rare nowadays when something actually exceeds your expectations!, but when the news broke the other week about the non-Desmo 170 bhp V4 engine, I just thought to myself when I was riding the Ninja... “ this would be a fantastic bike with that V4 in it !” And in truth, if Ducati had a V4 sports tourer available when I bought the Ninja, I would have probably gone for that instead, and that’s what made me think that Ducati are missing out on a great opportunity here. I know the Ninja is Kawasaki’s best selling bike in the UK, don’t know how many they will shift this year, but I’m sure Ducati would like a piece of that action..
You’ve definitely hit the nail on the head. I wonder how many units they sell per year? I’d definitely go for a V4 Sports Tourer.
Been trying to find out how many Ninja 1000 sx have been sold this year https://mcia.co.uk/attachment/213dbf8c-8a8c-481a-af8e-08bf7224f0f0 This gives you a total by segment for the year, sports tourers 2,180 but doesn’t split them out by specific bikes Further down the pages it gives October’s figures Ninja 1000sx is the highest selling sports tourer - 55 bikes sold in October And it’s also the highest selling bike over 1000cc at 55 bikes sold this month, which surprises me a bit because it’s normally the BMW 1250 GS? So, my misguided logic tells me that bike sales must be tailing off in October, so 55 per month is probably a low figure compared to the summer months, I reckon in the last 10 months Kawasaki must have sold something like 600 to 800 Ninja 1000sx’s, that’s good money to be had Ducati?? PS bikes up to 125cc have done well this year with almost 33,000 sold YTD, obviously a lot of people want to avoid Covid infested tubes and buses !
I think perhaps there would be more if there was a better choice. There seems to be only a few sports tourers in our market I remember the high sales of the VFR.
I think this is a great suggestion that Ducati should consider seriously. After an ST2 and two ST4S's that went all over Europe, I have never found a sports tourer that suited me as well. After having a Multistrada for a short time, I've tried Yamaha and BMW options and while they do the job, they don't have the same attraction. I too have seriously considered a Z1000SX, and nearly bought one last year but the absence of a factory top box option with panniers and a poor standard silencer arrangement put me off, and I bought a BMW. If Ducati produced a new sports tourer similar to an updated ST4S I would definitely be very interested.
Yep, i'd love a new ST4S. As soon as i heard about the Multi way back when, i thought this was going to be it. It wasn't. Apparently they never sold well enough and the multi would fulfil most of what an ST could do anyway. It cant. Unfortunately i dont think the accountants at Audi(sorry, Ducati) are convinced that a good sports tourer will sell enough. Reminds me of the story of the shopkeeper that tells a customer late in the afternoon one day " Look, you are the 5th person today, there's no call for them". Prior to selling my Multi in July, A dealer that was servicing it in April asked me what i thought of it. I replied that it was a cracking bike 'n all but i preferred my old ST4S. The incredulous look he gave me as his jaw dropped indicated that he did not believe me.
Just goes to show how different opinions can be. I owned an ST4S for 10 years and swapped it for a 1200 Multistrada. Had my Multistrada for 8 years now, I have travelled 3 times the miles on it than in the 10 with the ST and think the Multistrada is a far better bike all round. Andy
Hi Andy In very many ways the Multi is indeed way better than the ST. But for long distance touring, wind protection, seating comfort and luggage capacity it is not. Well not for my circumstances anyway. Loved the engine though.
