2024 Ducati Multistrada V4 RS First Ride

Ducati’s Multistrada V4 RS blurs the line between sportbike and sport-touring.

Since adopting the Granturismo V-4 platform in 2021, the Multistrada has come to represent the more sober side of Ducati’s two-wheel output. A Multistrada Rally, for example, may have a 19-inch front wheel and genuine off-road ability and a Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour a world-class package of state-of-the-art rider aids, but both are Multistradas at heart: engaging, versatile, and efficient all-rounders—a relatively sensible choice.

So here’s a surprise, and a most welcome one at that, because the new Ducati Multistrada V4 RS, the sixth variant in the current range of V-4 Multi crossovers, is the most unexpected, the most powerful, and at $37,995, the highest priced Multistrada yet. And it will be, by some margin, one of the most outrageous Ducati seen for some time.

Our Multistrada V4 RS test unit was equipped with Pirelli slicks for a day at the track.

Right now, forget the Multistrada as a machine to waft you and your partner across swaths of the country without fuss or drama, because this Multistrada is essentially a Panigale V4 S superbike on stilts. A long-range troublemaker looking to rip it up on track and road alike. Fuss and drama are what it’s all about.

2024 Ducati Multistrada V4 RS Differences
It’s supposed to blow your mind, this one. That means ditching the low-maintenance, spring-valve Granturismo V-4 that has propelled the Multis so dutifully since 2021 in favor of the mighty, all-conquering animal that is 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale. Lifted from the Streetfighter V4, it makes 180 hp—or 192 hp with an optional, full-noise Akrapovič race system installed. It booms and clatters and its dry clutch rattles. Everyone knows the RS is coming.

Like the V4 Pikes Peak, hitherto the sportiest of the current Multistradas, the RS runs superlight forged 17-inch Marchesini wheels instead of conventional 19-inch rims, along with new chassis geometry that sits the bike on its nose and sets it to turn like a pure sportbike. There’s Öhlins Smart EC semi-active suspension and, from mudguard to beak, a notable acreage of featherlight carbon bodywork. A new aluminum monocoque frame is attached to a single-side swingarm and light-as-a-timepiece titanium subframe. A unique Centro Stile–designed livery echoes the MotoGP factory Ducatis and each bike’s production number is carried on plate mounted on the triple clamp. Oh, and integrated panniers are also available.

A Desmosedici Stradale V-4 powers the Multistrada V4 RS, replacing the standard Granturismo.

The contradictions and oxymorons are compelling. “Trackday tourers” that do it all have been tried before. Priced close to $38K, which is $6,000 above the Pikes Peak ($31,595), and billed by Ducati as uncompromising and the most exciting Multistrada yet seen, the pressure is certainly on the RS to deliver in an array of riding environments.

On the Track With the Multistrada V4 RS
Cycle World was invited to test the RS at the Autodromo di Modena racetrack in northern Italy, which, sadly, meant no road riding and that the touring side of the equation was left unaddressed for now. However, we know the track well and have ridden multiple bikes here before—even a Pikes Peak Multi in recent times; comparisons are possible to an extent. Accelerating up the pit lane onto the start-finish straight for the first time, the RS’ immense drive felt dramatic, possibly because of its shorter final gearing but probably because our subconscious was expecting the sharp but far less brutal acceleration of a normal Multistrada.

In a bike full of surprises, the move to a Panigale-derived Desmosedici Stradale V-4 is perhaps the biggest of them all. The non-desmo 1,158cc Granturismo engine it replaces makes 170 hp at 10,500 rpm and 92 lb.-ft. of torque at 8,750 rpm and is hardly a shrinking violet. It’s smooth at low rpm too, and features extra wide service intervals, including a 36,000-mile valve check, ideally suiting the Multistrada’s high-mileage adventure motorcycle profile.

Steering is quick and feedback is excellent with 17-inch wheels and revised chassis geometry on the Multistrada V4 RS.

The angrier, heat-churning Stradale, meanwhile, retains Ducati’s signature desmo valve system and conventional service intervals. It revs higher to peak at 180 hp at 12,250 rpm (don’t forget that 192 hp with the full Akrapovič system) while peak torque is a claimed 87 lb.-ft. at 9,500 rpm, a chunk less than the Granturismo’s 92. On this tight and twisty racetrack, you instinctively rev it hard—the frictionless Stradale V-4 demands it—shifting from second gear to third and fourth, then fifth gear on the straight when the shift lights illuminate.

This is true racebike territory. The digital rev counter builds as the V-4 revs with liquid fury. There’s really no such thing as a slow Multistrada but when the V4 S is peaking at 10,00 rpm, the new RS is still revving toward maximum power at 12,250 rpm and will happily continue into 13,000 rpm.

On paper, torque is down compared to the “normal” Multi, but on track, and using just the upper 25 percent of the rev range, you don’t miss the comparative lack of grunt. Out of Modena’s final turn, with the anti-wheelie on a low setting, the front wheel hovers above the surface as the power kicks and shovels down the main straight.

The quickshifter is perfectly slick and, this being a premium Ducati, there’s a sizable raft of other sophisticated rider aids to help you extract the most out of the bike’s performance. There are four riding modes: Sport, Touring, Urban, and a Race mode to replace the Multi’s usual Enduro setting. Each riding mode also controls the level of intervention of the lean-sensitive rider aids. Like the Panigale and Streetfighter, there are also four power modes: low, medium, high, and full. Even in the high-power mode, there is a reduced torque in first, second, and third gear.

Another significant change from Multistrada convention is the introduction of a 17-inch front wheel to replace the 19-inch front on the standard Multi, the Pikes Peak being the other exception. These Marchesini rims are a sizable 6 pounds lighter, which quickens the steering and saves on unsprung weight and opens up the options for track-focused rubber. Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa are the OE fitment but our testbike wore Pirelli slicks.

Brembo Stylema calipers and 330mm discs are shared with the S and Pikes Peak Multis, and are more than capable for fade-free trackday shredding.

Ducati isn’t yet revealing the RS’ overall weight, but the introduction of that titanium subframe saves another 5.5 pounds. A lighter battery shaves off another 3.1 pounds, and with the optional race exhaust installed the estimated final figure could be close to 452 pounds, which would make the RS just 55 pounds heavier than the Streetfighter V4 S.

The premium Multistrada V4 S and new Grand Tour both use the familiar Skyhook Marzocchi semi-active suspension, whereas the new RS uses Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 units similar to the Panigale V4 S, Streetfighter V4 S, and Pikes Peak. Long-travel, semi-active suspension is ideal for long-distance performance, but less so for the racetrack and could be seen as a red flag to sporty riders but the feel and feedback from the Öhlins units are exquisite. The RS instilled so much confidence that soon the traction control was turned down to the minimum and the anti-wheelie was turned off altogether. You can feel the limit approaching as if riding a crisply set-up sportbike.

Each riding mode changes the damping characteristics of the suspension. Sport mode will probably be the go-to option for the road, but in Race mode the suspension works immaculately on track, with far less dive on the fork and overall control midcorner. The steering is direct and accurate—you simply forget you’re riding a high-rise motorcycle. Feel from the front end is so much more confidence-inspiring than what is generated by the standard 17-inch front wheel. It wants to carry corner speed and, given its ample ground clearance, there’s no reason to disappoint.

Braking is by Brembo: Stylema monoblock calipers and 330mm discs up front with a radial master cylinder and corning ABS. These race-spec stoppers are the same as you’d find on the Multistrada V4 S and Pikes Peak, but now they are stopping less weight. On the track, they are fade-free and faultless, and the high riding position and upright stance results in excellent stability. The cornering ABS is superb; even at a solid trackday pace, it’s not intrusive and can be relied upon.

Ducati has added a more progressive rear brake lever—something it did on the Multistrada Rally—and changed the rear master cylinder to make it brake sharper and more usable. Because the RS runs a similar engine to the Panigale and Streetfighter, this allows the introduction of a three-stage Engine Brake Control, which allows you to control the amount of engine-braking from the V-4 and is a first for the Multistrada range.

What About the Touring Bit?
A relatively upright and tall riding position gives a slightly unwieldy position on track at first, but you instinctively adapt. Its stance is closest to that of the Pikes Peak, which means it should be fully comfortable for at least a couple of 5.8-gallon tanks of gas. There is an Urban riding mode that drops maximum power to 113 hp and reduces the power in all gears if you choose to venture out on those damp and cold days.

An extensive list of touring-oriented electronic rider aids and high-tech features, including radar detection, makes the RS the most advanced Multistrada ever. In fact, it’s one of the most advanced bikes on the market as it combines the racy tech of the Streetfighter and Panigale with the proven touring and distance-focused electronic wizardry of the Multistrada range. For example, you have track-focused rider aids including changeable engine-brake control, and also Vehicle Hold Control, backlit switch gear, ACC, blind spot detection from that radar. Don’t forget the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension. All this is managed via a familiar 6.5-inch TFT dash with Ducati Connect.

Other touches worth noting are a new heat shield, closable air deflectors, and an air-cooled phone compartment, all of which were first seen on the Multi Rally.

Having sampled the RS on a race circuit we are eager to try it on the road to see if its distance work can match its mind-bending speed and incredible feel on track. A 180 hp, free-revving beast of a V-4 in a chassis that possesses many of the qualities of the excellent Streetfighter and Panigale, mixed with the all-round versatility of the Multistrada, makes for an intoxicating blend that ticks all boxes.

For now, we can say that the RS delivers superbly on track and that the prospect of riding it fully loaded, cruise control on, down the unrestricted German autobahn, on route, perhaps, to some tire-frazzling laps of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit is about as exciting as sport-touring can get. We can’t wait.

Reserve the Ducati Multistrada V4 RS for a chance to get this limited edition beast!