The Ducati Multistrada V4S Grand Tour: A Swiss Army Knife on Two Wheels

The Ducati Multistrada V4S Grand Tour is a motorcycle that tries to do everything. It wants to be a superbike, a touring bike, an adventure bike, and a gadget-filled bike. It's like a Swiss Army knife on two wheels, except it's Italian and much more expensive.

The Grand Tour is based on the Multistrada V4S, which is already a very good bike. But Ducati decided to add more stuff to it, such as 60-liter side cases, a main stand, a hands-free fuel tank cap, heated grips, a center stand cover, and a tire pressure monitoring system. They also gave it a fancy GT livery and LED lights, because why not.

But the Grand Tour is not just about luggage and looks. It also has some of the features that the Multistrada V4 Rally has, such as the directly mounted handlebar, the adjustable air scoops, and the more comfortable pillion seat. These are supposed to make it more off-road friendly, but let's be honest: who in their right mind would take this bike off-road? It weighs 240 kg and costs 25,000 euros. You'd have to be mad or very rich or both.

The Grand Tour also has the same engine as the Multistrada V4S and the Rally: the Granturismo V4. This is a brilliant engine that produces 170 hp and 92 lb-ft of torque. It's smooth and powerful, with a counterrotating crankshaft and spring-operated valves that reduce friction and maintenance. It also has a variable valve timing system that adjusts performance and efficiency according to the revs. The only thing it doesn't have is the cylinder deactivation system that the Rally has, which shuts off two cylinders when the bike is idling or cruising at low speeds. This would have been useful for saving fuel and reducing heat, but Ducati probably thought that Grand Tour riders don't care about such things.

The Grand Tour also has the same suspension as the Multistrada V4S: the Skyhook semi-active suspension. This is a clever system that automatically changes the damping according to the riding mode, the road conditions, and the rider's inputs. It also has a minimum preload function that lowers the seat height by up to 20 mm when you're stopped or moving slowly, making it easier for short people like me to touch the ground. It also has an easy lift function that raises the rear end by 30 mm when you park it on the main stand, making it easier to remove or install the side cases.

The Grand Tour also has the same electronics as the Multistrada V4S: cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, hill hold control, and quickshifter. These are all very useful and work very well. But it also has some extra gadgets that are not so useful or not so well. For example, it has radar-based systems such as adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection. These are supposed to make your life easier and safer on the road, but they are actually quite annoying and intrusive. The adaptive cruise control keeps changing your speed according to the traffic in front of you, which is fine if you're on a motorway but not so fine if you're on a twisty road. The blind spot detection keeps flashing yellow lights on your mirrors when there's something behind you, which is fine if you're on a busy road but not so fine if you're on an empty road.

The Grand Tour also has a 6.5-inch TFT dashboard, which shows you all kinds of information and can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth or USB. The dashboard also lets you access Ducati Connect, which offers navigation, music streaming, and phone calls. These are all nice features to have on a touring bike, but they are also quite distracting and complicated to use. The navigation system is not very accurate or intuitive, the music streaming is not very clear or loud, and the phone calls are not very easy or safe.

The Ducati Multistrada V4S Grand Tour is an impressive motorcycle that tries to do everything. And it does most things very well. It's fast, agile, and versatile, capable of handling any road and any situation. It's also comfortable, practical, and safe, ideal for long-distance travel in style. But it's also very expensive, very heavy, and very complicated. It has too many features and accessories that are not really necessary or effective. It's like a Swiss Army knife on two wheels: it can do everything but nothing perfectly.