New Ducati Multistrada Grand Tour - Ducati 2020 World Premiere
By Ben Purvis
Has written for dozens of magazines and websites, including most of the world’s biggest bike titles, as well as dabbling in car and technology journalism.
23.10.2019
Ducati’s Multistrada has long been the firm’s most convincing long-distance bike and with the introduction of the 2020 Multistrada 1260 S Grand Tour the firm is embracing the bike’s continent-crossing capabilities.
We first revealed the existence of the Grand Tour back in August when Ducati filed documents that confirmed its existence, and the reality is pretty much what we expected to see.
In short, it’s a high-spec ‘S’ version of the Multistrada 1260 fitted with a host of extras to emphasise its touring ability.
The bike gets standard kit including a centre stand, panniers, a new seat and heated grips as standard, along with extra LED fog lights, an electronic, hands-free fuel filler cap and a tyre pressure monitoring system. That’s a fair bit of kit.
How much is the Ducati Multistrada Grand Tour?
The Grand Tour will only cost £1500 more than the standard Multistrada 1260 S, at £18,895.
As well as the equipment, the Multistrada 1260 S Grand Tour gains its own unique paint scheme; a matte grey with red highlights that contrasts with the bike’s red-painted frame. The wheels also feature red sections on the rims to complement the look.
Otherwise, the bike is stock 1260 S, which means it’s got the high-spec, semi-active ‘Skyhook’ suspension, wheelie control, traction control, cornering ABS, cornering lights, cruise control and a Bluetooth multimedia system.
One element that’s lacking – and missing from all Ducati’s 2020 models so far – is the promised radar-assisted cruise control system.
Ducati said back in April 2018 that ‘a Ducati featuring front and rear radar’ was ‘already in the pipeline for 2020’, and that the system would be ‘available on one of the Ducati models coming in 2020.’
However, despite the fact that the Multistrada 1260 was the original testbed for the system, it’s yet to appear. We know that the planned Multistrada V4, due in 2021, will feature the radar cruise control, but it seems that hopes that the system is available on a 2020 model are dwindling.
NEW Ducati Panigale V2, Diavel, Multistrada & Scrambler (2020)
We take a closer look at the 2020 Ducati model range - including the new Ducati Panigale V2, the revamped Panigale V4, the 2020 Multistrada 1260 S Grand Tour and new Scrambler Icon Dark. Plus technical insight from Ducati's Product Manager, Stefano Tarabusi.
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