My immediate reaction in the first few minutes on the V4 Rally wasn’t about its massive size or the subtle V4 growl, but more about how this is surely the lowest-feeling 870mm seat height I’d ever experienced. A quick call to a friend at Ducati India confirmed that this bike was not running an optional low seat, but it was suggested that I take a look at the suspension settings within the menus. Sure enough, I discovered that the suspension preload was set to just Level 1 out of 24, and as I raised that number on the TFT (which fantastically beats the traditional struggle with a C-spanner), I could feel the seat rise as it gradually reached the level of what 870mm should feel like. And this is just one example of how the Multi V4 uses technology to spoil its rider.
Twenty minutes into leaving the Ducati service centre, it dawned on me that I wasn’t being cooked by the otherwise fire-breathing 170hp V4 engine. Just like on the standard Multi V4, Ducati has done an incredible job of making sure you don’t directly encounter the heat radiating from what they call the V4 Granturismo engine.
This bike is still an immense beast with a rather heavy clutch and a preference for being above 3,000rpm, so it’s not the ideal city commuter, but it is miles better than what big Ducatis used to be. Being stuck in Indian big-city traffic on this Ducati won’t have you questioning the life decisions that led you to that situation.
However, you do need to break free from urban constraints, because the overwhelming sense of identity with this motorcycle is that it is meant to blast across continents. The wind protection is almost all-encompassing, the seating position is upright and commanding, and the engine feels like it will always have more to offer than you can use.
My only complaints with the comfort are that the wind protection can get stifling on hot days and that the seat-to-footpeg knee bend is a little tight for taller riders, although moving the seat to its higher 890mm position helps.
The 90-degree, 1,158cc V4 feels like a force of nature. It doesn’t have the same aural or high-rev violence as the 210 plus-horsepower Desmosedici Stradale engines in the Panigale and Streetfighter V4, but it has a relentless pull that almost always outlasts your bravery (or at least mine) for big speeds on the road.
Double-century figures arrive with almost alarming ease, and the Multi seems game for well above 250kph. Come to think of it, this engine has a rather unique combination of a calm yet insatiable appetite for acceleration.
The V4 is quite smooth, although it sounds a little clattery at low revs and doesn’t have the same torque-drenched low end of BMW’s 1,300cc boxer; however, it makes up for that with what you experience between 6,000 and 10,000rpm.
The acceleration cuts off rather abruptly at the 10,000rpm limiter, and there’s a clear feeling that this engine could rev higher and give you even more power. Then again, that’s a small price to pay for the highly beneficial 60,000km valve service intervals that Ducati has managed to engineer into the V4 Granturismo.
The Ducati V4 has always had a voracious appetite for fuel, even with the clever rear cylinder deactivation tech that kicks in at idle or slow speeds. With a bigger 30-litre fuel tank, the V4 Rally solves that issue, and it can cover much greater distances than the standard Multi V4. But this comes at a cost: the Rally weighs nearly 260 kilos when fully fuelled.
For the most part, the bike hides its weight well, and it’s not as top-heavy as you’d expect. Things can get tricky when you’re trying to ride away after having parked on an uneven rocky surface – I found it’s best to quickly build a little momentum to avoid that uneasy, top-heavy feeling like the bike might tip over. Beyond that, though, the V4 Rally feels remarkably well-balanced at very slow speeds, even when taking u-turns or making tight manoeuvres off-road, and that helps with rider confidence.
With its big tank, cross-spoked wheels, long-travel suspension (200mm at both ends) and radar-assisted rider aids, the Rally is an all-terrain hyper tourer of sorts. However, it is also a Multistrada at heart, and that means it must handle well in the corners. It manages to do that rather well, but you have to make sure the suspension is set to match your expectations.
If you decide to exercise the engine and Brembo brakes through a set of corners, you will have to go into the menu settings andfirm up the suspension damping at both ends – adjustable by five steps between “Softest” and “Hardest”. I quickly learned that failure to do so can result in a heart-stopping weight transfer mid-corner should you need to adjust your speed for any reason.
With the suspension properly set up, the Multi Rally can be rather quick on a mountain road, but you get the sense that this sort of behaviour is best reserved for other versions in the Multistrada line-up. What’s more relevant is that there is more suspension travel than the regular V4 S, and when you slacken the suspension off, the Rally effortlessly ploughs through all manner of bad roads without breaking a sweat.
Quality levels are mostly excellent, but a few black plastics around the windscreen area could be nicer. It’s also annoying that Ducati has given the bike a keyless start but not a keyless fuel-filler lid. Nevertheless, this motorcycle has few peers as far as globetrotting luxury adventure bikes go, and it also cements Ducati’s conscious shift towards being India’s most premium motorcycle brand.
That can be seen in the Rs 29.7 lakh price tag that’s anything from Rs 4-7 lakh more than its immediate rival, the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure, depending on which GSA variant you consider. In states like Maharashtra, the on-road price can go as high as Rs 38 lakh, and that’s before you factor in Ducati’s eye-wateringly expensive accessories. For example, the crash protection bars are priced at about Rs 78,000, and a set of aluminium panniers with mounts costs as much as Rs 2.8 lakh.
The Multi V4 Rally is a tremendous motorcycle, but it will be appreciated by those who particularly crave these long-haul capabilities. For folks who want something equally exotic but a little less intimidating and a little more playful, I’d look elsewhere within the Multi V4 line-up.
