Ducati’s Multistrada V4 is Bologna’s best-selling company adventure bike and it’s not hard to see why. It’s practical, roomy, luxuriously built, stinks and adorned with technical and designer chassis labels. It has been around ever since 2021when it took over from old 1260 V-twin and this is its first real update since then.

The detail changes are led by Euro 5+ engine tweaks, like many new 2025 models and favor the Multistrada V4, the V4 S we’re testing here at its Italian world launch and the V4 Pikes Peak, but not the other Multi V4s in the range.

It’s very much business as usual. The new Multistrada V4 S is still every inch a high-performance all-rounder, loaded with practicality and a race-derived engine with a bite as sharp as its bark. This year’s upgrades add safety and even more friendliness, but it’s pretty much the same to ride, so no rush for owners of the current model to upgrade.

It’s more secure than ever, although not as sharp as some of its competitors, but the new lowering device will be an advantage for many. Its rear cylinder cutting system is unobtrusive and the extra fuel economy will be useful on a grand tour. The seat can get uncomfortable after a few hours, it can hit typical “loan founder” highway buffets, it’s a long way to the bars and it’s far from cheap, but the Ducati is beautifully built, still makes you feel special and touring tour they force.

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For the V4 S model, with its semi-active Marzocchi suspension, the forks now have an internal sensor to measure travel. When the front wheel hits a bump, the front suspension talks to the rear and tells it how much to tighten up with more or less damping. As a result, the ride is a little more plush on rough roads and controlled when you push.

As before, the high Multi feels a little wayward at first and not as sharp as BMW’s S1000XR or even R1300GSbut once you get used to its weight, it handles precisely and grips superbly. Ducati has also raised the swing arm twist by a millimeter to reduce knee bend under acceleration and automatic rear preload levels to take the extra weight of a sling and/or luggage.

Ducati introduced a rudimentary lowering device for the Multi V4 in ’22 that undid the rear preload at the push of a button while stationary. New for the ’25 and arguably its most prominent upgrade, is a new shock with more preload to provide more of a drop (from 15-30mm, depending on the load on the bike).

It also drops automatically and seamlessly below 6 mph, allowing a tall rider like me to get my feet flat on the floor with bent knees. That should make handling a claimed 232kg machine (plus the added weight of fuel) a bit easier for those shorter in the leg too. The shock jacks up again once you get past 30 mph. The lowering device can also be deactivated.

A new ABS mode links the brakes rear-to-front, which Ducati says is an advantage in town and two-up. The front brake is activated automatically (you can feel it through the lever) when you step on the rear. It works, but the front comes on too aggressively if you pull the rear brake in a corner, which can be worrying. There’s also front-to-rear ABS or front-only for off-road.

Despite its new Euro5+ stamp, the V4 ‘Grantursimo’ engine’s output remains almost the same. Its claimed 167bhp is down just one bhp and there’s no change for its 92lb-ft of torque, but both peak 250rpm higher. It is no surprise that the new Ducati behaves as before.

It can be mild for cruising, or a fast, wheelie-toting, MotoGP-sounding hooligan when you’re feeling spicy. There is a fruitier sounding new exhaust system and follows in the footsteps of Devil V4 and V4 RallyMulti’s rear cylinders are now deactivated while moving, as well as stationary. For a ‘big bang’ V4 operating as a twin, it’s hard to tell when running on two, but there’s a useful 6% mpg improvement (43mpg claimed).

MCN is online Owners’ reviews give a rating of 4.1/5 stars. Early machines had their fair share of teething problems and engines on a handful of bikes even needed replacing. But Ducati quickly fixed the problems and now the Multistrada V4 has proven to be reliable and robust.

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Now that the Multistrada has a 19-inch front wheel instead of a 17-inch, it has a whole new set of rivals. It used to be just “tall-rounders” that BMW S1000XR, Kawasaki Versys 1000/1100, KTM 1290 Super Duke GT and Suzuki GSX-S1000GXbut now it goes beyond the adventure bike world.

With its light off-road ability, the Ducati rubs off KTM 1290 Super Adventure S, Triumph Tiger 1200 GT, Suzuki V-Strom 1050, Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports, BMW R1300GS and Harley Davidson Pan America 1250.

With so many Multistrada V4 versions, packages and accessories available it’s hard to compare like-for-like prices, but it’s no surprise that it’s at the more expensive end of the market, but you get what you pay for and none of its competitors are equally luxurious.