#ducati

Ducati announced a limited edition model celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Monster. Ducati has sold 350,000 Monsters since the first model was introduced in 1993, and that number will grow, with the limited run of 500 Ducati Monster 30° Anniversario.

Ducati will once again be announcing its newest models in a series of online presentations. The Ducati World Première 2024 series will include six episodes, each dedicated to a different segment of the brand’s portfolio.

The more I ride the Ducati DesertX, the more I like it. There are so many excellent choices in the middleweight adventure bike segment these days that any ADV-curious motorcyclist should be able to find themselves a compatible match. The DesertX is like that one friend you know is always down for some sort of mischief – more partner-in-crime than just a partner. It’s rowdy, loud (with the Termi pipe seen above), and raucous, and it coerces you into having a good time. Since we’ve been able to pass Ducati’s latest adventure machine around amongst the staff, it’s become a crowd favorite.

For a brand best known for its exotic sportbikes, Ducati sure impressed us with the DesertX, its first modern off-road dedicated adventure bike. With its torquey 937cc engine, 21/18-inch wheel combo, and long-travel suspension, the DesertX was our runner-up for the Best Adventure Motorcycle of 2022 behind the Aprilia Tuareg 660. Thanks to an executive order published by the California Air Resources Board, we now know the DesertX will be joined by a new Rally variant for 2024.

Ducati is preparing to add a new Grand Tour variant to its Multistrada V4 lineup, joining the existing V4, V4 S, V4 Pikes Peak, and V4 Rally models. The new Ducati Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour will be part of the 2024 lineup as a successor to the previously offered Multistrada 1260 S Grand Tour.

Adventure bikes were made to unlock possibilities, to transport you from your garage to places unknown. As the category has evolved it has become more segmented to better suit the needs of the intrepid pilots looking to explore the furthest reaches of their abilities – whatever that may mean to said pilot. The new Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally was built to be the best long-haul ADV steed the Italian firm has ever built. With increased comfort, fuel capacity, suspension, and tech, on paper it looks to have checked the boxes. But everyone knows you can’t always believe what you read on paper. For that, you should turn to the internet and Motorcycle.com for the unadulterated facts.

Ducati participates with Enduro World Champion Antoine Meo on the DesertX at the Erzbergrodeo in Austria and puts the twin-cylinder adventure bike on the front row of the grid for the first time. 

Touring on motorcycles has always been fraught with variables, and adventure touring, with its off-road excursions, only increases them – exponentially. We’d been planning a trip to South Dakota to ride the Black Hills’ extensive road and trail system and were scheduled to hit them on the first day of the season. We weren’t going to let a little thing, like a week of rain prior to our arrival, dampen our enthusiasm. So, we were surprised when the trails were mostly dry and not muddy, with the exception of occasional mud puddles that ranged from a couple of inches to a foot – or more – in depth. With the opaque nature of the puddles, we had no choice but to venture through them blindly. What could possibly go wrong?

The success is highlighted throughout Ducati’s top markets: Italy +7 percent, United States and Germany +21 percent

Reinventing an Icon

Writing about Ducati’s 2023 Streetfighter V4S is nice and all, but while at the Andalucia racetrack riding the bike, I also attached a GoPro to my helmet and spun some laps. This happened for a few reasons: first was so you, the viewer, could hear the amazing roar of an 1103cc V4 at 13,000-plus rpm. Next was to get an idea of the different challenges the Andalucia track poses. The camera doesn’t quite do it justice, and I never did figure all of them out, but the experience reaffirmed just how remarkable the 2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4S really is.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but we’re big fans of the Ducati Streetfighter V4 around here. The do-it-all naked bike is fast as hell when you want to get crazy, but as docile as a puppy when you don’t. For years, fans of naked bikes have yelled to the hilltops for a manufacturer to build one that was a sportbike without fairings. No neutering, no “re-tuned for torque” BS, just pure naked power – and a handlebar. Ducati has firmly delivered with the Streetfighter V4 and we’ve sung its praises endlessly. Which begs the question: what on earth could Ducati possibly do to warrant yet another press intro and new model launch?  

The opinions expressed by Mr. Allen do not reflect the views of the editorial staff here at Motorcycle.com. In fact, we would be surprised if they reflect the views of anyone remotely familiar with the sport.

It was a hard choice between winner and runner-up in the Adventure category which means we’re the real winners. There are so many great options not only in the middleweight category, but also the genre as a whole. The Ducati and Aprilia are two of the latest entrants into the segment and the Tuareg managed to eke out the win for precisely the reason we’ve seen it twice now in our MOBO selection – its exceptional value proposition.

It seems a little crazy that anyone with the cash can just pull up to a Ducati dealer and walk away with a Panigale V4 S. What it has to offer would have seemed like science fiction just a decade ago. For starters, a decade ago who would have thought Ducati would deviate from its beloved L-Twin for its flagship superbike? Not only has Ducati doubled up its cylinders, but it has continued its winning ways. The 2022 Panigale V4 S is the byproduct of many of those lessons. It’s done so while keeping in mind that pros and regular schmucks like us ride these things too, so making it easier and more accessible to ride – and ride quickly – was also a focus. The convenient byproduct is that a bike that’s easier for average Joes to ride quickly also translates to a bike the really fast guys and gals can ride quickly, too.