Ducati's new adventure heroes

Looking for your next luxury adventurer bike? Ducati have unleashed their 2025 Multistradas, the V4, V4 S and new V4 Pikes Peak; which I must admit sounds quite quite badass. Will it make you capable of fanging up Pikes Peak at 225km/h, throttle wide open? Well, you will have to read on.

So what is different with this new-for-2025 Dukes? Let’s start with the V4. Redesigned at the front, with more aggressive proportions on the front end, its line clearly expresses dynamism and sportiness and brings it closer to the style of the new Panigale V4. The double front headlight takes on an important stylistic presence as on the 916 and 1098. The new silencer has a sharper shape and an even more personal sound and Ducati have levelled up visibility when riding at night, with Ducati Cornering Lights that are more effective in illuminating the road when leaning and an optimized headlight cluster to reduce the shadow area in front of the front wheel.

The new ‘Coming Home’ function allows you to leave the low beam headlight on for a few seconds after switching off the ignition, apparently making it easier to open the garage door when returning home in the dark. This also mean you won’t knock over every tin can in your garage while trying to find the light switch. The perfect new addition.

Safety is always a key focus and the new DVO (Ducati Vehicle Observer) means that electronic controls that can act with greater precision, estimating the ground forces acting on the motorcycle and the loads that it can bear in various riding conditions, simulating the input of 70 sensors to make use of data provided by the inertial platform.

This is an interesting new element, the new Multistrada V4 is now easier to handle when stationary and at low speed thanks to the introduction of the Automatic Lowering Device. In new that will have short people rejoicing the bike ‘lowers’ rapidly, with a variation of up to 30mm, and automatically when the speed drops below 10km/h. When the rider accelerates over 50km/h, the Multistrada V4 automatically returns to its riding height. The system works automatically and can be deactivated by the rider.

So what are the stand out new features in the V4 S? We start with the semi-active suspension with Skyhook DSS EVO control strategy, this make the suspension more precise and efficient with a new sensor mounted on the fork, and is equip with predictive functions, such as bump detection, which allow it to adapt the rear suspension response to road roughness in real time. Sounds smooth.

The new Multistrada V4 S is equipped with self-levelling functionality, which guarantees a constant setup in ‘rider’, ‘rider+passenger’ and ‘luggage’ configurations in order to always keep the characteristics of the vehicle unchanged. You can also change this suspension while riding.

In terms of Safety and technology, the Multistrada V4 S was the first motorcycle in the world equipped with a front and rear radar system to support Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which makes riding less tiring on long motorway stretches, and Blind Spot Detection (BSD), which signals the presence of approaching vehicles in the blind spot of the mirrors. In 2025, Ducati adds the Forward Collision Warning (FCW) function, which warns the rider of potential collisions with a vehicle ahead with a pop-up on the dashboard. In emergency braking, the new Ducati Brake Light now also activates the direction indicators to signal the danger more immediately to vehicles following.

If you’re travelling two up, Ducati has increased comfort for the travelling companion and that means less whinging! The panniers and the top case have been moved back to offer more leg room to your plus one, and by default, more space for you, the rider.

The V4 S also features a new Wet Riding Mode along with a newly evolved Enduro mode.

Engine wise the 2025 Multistrada V4 delivers 170hp (125 kW) at 10,750 rpm and 123.8Nm at 9,000 rpm.

Pick up the 2025 Multistrada V4 with the new Sport Travel & Radar and Adventure Travel & Radar trims which include a centre stand, heated grips and seats, and of course front and rear radar. The Sport trim adds panniers and forged rims, which after a weight reduction of 2 kg, make the Multistrada V4 nimbler and sportier, while the Adventure is characterized by aluminium panniers and spoked wheels. Plus a set of pretty hot Ducati riding gear to match if you need something else to drop some cash on.

And now onto the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak! Named after the infamous Race to the Clouds that only the suicidal dare to race up. Anything that is allowed to be credibly named after Pikes Peak must have some serious agility, skill and kahunas-to-the-wall style courage to accompany such a title. The first release of the Multistrada Pikes Peak was in 2011 and it has proved to be incredibly popular every since.

Why do you need a Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak in your life?

Firstly the ‘Pikes Peak’ racing inspired livery, a nod to the colours and graphics of the Ducati MotoGP, Superbike and Motocross bikes, with number plates on the side panels and on the windshield. The sport factor is further accentuated by the a number of new carbon fibre parts homologated Akrapovič titanium silencer. Look out for the low smoked plexiglass, the gold anodization of the Öhlins fork sleeves, the seat with the V4 logo and the Ducati Corse shield applied to the beak.

Ducati explains that the chassis of the V4 Pikes Peak differs significantly from the Multistrada V4, and is developed around the 17” front wheel to ensure great precision and reactivity for the rider. The bike comes with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV sports road tyres (they sound expensive).

There is also the inclusion of the Race Riding Mode, developed specifically for this version. The Race Map is added to a more racing strategy for the limiter, which allows more effective sporty riding in terms of gear changes in the high area of the rev counter. The quickshifter has a dedicated calibration that allows aggressive downshifting so you can get your stomp on.

In terms of ergonomics, the new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak has aimed to optimize lean angles, differing from the Multistrada V4, with higher and more rearward footpegs to increase the maximum lean angle and facilitate body movements, and lower handlebars which are narrower and have a less accentuated curvature.

Expect the three updated versions of the Multistrada to arrive in Australia by the end of October, with prices to be announced when they hit local shores.