Ducati Multistrada 1260 versus BMW S 1000 XR
Ducati Multistrada 1260
BMW S 1000 XR
Year of construction / RRP / Test report
Competitors
- Powerful engine
- Precise chassis
- Windbreak
- Comfort
- Service
- Seating position fits small and big people
- High-revving motor
- Strong brakes
- Very good standard equipment
- Nothing to get at low speed
- Off-road capability
- You just always want to step on the gas
Dimensions & Weight
Length : 2.190 mm Height : 1.495 mm
Seat : 825 mm
Weight : 232 (max: 450 ) kg
Length : 2.156 mm Height : 1.460 mm
Seat : 850 mm
Weight : 227 (max: 450 ) kg
Engine
Displacement: 1.261 ccm
Hub: 72 mm
Hole: 106 mm
Cooling: Flüssig
Drive: Kette
Aisles: 6
Displacement: 999 ccm
Hub: 50 mm
Hole: 80 mm
Cooling: flüssig
Drive: Kette
Aisles: 6
Performance
Performance: 158 HP at 9.500 U/Min
Torque: 130 NM bei 7.500 U/Min Tank contents: 20 Litre
Consumption: 6 l
Reach: 350 km
Performance: 170 HP at 11.000 U/Min
Torque: 114 NM bei 9.250 U/Min Tank contents: 20 Litre
Consumption: 6 l
Reach: 323 km
Chassis
Tubular space frame (steel) Front suspension:
Upside-down telescopic fork (travel 170 mm) Rear suspension:
Adjustable central strut (travel 170 mm)
Rear suspension:
Single-arm swingarm made of aluminium Tyres at the front: Width: 120 mm, 17 inches
Rear tyres: Width:190 mm, 17 inches
Aluminium composite bridge frame, motor supporting (aluminium) Front suspension:
Upside-down 45 mm (travel 150 mm) Rear suspension:
Central strut (travel 150 mm)
Rear suspension:
Two-arm swingarm Tyres at the front: 120/70 ZR 17
Rear tyres: 190/55 ZR 17
Brakes
Double disc (∅ 320 mm) Rear brake
Single disc (∅ 265 mm)
Double disc brake, 4-piston fixed caliper (∅ 320 mm) Rear brake
Single disc brake, 2-piston floating caliper (∅ 265 mm)
The Multi is at a crossroads
One has to pay the highest praise to the Ducati engineers that one hardly notices these extra pounds. And yet the multi is at a crossroads. The whole electrics are not only for safety because of the bearish engine, it must be to make the heavy vehicle manageable. The most striking example of this is the electronic parking brake. At the push of a button, the rear brake can be activated to pin the Duc to a hill for a start, thus facilitating uphill start-ups. The Multistrada 1260 S has nice but completely unnecessary things like the backlit switches on board. Impossible for serious use off-road would be the delicate blinkers in the hand protectors, which lead their meaning ad absurdum.
Ducati actually has the most sporty adventure bike in the range with the Multistrada 1260 S, because the competition from BMW or Triumph can't keep up (and probably won't). With her rousing style she won many friends in the Test team and gave us a lot of fun.
On the other hand, it is comfortable enough for the long tour, great to use and well crafted. That she can't get into the terrain – as a gift, she would only lie down next to all the other adventure bikes that were sunk by her riders there in a nod to reality.
The test bike was provided to us by Ducati-Hamburg.
Conclusion - what gets stuck
Man, we had fun with the XR! The standard electronically adjustable ESA suspension really irons everything smoothly and yet this bike still gives you the necessary feedback about the road condition for sporty driving. That's the biggest difference between XR and GS: The XR is always sporty on the road, even if the 4-cylinder can purr at least theoretically like a kitten, that's not what you want as a driver! Better to throttle and loseprint like a cheetah. GS on the other hand: Rather quiet as a lion.Whether the sportiness of the XR has a lasting effect or rather annoys, every driver has to decide for himself. What is clear, however, is that it travels more pleasantly on a GS, because you drive rather relaxed and there is no constant driving jerking or chain care.
The test motorcycle was provided to us by Bergmann & Söhne Pinneberg. There she stands as a guide and is happy about every test driver.
