What do they mean by '4 bikes in 1'? The marketing team of Ducati touts the bike that way purely due to the four different modes the bike has, each being interchangeable whilst on the move. These 4 modes are; Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro, each with it's own characteristic of power and suspension settings.

The model I took for a test ride was the S model, this being the top of the range one with plenty of carbon fibre, Ohlins suspension (front and rear), and electronics to adjust that suspension when you choose the mode you desire most.

The bike is also keyless so ensure you have a pocket that has a secure zip on it to keep your 'key' in. When within 2 metres of the bike, the key will sync with the bike and you have to press and hold a button that sits over the actual starter button for 2 seconds to activate the bike and the key, once done, you slide the starter button up and press the hidden starter button underneath and hey presto, the bike fires into life with that usual Ducati rattle and boom of a big V twin. No dry clutch here, but still plenty of rattling.

The seat is wide and comfy, the seating position is tall, even for me being 5'11" I could not get both feet flat on the ground at the same time, but the bike doesn't feel heavy so it's not a problem - if short in the leg though, it would be. The bars are wide and ugly, they look just like they came off an R1200 GS and a pair of Renthals would have been far nicer and more pleasant on the eye. The mirrors work OK even at speed, and all buttons fall nicely to hand with a feel of quality about them, so overall a rather pleasant experience. I couldn't get the high beam to stay on though, luckily I didn't need to, but no matter which button I pressed, it wouldn't stay on.

I was given a quick overview of what each button does, there are plenty of functions to play with, the dash itself is fairly well laid out, so everything is easy to read, but the indicator warning lights are set too low and to the right; being up higher would be much better. But the other functions like: ambient temperature, kms per litre, fuel range remaining, 2 different trip meters, gear indicator and several other options are obviously far more important than having a clearly visible warning that you have left your indicators on!!

I was advised to use 'Urban' mode, giving a 100 bhp smooth power spread and nice soft suspension, but within half a mile I had to change it, not because of the power delivery, that is nice and smooth and good in traffic, but because the thing bounces around far too much, just like a big trailie is expected to do, but it's awful. So when on the move, I pressed and held the grey button on the left bar, which brings up the 4 modes in the circle part of the dash, you tap it again to scroll through to what mode you desire, hold it, close the throttle (must be closed to activate another mode), and then you have the setting you want.

For me this setting was 'Sport'. In reality this is the only one to use, you have firmer suspension, full 150 bhp power and the bike then starts make sense and behave properly. The power is good, the midrange between 4 and 6 is addictive, but it's all over by about 8-9 and then it just seems to rev, but not make much more power. For speed freaks, I managed to get 156 mph out of it (with a slight front end weave), possible for 160 tucked right down, but all your mates on their S1000RRs and Blades would be small specs in the distance far ahead by then.

So could you make up ground on the bends? Well, you can hustle the thing around quite nicely on the back roads, but you have to get over the front and be committed to do so. The natural riding position on the bike is one of sitting upright with a rear bias, so you have to be purposeful and get weight over the front, this is not comfy and not something you would want to do all day if out riding with your mates on their sports bikes, you'd be knackered, but it would be a good work out for your biceps!! It's the same issue as the KTM 990SMT. Also, when you use your toes on the pegs to push you forward, the heel of your left boot keeps hitting the swing arm, which is rather disconcerting. However, you can have fast back road fun on this bike, but probably best in small doses and let your sports bike riding mates order your coffee and breakfast for you, because you won't arrive when they do and you will just have to live with that!

The road conditions were perfect for testing a bike like this, a bit wet and a bit dry, I didn't manage to get the traction control kicking in and I couldn't feel the ABS either. However, the brakes are excellent but expect some dive due to the big long forks.

Not so excellent, the gearbox full of neutrals. In a 50 mile ride I had 5 on downward change, twice going into a bend and 3 on upward change, some of this could be accounted for by the low adjusted gear lever, but you still have to make certain of a very positive push on the lever to ensure the gear you desire is engaged. Not good when you're hustling the bike and sometimes are a bit light on the lever.

The screen is usefully adjustable. This is manual though, so best not to try adjusting it on the move. I adjusted it from it's lowest to about an inch higher, which did make an improvement, still with more height to go. You'll get wet on this bike if riding in the rain, but you do get some protection. I could imagine it would be good for a pillion too, plenty of room and also more suspension adjustments you can make for carrying 2 people all whilst on the move, but I'm not sure the bike will save your own suspension settings. I suspect it does and I would recommend it, as even on sport mode, I found the rear still needed a bit more compression and perhaps rebound damping for an 80 kg rider. Forks felt fine though.

So, is the new Multistrada the future of motorcycling? It could be, but don't be fooled, you'd only buy this bike if you really wanted one and all your mates had them too. I would like one that's for sure, it's far better than the 990 SMT and I'm convinced it will knock the R1200GS into a tin hat (as my Dad used to say), so it has to be top dog for the big trailie toury thing category, but would I have this as my only bike?? The answer to this is a definite 'NO'!! This is no Sports bike by any stretch of the imagination and don't ever think it is. Is it an Enduro? No idea, but if going off road, take a mate on the back because when you drop it you'll need him to help you lift it up again; it's no WR450 that's for sure. So what is it? Well, it's a big bouncy trailie thing for the road that you could happily ride all day in comfort and have plenty of buttons to play with, but £11K for the billy basic one is a lot to spend on a second bike in the garage. This S model I rode is above £13K, so make sure you really want this bike over anything else, unless of course money isn't a consideration.

I do struggle with all this mode setting though, I'm in favour of it for the masses, but I think it all has a gimmick value: once you know what you like you will leave the bike set on that and be done with it. So I would recommend buying the standard version and manually set the suspension up as you want it - you still have the power modes, ABS and traction control and it's over £2K cheaper than the S.

1200 S SPORT specs:

L-Twin cylinder, 4 valve per cylinder, Desmodromic, liquid cooled engine producing 150 bhp @ 9250 rpm, torque 87,5 lb-ft @ 7500 rpm. Wet multiplate clutch with hydraulic control. Self-servo action on drive, slipper action

Öhlins 48 mm fully adjustable upside-down fork, electronic compression and rebound adjusters with 2 x 320 mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted ABS Brembo callipers, 4-piston, 2-pad.
Rear is progressive linkage with fully adjustable Öhlins electronic monoshock. Aluminium single-sided swingarm and 245 mm disc, 2-piston calliper

Fuel tank capacity: 20 litres
Dry weight: 423 lb