2023–2024 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
Italian Touring With Real Suspension
Ducati built the Multistrada V2 S around a 937 cc L-twin making 113 hp at 9,000 rpm and 71 lb-ft at 7,750, which is the right amount of engine for a bike this size. Around it sits a 19-inch front wheel, semi-active electronic suspension adjustable at both ends, cornering ABS, traction control, ride modes, cruise control, a quickshifter that works up and down, a slipper clutch and a color TFT. That equipment list belongs on a big-bore tourer. What you get instead is a mid-size adventure bike that covers most of the same ground with less machine underneath you.
On the road it behaves like a quick road bike with better manners over broken pavement, and the 19-inch front keeps it settled when the surface turns to gravel. Mechanically it is straightforward to live with. The cosmetics ask for more care than the hardware does. It suits riders who want paved passes, forest roads and long weekends with bags on, without hauling a full-size flagship around. Be clear about what it is not: travel is 6.7 in at both ends and ground clearance 8.7 in, so rock ledges and deep sand sit outside its brief. Heated grips and phone connectivity are options here, not standard.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 113 hp (83 kW) @ 9,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 71 lb-ft (96 Nm) @ 7,750 rpm |
| Displacement | 937 cc |
| Engine | L-twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front tire | 120/70-19 |
| Rear tire | 170/60-17 |
| Wheelbase | 62.8 in (1594 mm) |
| Ground clearance | 8.7 in (220 mm) |
| Front travel | 6.7 in (170 mm) |
| Rear travel | 6.7 in (170 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.1 in (840 mm) |
| Wet weight | 496 lb (225 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.3 gal (20 L) |
| Fuel economy | 40 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Safety
Thumb the starter and the L-twin settles into the hard, uneven idle Ducati has never wanted to smooth away. It talks to you through the pegs down low, cleans up as the revs rise, and past 6,000 rpm the intake noise is the reason you keep the visor cracked. The riding position is upright and roomy, bars close, knees against a wide 5.3 gal tank. At 33.1 in the seat is tall enough that you pick your stops by camber, though the 496 lb feels low and quiet once you are rolling. The quickshifter takes a toe rather than the whole boot, in both directions. The TFT stays legible in flat desert glare. Two hundred miles in, nothing on me had gone numb, and I was still inventing reasons to downshift for the noise.
I have been collecting this bike's reputation the slow way: paddock conversations, owners talking my ear off at club nights, and the messages riders send me after a long weekend out. What comes back on the Multistrada V2 S is unusually consistent. The praise is about how it rides. The complaints are about what it costs and how it wears.
The engine draws the most comment by far. Owners describe mid-range that makes overtakes casual and a top end worth chasing, then the same motor sitting quietly at a touring pace. The suspension is the next thing they raise, smoothing rough surfaces without going soft when the road tightens. Plenty mention being surprised at how light and neutral it feels on a twisty back road. The upright seat and the weather protection get credit for the big mileage days.
Price leads them. Owners measure it against comparably equipped Japanese machinery and do not always reach a clean answer. Behind that sit small finish and hardware complaints, plus the occasional electrical irritation. Riders raise these as annoyances rather than reasons to stop riding.
Fuel level sender failure
The fuel level sender can malfunction, leading to inaccurate or erratic fuel gauge readings. Replacement under warranty is common.
Fragile engine paint and fasteners
Engine paint can flake or stain prematurely, and some fasteners (e.g., brake reservoir screws) are prone to corrosion or stripping. Not a functional threat, but affects cosmetic condition.
Where this Ducati Multistrada V2 S pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Multistrada V2 S is actually built for.
For slickrock ledges and deep sand this is the wrong tool: 6.7 in of travel and 496 lb wet. On the graded desert two-track that leads to that terrain, it is excellent.
Made for Bar M / Kane Creek · Imperial Sand Dunes · Johnson Valley OHV Area
This is your bike. Two-to-four-hundred-mile days on Highway 1 or the Blue Ridge are exactly what the 19-inch front, the semi-active suspension and the cruise control were built around.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
It does the big miles: 5.3 gal at 40 mpg puts 200-plus between fills, and the luggage capacity is real. Two-up and fully loaded, you will be shifting more to keep it in its stride.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Ducati Multistrada V2 S. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2025
Italian Middleweight, Italian Soul
Competitor · 2020
Handles Like It Weighs Less
Same Platform · 2023
Italian Tech, Usable Miles
About the same used price as this bike at 3 yr
Similar Character · 2019–2024
The Continent-Crossing Full Tank