2025 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
Italian Middleweight, Italian Soul
The Multistrada V2 S sits in the middle of the adventure class but rides lighter than its silhouette suggests. At 445 lb wet, with an 890 cc 90-degree V-twin making 116 hp at 10,750 rpm and 68 lb-ft at 8,250 rpm, it leans on revs rather than lazy grunt. The chassis is built around a 19-inch front and a 32.7-in seat, so the stance is upright and travel-ready without the top-heavy bulk of a full-size ADV. Semi-active electronic suspension, cornering ABS, traction and wheelie control, ride modes and a quickshifter both ways come standard. That level of technical density in a middleweight is what defines this generation.
Ridden back-to-back over a week of mixed roads, the V2 S behaves like a tall sport-tourer that happens to have real suspension travel. It changes direction with genuinely little effort, holds a line at highway speed, and the electric screen plus cruise control make 300-mile days routine. The honest caveats: 6.7 in of travel front and rear is enough for gravel, forest roads and rough pavement, but it is not deep-dirt equipment. The 32.7-in seat still asks for some inseam despite the adjustable range. And some bikes shift clunkily from first to second, which a dealer quickshifter recalibration or software update should sort. Navigation, TPMS, heated grips and a center stand cost extra.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 116 hp (85 kW) @ 10,750 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 68 lb-ft (92 Nm) @ 8,250 rpm |
| Displacement | 890 cc |
| Engine | 90° V-twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-19 |
| Rear tire | 170/60-17 |
| Front travel | 6.7 in (170 mm) |
| Rear travel | 6.7 in (170 mm) |
| Seat height | 32.7 in (830 mm) |
| Wet weight | 445 lb (202 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (19 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The first thing that registers is the noise. That V-twin has a hard, metallic edge to it above 6,000 rpm that no middleweight parallel twin gets close to, and it carries into the cabin without ever turning into drone. Vibration stays civilized. Your palms and mirrors are still usable at 80 mph. The riding position is roomy and upright, bars close, pegs low enough that I never felt folded up, and the tank is narrow where your knees land. Ground clearance is generous enough that I stopped thinking about it on switchbacks. Feedback through the chassis is the standout. You feel the front tire loading and unloading through the bars in a way that builds trust quickly, and the semi-active suspension keeps the bike settled over the kind of broken tarmac that usually starts a fight.
Two decades of paddock talk, owner conversations and messages landing in my inbox is how this part of the picture gets built. Riders tell me what a bike is like after the novelty wears off, and the reports on the V2 S line up cleanly. Praise centers on how it moves and how it revs. The gripes cluster almost entirely at the bottom of the tachometer.
The first thing owners mention is how light it feels once moving. They describe it as easy to flick from side to side without giving up composure at speed. The V2 draws the same enthusiasm from riders who use the upper rev range, where they find the power linear and the sound worth talking about. The semi-active setup gets credit for staying plush and controlled, with settings riders change on the move for load or pace. Long days come up often too: padded seat, upright position, good protection, and no fatigue by evening.
One issue dominates. Below roughly 3,500 to 4,000 rpm riders report the engine hesitates, so they ride around it with deliberate throttle and an extra downshift. Beyond that the reports thin out. A few still find it top-heavy at parking speed, awkward for shorter riders. Some who stand up say the pegs push their calves outward. A handful call the cruise control button an uncomfortable stretch.
Possible quickshifter misconfiguration / gearbox update needed
Some owners report clunky shifting, especially from 1st to 2nd, which may be resolved by a dealer quickshifter recalibration or software update.
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 gravel, sand tracks and rough forest roads it works, but Moab slickrock and genuinely technical terrain will out-ride its 6.7 in of travel. Take it as a light ADV, not an enduro replacement.
Made for Bar M / Kane Creek · Imperial Sand Dunes · Johnson Valley OHV Area
This is the one it was built for. Light steering, upright comfort, a rev-happy twin and 300-mile days on Highway 1 or the Blue Ridge without arriving beaten up.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
Stable at highway pace with cruise control and an electric screen, so the transit stages go by cleanly. Just budget for luggage and heated grips, and expect a tighter two-up setup than a full-size tourer.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2023–2024
Italian Touring With Real Suspension
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
