Dec 19 MCN Front_CDP.indd

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18 FOCUS
SPLITTING THE
DIFFERENCE
Ducati’s new Skyhook semi-active suspension system
is the headline difference between the 2012 and 2013
Multistradas. So we find out exactly what it does…
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20 FOCUS
MULTISTRADA: NEW v OLD
Test 1 Undulating bumpy road
We stumbled across a section of road
which was more like a Tarmac’d BMX
track – it would stretch the limits of
the new suspension and highlight the
difference between the two Ducatis.
We honestly didn’t know how the test
would pan out and set both bikes to full
power in Sport mode, which gives the
hardest suspension setting.
Fellow MCN road tester and road
racer Bruce Dunn set the aggressive
pace on the new Duke, with me playing catch-up on the old model. The
old bike coped with the undulations
admirably in Sport mode – the traction control would kick in a few times
as the rear wheel left the ground, but
that was my only grumble.
We quickly exchanged bikes and
repeated the experiment, which left
us scratching our heads as both bikes
feel very similar. Does this Skyhook
suspension really work?
We came to the conclusion that the
old Multi is such a good tourer-ina-sports-package that the new bike
simply matches it. To properly assess
the Skyhook system, we must test the
bikes at their extremities, so we hit the
same section of road in Enduro mode,
the softest of the settings.
In theory the old bike should pogo
around like a toddler on Christmas Eve,
while the new bike should be controlled
as the Skyhook system takes over and
changes the rebound and compression
to compensate.
As we expected, the difference between the two bikes was clearly highlighted while attempting to ride fast
in Enduro mode. The new 2013 Ducati
coped with shocking ease, controlling
the squat from the rear shock and the
spring rate after large undulations. It
also kept the front more stable and more
planted – a very impressive performance which proves the new Skyhook
system works, and works well.
The new bike’s
suspension only
proved to be
superior when in
Enduro mode, the
softest setting...
Test 2 Aggressive sports riding on tight, flowing roads
...Skyhook suspension on new
bike (right) gave
more controlled
response, giving
more stability
As before, with both bikes in Sport
mode, the differences were barely
noticeable through a section of switchback corners without riding like an
idiot on the public highway. Both bikes
reacted very similarly, although the
Brembo radial brakes were slightly
more responsive on the new Duke.
Again, this just highlights how good
the old Multi is.
Cutting up a mountain pass, both
150bhp V-twin tourers would give a
sports bike a run for its money, which
is why Ducati has won Pikes Peak for
the last three years running.
But again we decided to test the extremities and ran the same road, swapping bikes midway – but this time in the
relatively mild Urban mode. Initially
the difference wasn’t huge, but as we
Get on the power
early and the old
bike sits like an
obedient dog. The
new one is more
levelled, more
like a sports bike
Adam Child
increased the pace, the gap between
the two Ducatis became obviously
apparent. Get on the power early and
the old Multistrada would sit down
like an obedient dog and stay there,
which meant the front would go light.
In comparison, the new Multistrada
would add rebound and compression,
levelling the bike and making it feel
more like a sports bike.
Switchback corners hit at speed
would cause the old bike to pitch back
and forth on its long-travel suspension
– not alarmingly, just noticeably compared to the flatter-cornering, more
sporty-feeling Skyhook-equipped bike.
As the speed increased to peg-scraping
angles of lean, so did the difference
between the two bikes. The old Duke
in Urban mode was crying out to be
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THE WEEK
04-08
FOCUS
09-27
COMMENT
28-31
BIKE LIFE
32-45
SPORT
56-64
19.12.2012
WEDNESDAY
21
Test 3 Riding with a pillion
In Urban mode,
the old bike
seesaws through
switchbacks when
pushed hard, while
new bike remains
flat and sporty
flicked into Sport mode, whereas the
Skyhook on the 2013 model had already
adjusted the suspension accordingly in
the blink of an eye.
Summarising our first two tests, if
both bikes are ridden in Sport mode
and ridden accordingly, the differences are small – a fraction here and
there. However, if you ride both bikes
in extreme circumstances – fast riding in Enduro mode, for example – the
difference becomes obvious as the
Skyhook system takes over.
But who’d hit a mouth-watering
switchback mountain road at speed in
Enduro mode? Surely they’d just click
into Sport mode, which can be done on
the move with a closed throttle. This is
why we devised the third experiment:
touring mode, two up.
I pulled the short straw and had to jump
on the back with Bruce riding – scary.
We set both bikes to Touring mode and
from the options menu chose ‘Rider
with Pillion’, which increases preload
further. You can hear the system wind
up the rear shock and see the bike rise
slightly – impressive.
First up was the new 2013 Skyhook
model. Despite the brisk pace, the new
model felt incredibly stable – I wasn’t
being thrown around on the back and
wasn’t head-butting Bruce as he threw
the new Multi around. There was very
little pitching back and forth – very
impressive. Bruce said: “Everything
was planted, you wouldn’t know there
was a pillion on the back. With someone braver on the back, you could
really tramp on. The Skyhook takes
over and increases the suspension’s
control when it’s needed. That has to
be one of the best-handling bikes I’ve
ever ridden with a pillion on the back.”
On the old Multistrada, I was hanging
on like I was on a rollercoaster without a seatbelt. The difference was felt
immediately like a big smack in the
face. The rear squatted under hard
acceleration and the front went light.
I had to hold on tighter, trying to stop
myself being thrown forward as the
front end plummeted on heavy braking. Long, sweeping corners taken at
speed caused an alarming weave and
wallow. OK, we were riding slightly
No pitching back
and forth and no
pillion headbutting on the
new Skyhook
bike. Impressive
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HEATED APPAREL
Heated
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Gloves £99.99
Over cobbles the
2013 bike didn’t
feel as harsh as
the old one, but
the difference
isn’t massive
The Skyhook bike
is one of the besthandling bikes I’ve
ever ridden with a
pillion on the back
Bruce Dunn
aggressively and with us both topping
the scales at around 12 stone, the old
Multistrada was near its limits. But
the speeds never exceeded 90mph and
the difference was chalk and cheese.
As Bruce put it: “You wouldn’t think
both bikes came from the same factory,
never mind be almost identical. The
old bike was all over the place – like
most bikes once you throw a chunky
pillion on the back.
“The new Skyhook model is really
impressive – the pillion hardly affects
the ride quality, the front stays on the
ground and the rear doesn’t squat. Even
at very slow speeds, just turning the
new model around is much easier as
the bike is flat, not sat on the rear with
little weight on the front. Everything
is constant on the new bike.”
Test 4 Riding over cobbles
For the final test we headed for some
cobbled streets in Northern Italy. We
set both bikes in Enduro mode and
rode the long cobbled section back and
forth at relatively slow speeds through
the picturesque village. At such slow
speeds the difference between the old
and new bike was hardly noticeable,
with both bikes on their softest settings.
We then repeated the exercise, but
this time in Sport mode – surely the
old Multi would rattle our fillings out
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while the new Multi should be much
smoother? There was a more noticeable
difference in that the 2013 model wasn’t
as harsh as the old bike, however at such
slow speeds the difference wasn’t huge.
I’m sure if we’d increased the pace the
difference between the bikes would
have been highlighted further, but
I really don’t think the locals would
have appreciated a pair of Multistradas
barrelling through their village like it
was Kirk Michael at the TT.
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