2025 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Review: Seriously Addictive!

PHOTOGRAPHY: ARVIND SALHAN

On a quiet, private stretch of tarmac a couple of hours from home, I cracked open the throttle of the 2025 Ducati Multistrada V4 S to record the V4 soundtrack in full glory, letting the Granturismo V4 redline and breathe freely through the gears. Reviewing the footage later stunned even me. Second gear saw the speedometer flirting with 140 kmph, and by sixth, the bike was comfortably past 215 kmph! It’s a reminder that Ducati’s Granturismo V4 is still one of the fiercest, most intoxicating engines fitted to any adventure motorcycle.

With that cracking V4 engine, the new Multistrada V4 is still one of the most performance-oriented mile-munchers on the planet. And for 2025, Ducati hasn’t just refreshed the Multistrada V4 – it has honed it into an even more sophisticated long-distance weapon. Sure, it delivers on making an impression, but does it justify the splurge, and are there any chinks in its armour? Those were some of the questions on my mind, as I rode it home to spend a few days, riding it across everything, from choking traffic to arrow-straight expressways.

Design & Dimensions

The 2025 Ducati Multistrada V4’s overall silhouette is the same as the outgoing model, but with some enhancements. Up front, the LED headlight cluster has been redesigned for a sharper, more aggressive look. The cornering function of the headlights is genuinely useful at night, and the slimmer, sportier exhaust completes the bike’s aesthetic stance.

Seat height varies by market, but the Asia-Pacific model gets a friendlier 795-815 mm adjustable seat, which dramatically improves low-speed confidence for shorter riders. You do end up sitting “in” the bike than “on” it, but more reach to terra firma is certainly helpful if you aren't a six-footer. Even with the wet weight (without fuel) of 232 kg, the Multistrada V4 S is surprisingly easy to manage, in traffic, or when pushing in and out of parking spots.

V4 Performance

The familiar 1,158 cc, Granturismo V4 engine remains the heart of the machine, still putting out an impressive 167 bhp at 10,500 rpm and 124 Nm of peak torque at 9,000 rpm. It's surprisingly well-mannered in town, with the V4 humming along quietly at around 4,000 rpm. The updated cylinder-deactivation system now shuts off the rear bank of the V4 engine even at low speeds to cut heat and improve fuel efficiency – a very welcome improvement in traffic.

Power delivery is smooth and instant, and if you keep the revs low, it’s perfectly calm and friendly. Twist the throttle, though, and everything changes. Past 4,500 rpm, the Multistrada V4 gathers pace with a ferocity that belies its size, delivering a surge of acceleration that makes it feel like a superbike wrapped in adventure-touring silhouette. The 6-speed gearbox with the up/down quickshifter remains one of the slickest in the business – so smooth, you’ll rarely reach for the clutch on the move. I ended up using the quicksfhifter almost everywhere, except in heavy traffic.

Dynamics & Handling

The aluminium monocoque chassis with the tubular steel sub-frame has been retained. And the chassis has a lightness that makes this big ADV feel far more agile than it looks. There’s a small, but significant tweak. Ducati has raised the swingarm pivot by 1 mm – it sounds trivial, but the change has been done to improve stability under hard acceleration, even with a pillion, or with luggage. And under hard acceleration you will not notice any surprises in the bike's balance, and despite the upright riding stance, the bike doesn't try to shake you off the saddle like an unbroken stallion.

The new Multistrada V4 can be tame and friendly, and anyone can ride it easily. But the raw performance waiting at the twist of the throttle will need some experience and maturity, to respect what it can do. It can get exhilarating, but can get you into the danger zone very, very easily as well.

The Ducati Skyhook semi-active suspension has been reworked too. It’s self-levelling, constantly scanning the road for imperfections and adjusting damping in real time. Basically, it reads the road and responds even before you notice.

And when the terrain changes, the Multistrada V4 S stays composed. With 170 mm front suspension travel and 180 mm of rear wheel travel, the Multistrada V4 is confident and surprisingly poised on gravel, but with its 232 kg wet weight (no fuel) and a hefty price tag, this isn’t the machine you’d want to send flying down a rocky double-track trail. Light adventure duties? Absolutely. Hardcore trail abuse? Not quite.

At least I'm not going to try pushing this pricey ADV off-road even if I wanted to. In any case, for some more technical off-road stuff, I'd prefer something smaller, lighter and way more affordable!

Features & Electronics

The 2025 Multistrada V4 comes with five fully customisable rider modes – Sport, Touring, Urban, Wet, and a more refined Enduro mode. There’s also the Ducati Vehicle Observer System (DVO) which sits at the core of the updated electronics suite. It uses more than 70 sensor inputs to manage stability, traction, wheelie control, and ABS – all fed by a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU).

The radar suite comes with adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and forward collision warning. Whether you use these features or not, they add a reassuring layer of safety for long-distance touring. The menus are easy to navigate and intuitive, to scroll and through and adjust the various parameters on the 6.5-inch TFT display.

Living with the Multistrada V4

The Multistrada V4 is brilliant, but it demands a few compromises. During our tests of over several days, which included riding conditions ranging from bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic to smoothly moving traffic and long open expressways, the Multistrada V4 returned an average of just 14 kmpl. With a fuel tank capacity of 22 litres, that’s a real-world range of just around 300 kilometres.

Heat in traffic is better managed but still noticeable, and the clutch does get firm in stop-and-go traffic. Valve clearance checks remain at a generous 60,000 kilometres, and Ducati backs the bike with a two-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Pricing is steep and varies based on equipment and configuration. The base Multistrada V4 starts at just over Rs. 24 lakh (Ex-showroom), going up to over Rs. 32 lakh (Ex-showroom), for the top-spec V4 S variant with wire spoke wheels.

Verdict: A High-Tech, High-Thrill Masterpiece

The 2025 Ducati Multistrada V4 S is one of the most versatile motorcycles you can buy today. It’s more comfortable, more intelligent, more controlled, and yet retains every bit of the Ducati soul that makes it so compelling. But no matter how brilliant it is, there’s a price you have to pay for it. And if you’re spending over Rs. 30 lakh on a motorcycle, you need to be sure you’ll make use of the staggering amount of technology Ducati has crammed into it.

If your idea of a perfect ride involves devouring highways with radar-guided cruise control, carving twisties with sportbike aggression, and enjoying the soundtrack of a V4 symphony, nothing comes close. It’s indulgent, extravagant and unapologetically over-the-top. But step off after a ride, and you won’t care. Because few motorcycles can make you smile inside your helmet quite like this one. And if that’s your idea of splurging on a motorcycle, by all means, take a test ride. The new Multistrada V4 S is brilliant, expensive, and utterly irresistible!

Watch the video review:

2025 Ducati Multistrada V4 S Review Photo Gallery: