Ducati Multistrada 939 in the making

The litre-class Multistrada will be lighter and might have a lower seat height compared to the existing 1200cc model.

Italian two-wheeler brand Ducati seems to be producing a range of the scaled-down versions of its existing models. Following the launch of the entry-level monster, the company is now testing the smaller version of its 1200cc adventure tourer, the Multistrada. The scaled-down model of the Multistrada is expected to share its powertrain as well as other components with the currently available Hyperstrada 939.

In the only spy picture of the upcoming entry-level Ducati Multistrada, the bike looks a lot similar to its elder sibling. In fact, it retains the same steel trellis frame as well. However, the company has replaced some components to make it a cost-effective product. You can see that the single-sided swingarm has been eliminated. Moreover, the suspension set-up and the braking system also look like the one on the Hyperstrada 939.

Powering the stripped-down Ducati Multistrada will be the new Euro-4 compliant, 937cc Testastretta L-twin engine which is powering the new Hypermotard and Hyperstrada models as well. The litre-class Multistrada will be lighter and might have a lower seat height compared to the existing 1200cc model. These factors will make it a less intimidating bike for novice riders and help the company in fetching a completely new group of customers.

We believe that the Italian manufacturer will offer the Multistrada 939 with features like ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), traction control and riding modes, while it can miss high-end features like cornering ABS and Ducati Multimedia System (DMS). This new Ducati Multistrada will challenge the likes of other litre-class adventure tourers, such as the Honda Africa Twin, Triumph Tiger 800s, Kawasaki Versys 1000, BMW F800GS and the KTM 1050 Adventure.

Source: BikeDekho.com