Desmopro News

The weekend before last I had the privilege of riding, back to back, two great motorcycles: the 2010 Multistrada and the brand new 2013 Multistrada.  After a short three years in production we have here a rather long list of changes in the 2013 model.

There are two main technical advances on the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200. One is a package of upgrades to the engine, but the second is the real headline: “Skyhook” suspension, semi-active electronics have arrived in motorcycles.

For the rest click HERE

I’m a keen observer of the obvious, so let me start by saying, WOW, it’s beautiful here. This, and I haven’t even been on “the mountain” yet. Friday’s weather is clear, sunny and some scattered showers up in the mountains and our plan is to group ride to lunch and end the day at FanFest, which is in downtown Colorado Springs. The ride group is small, about 20 and consists of mainly Multistrada’s, many of which have come to Pikes from far, far away. Conversations often go something like this – “We may stop by North Carolina on our way home from Pikes” “Really? Where do you live?” “Texas”.

For the rest of this story click HERE

Next week's MCN (out September 26) features the world first test of Ducati's semi-active suspension Multistrada 1200.

This wildly advanced motorcycle provoked an office discussion about Ducatis in general: should every true motorcyclist have owned one at some point? Is it the badge of a pukka enthusiast?

To vote in the poll click HERE

There’s a quote that goes ”I like living on the edge. It’s less crowded and the view is better” Nowhere is that more fitting than the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. While riding up to the summit I decide that the difference between this event and the Isle of Man TT is that this race requires a level of commitment that the IOM does not. There is no run off, no room for error and even if you give yourself a wide margin , the mountain might take even that, by adding rain or snow or oil from a blown motor. If it goes wrong, and it did seven times on Sunday, the view changes dramatically. But get it right, you become King (or Queen) of the Mountain and you are literally, on top of the world... 

For the rest (and why they needed a snow plow), click HERE

The odometer spins easily through everyday life, accumulating tens of thousands of clicks on workaday commutes and grocery store runs. In contrast, motorcycle journeys are personal mileage, forging more intimate connections between man, machine, and road. They remind us of who we are, and during the best of rides, who we will become.

This particular thousand-mile ride unfolded in Tuscany aboard a definitively Italian motorcycle over the course of a week. The excursion was organized and executed by Edelweiss Bike Travel, the Austrian outfit whose 30 years in the touring business has previously focused on BMWs and Harley-Davidsons.

The inaugural run for the Ducati/Edelweiss collaboration kicked off in Bologna. Known as The Red City for its crimson-hued roofs, Bologna is also a metaphorically apt place to begin a motorcycle adventure. Its labyrinthine colonnades radiate from a central wheel, a hub - not to mention it is also home to the manufacturer's global headquarters, where every Ducati is born before being shipped to dealerships around the world.

For the rest click HERE