Ducati has brought the Multistrada V4 pikes peak to Indian shores. A year after its global unveiling the bike has been launched in India for Rs 31.48 lakh. The Pikes Peak is a more road-focused version of the Multistrada V4 with smaller wheels, better suspension and weight reduction. Not to forget that bespoke livery and also a new ‘Race’ mode. The Multistrada Pikes Peak is named after and specially built to dominate records at the famed hill-climb race event that’s held every year in Colorado in the USA. But after the death of Carlin Dunne in 2019, who tried setting the outright bikes record, who sadly met with an accident which cost him his life, the bikes category at the Pikes Peak hill climb has been barred.
The V4 Pikes Peak looks like a standard Multistrada albeit with bespoke ‘Pikes Peak’ graphics which is inspired by that on the 2021 Desmosedici GP bike. It gets an array of carbonfibre goodies, a smaller smoked visor, a golden USD Öhlins front fork and proudly displays the ‘Ducati Corse’ badge on its beak. It also gets dual-tone seats which are adorned with the V4 logo. The V4 Pikes Peak also gets a titanium Akrapovic exhaust, for weight reduction, which not only sounds good, but also looks the part.
The Pikes Peak some major tweaks to its chassis to improve the handling of the motorcycle. It now rides on smaller 17-inch front forged aluminium Marchesini wheel which are 2.7kg lighter than the 19-incher on the standard Multi, for improved agility. These rims are shod on stickier rubber — Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV measuring 120/70-17 upfront and 190/55-17 at the rear. The bike also gets a sharper 25.75 degrees steering head angle, instead of the standard bike’s 24.5 degrees and even gets the iconic single-sided swingarm. It gets a 0.5mm higher trail (now 120 mm) and a 0.028mm longer wheelbase totaling to 1595mm. All this for the sake of aided sporty handling.
At 239kg, the Pikes Peak is 4kg lighter than its sibling as well. The bike borrows Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension from the Panigale V4 S at the front and rear, replacing the Skyhook suspension from the standard Multistrada V4 S. It also features slightly footpegs that are now slightly rearset to improve the motorcycle’s cornering clearance. Braking duties are handled by dual 330mm discs with Brembo Stylema monobloc callipers up front and a single 265mm diameter disc squeezed by a Brembo floating calliper at the rear. This setup is the same as the Multistrada V4 S but to make the bike better on the racetrack, the Sylemas now use the brake pads of the Panigale V4.
Taking centre stage in the dash of the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak is a 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen that gets navigation and screen mirroring. It controls all the functions of the bike. The Multi is a tour de force when it comes to safety equipment. It gets cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, and most notably, ADAS features enabled by a radar system at the front and the rear! It is the first production motorcycle in the world to feature radar Adaptive Cruise Control and this system works seamlessly, even out on the Indian highways. Read my colleague, Karan’s review of the Multistrada V4 S to know more about how the Multi fares on Indian soil, both on and off the tarmac here. The Multi Pikes Peak also gets an additional ‘Race’ riding mode apart from the standard three — Urban, Sport and Touring. More features include a cornering function for the headlight and also hill-hold assist.
At Rs 31.48 lakh, ex-showroom, the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak commands a premium of almost Rs 6 lakh over the Multistrada V4 S, and we can’t wait to find out if this premium is justified by the added features and its sportier character. In terms of rival, the Pikes Peak doesn’t have any direct competitors considering its ex-showroom price tag, but the BMW S 1000 XR with it’s 17-inch front wheel comes closest.