BMW F 850 GS versus Ducati Multistrada 1260
BMW F 850 GS
Ducati Multistrada 1260
Year of construction / RRP / Test report
Competitors
- raised seating position
- good handling on and off-road
- Wide range of extras and accessories
- successful appearance
- Powerful engine
- Precise chassis
- Windbreak
- Comfort
- Service
- Windscreen could be slightly larger
- Price skyrockets with extras
- not quite as manoeuvrable
- Nothing to get at low speed
- Off-road capability
Dimensions & Weight
Length : 2.305 mm Height : 1.356 mm
Seat : 860 mm until : 880 mm
Weight : 229 (max: 445 ) kg
Length : 2.190 mm Height : 1.495 mm
Seat : 825 mm
Weight : 232 (max: 450 ) kg
Engine
Displacement: 853 ccm
Hub: 77 mm
Hole: 84 mm
Cooling: wassergekühlt
Drive: Kette
Aisles: 6
Displacement: 1.261 ccm
Hub: 72 mm
Hole: 106 mm
Cooling: Flüssig
Drive: Kette
Aisles: 6
Performance
Performance: 95 HP at 8.250 U/Min
Torque: 92 NM bei 6.250 U/Min Tank contents: 15 Litre
Consumption: 4 l
Reach: 341 km
Performance: 158 HP at 9.500 U/Min
Torque: 130 NM bei 7.500 U/Min Tank contents: 20 Litre
Consumption: 6 l
Reach: 350 km
Chassis
Steel bridge frame in shell construction (steel) Front suspension:
Upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm (travel 204 mm) Rear suspension:
Mono strut (travel 219 mm)
Rear suspension:
Two-arm swingarm Tyres at the front: 90/90 21
Rear tyres: 150/70 R17
Tubular space frame (steel) Front suspension:
Upside-down telescopic fork (travel 170 mm) Rear suspension:
Adjustable central strut (travel 170 mm)
Rear suspension:
Single-arm swingarm made of aluminium Tyres at the front: Width: 120 mm, 17 inches
Rear tyres: Width:190 mm, 17 inches
Brakes
Double disc (∅ 305 mm) Rear brake
Disc (∅ 265 mm)
Double disc (∅ 320 mm) Rear brake
Single disc (∅ 265 mm)
The Multi is at a crossroads
One has to pay the highest praise to the Ducati engineers that one hardly notices these extra pounds. And yet the multi is at a crossroads. The whole electrics are not only for safety because of the bearish engine, it must be to make the heavy vehicle manageable. The most striking example of this is the electronic parking brake. At the push of a button, the rear brake can be activated to pin the Duc to a hill for a start, thus facilitating uphill start-ups. The Multistrada 1260 S has nice but completely unnecessary things like the backlit switches on board. Impossible for serious use off-road would be the delicate blinkers in the hand protectors, which lead their meaning ad absurdum.
Ducati actually has the most sporty adventure bike in the range with the Multistrada 1260 S, because the competition from BMW or Triumph can't keep up (and probably won't). With her rousing style she won many friends in the Test team and gave us a lot of fun.
On the other hand, it is comfortable enough for the long tour, great to use and well crafted. That she can't get into the terrain – as a gift, she would only lie down next to all the other adventure bikes that were sunk by her riders there in a nod to reality.
The test bike was provided to us by Ducati-Hamburg.
