Ducati may have made the Italian brand's intentions clear that the Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine will be used on more models, and not necessarily in the same sportbike segment. And the first confirmation that Ducati has indeed been toying with the idea of a Multistrada V4 is from the latest spy shots and video of a prototype on test. Apart from the Ducati Panigale V4 and the Panigale V4R, now Ducati may be looking to use a V4 version in a new, upcoming model of the Ducati Multistrada which will have the high-revving V4 engine.
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The bike seen in the spy shots and video looks very similar to the current Ducati Multistrada 1260, but what is clear is that the engine is a V4, and not the L-twin that Ducati uses on the current Multistrada. It's still not clear if Ducati is actually in the process of developing a Multistrada V4 or if this is just a one-off case of testing the V4 engine on the Multistrada platform. The styling of the camouflaged Multistrada V4 on test looks almost similar to the current model, but this doesn't mean that Ducati may not develop a production model Multistrada V4 at all. Of course, the exhaust design is different, and from the video it certainly doesn't sound like the L-twin engine, so there is definitely a V4 powerplant.
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Ducati already has an advanced prototype in the Streetfighter V4 which was used at this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and involved the fatal crash of Carlin Dunne. So, the first new production model V4 will be the Streetfighter V4, but Ducati may be working simultaneously on the Multistrada V4 as well. We expect some sort of a Multistrada V4 to be shown to the public, at least as a concept, at this year's EICMA show in Milan. But there's no mistaking the future - more Ducati models with V4 engines will be introduced in the coming years, and the next Multistrada could very well be powered by a V4 engine.
(Source: Asphaltandrubber.com)
