SMALL, SWEETER ‘STRADA
“THE 950 S DOESN’T MISS OUT ON THE TECH…”
The road, if I can call it that, wasn’t really there anymore. It was just a massive collection of repairs, patches of asphalt repairing the holes that had developed since the road was built, and I’d found it at a speed which was higher than I’d have preferred.
It’s the sort of road which has helped make Adventure bikes so popular, because they cope admirably with poor road surfaces, and I was hoping the Ducati Multistrada 950 S would do the same, despite being one of the “softest” Adventure bikes available.
With its semi-active Skyhook suspension, the bike not only coped, but actually made the surface almost comfortable to ride across, even slightly cranked over at speed. It certainly handled the surface safely; no wobbles, no weaves, no dramas. I could have been going much faster…
I was using most of the 113hp the bike produces, really enjoying the feeling of the Testastretta 11-degree 8-valve working hard. You’re in the bike’s element, pushing it to the boundaries of its design brief, getting everything out of it… unlike when you ride a really powerful bike on the same road, knowing it could go faster, much faster.
Where the Multistrada 1260 S GT tested last month never felt like the engine was being pushed, on the 950 S I was working the gearbox and revving the engine hard; the bike lapped it up and provided a more satisfying ride.
