Minutes past, the large red Ducati was wafting Maine in calm comfort to Oulton Park on this crisp, damp morning. But now, with the sun breaking through the clouds, I’m close to verify if this Pikes Peak Multistrada, the foremost unlikely of trackday bikes, can surpass one in all the foremost exciting circuits within the country.
Before the morning’s safety making known and 102dB limit noise testing (the Ducati isn't any louder than the quality bike, despite its flashy Termignoni can) it’s time to begin pre-flight checks.
We’ve fitted Metzeler Racetec RR K3 trackday tyres, thus my 1st job is to drop the pressures: 31psi rear, 33psi front. Now, get into the on-board list and customise the ‘Sport’ riding mode: we’ll keep the complete fat power, however disable the ABS and anti-wheelie and switch traction all the way down to ‘2’. The track is affected by damp patches and also the red flag is stayed to scrape bikes off the track each few laps – of each session.
Like the current ‘S’ model, the out-going Pikes Peak had semi-active Sachs ‘Ducati Skyhook’ suspension, except for 2016 the Italian firm have gone back to an everyday Öhlins fork and shock set-up. once you’ve paid £19,295 you a minimum of need a few designer labels, and also the Swedish suspension complete is one in all the simplest. you furthermore may get ample carbon-fibre goodies and a Ducati Corse paintjob, however this year’s model will away with the light-weight cast alloy wheels and has cheaper, heavier forged things instead.
With no Skyhook buttons to push, setting the suspension is all a few socket set, Allen keys which satisfying, oily click of damping, rebound, compression and preload adjusters. We’ll see wherever everything is about to start with and tweak from there. except for the lifetime of Maine I can’t notice the shock damping adjusters and got to ring a mate who’s got a Pikes Peak. They’re hidden beneath the seat, behind a plastic scrutiny cowl. Thanks, Bob.
In the queue to hitch the track the Pikes Peak towers higher than everything else: sportsbikes, track tools and full-on race bikes. It’s like one in all those laughable, speeded-up items of track footage from a Herbie film, wherever a VW Beetle somehow manages to fly around the outside of Porsches and Ferraris.
The Multistrada and Oulton Park square measure a reasonably smart match. This isn’t an influence track and it’s a lot of regarding keeping most momentum through its majestic curves, whoops and cranked over jumps. A race bike is brief, snappy and aggressive around here, however the Pikes Peak, with its lazier 160bhp variable temporal arrangement V-twin motor and long travel suspension, merely glides spherical.
Even while not tyre heaters, the road-compound Metzeler track tyres square measure smart to travel among a couple of corners. aptly assisted by the fashionable Öhlins and sort power delivery, they notice Brobdingnagian grip on the cold and generally damp tarmac. the key to quick and safe laps isn't to require it by the back end of the neck, however to be swish and let everything settle before pound it onerous.
Let the load transfer to the front once you return off the throttle before compression the brakes, then allow them to off gently before throwing it on its ear. With such a lot grip and rear weight transfer once you crack the throttle, you'll squeeze the facility on terribly onerous, even with high angles of lean. It takes your breath away onerous, you'll plaything out of corners and it digs in tougher than a stiff sportsbike.
Of course, it wasn’t designed for the track, thus it’s not a surprise that it’s onerous to urge into a race tuck down the straights. you have got to sit down on the Ducati’s rear seat to actually get beneath the bubble and it’s solely then you realise you can’t see wherever you’re going, as all you have got may be a carbon blade for a screen.
As the sessions flick by, the damp patches dissipate and heat sunshine spills over the track. The Pikes Peak feels ever tighter and a lot of poised with gradual suspension tweaks. Winding on a lot of rear preload helps sharpen steering, and a activate the front stops the forks bottoming out on the brakes. Adding a lot of rebound and compression damping every finish adds stability.
Despite having Brembo monoblocks, braking power and bite isn’t up to superbike standards. whether or not that’s method down to} the pads or the manner the brake hoses go via the ABS pump on their way from lever to caliper, even with the physical science turned-off, I’m undecided. however that’s the sole real weak link within the Peak’s make-up. Last year’s lighter wheels would’ve helped on course, too.
But currently it’s time to depart Oulton Park’s terra firma dreamscape behind and acquire on the road. we tend to pump the tyres keep a copy, twizzle the suspension adjusters back to straightforward and set the physical science to ‘safe and steady’ itinerant mode.
On the so much less glamourous M6, A50, money supply and A14 back to MCN headquarters it buckets down, however I don’t care. controller set, I’m comfy, dry and still beaming on a similar bike that, simply a couple of hours past, was compounding it with R1s, ZX-10Rs and GSX-R1000s on course.
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