The call
I’m often told that when your heart truly desires something, you always end up getting it. As cliched as that sounds, I was recently reminded of why that statement holds true. You see, I’ve been head-over-heels in love with the Ducati Multistrada V4 ever since I tested it. And I’ve always dreamt of riding it across the country, if the opportunity presented itself.
So, when the call from Ducati came to ride a Multistrada V4 Rally from Kolkata to Mumbai, I said yes faster than a human can blink! In fact, there were two Mutistrada V4s that had to be ridden down so I took along the youngest member of the Bikewale team, Pratik Bhanushali, with me. He’s never ridden a big adventure bike so the question was if the Multistrada V4 could make life easier for someone like him. Moreover, we’d never ridden across West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and eastern Maharashtra. Five states, thousands of kilometers and a motorcycle that chews miles like nobody’s business. I’m grinning as wide as you are. However, as is the case with many great expeditions, nothing goes as planned.
The wrath of Dana
Cyclone Dana was the spanner in the works that neither imagined would delay us. A cancelled flight, delayed layover on the rescheduled flight and a long and tiring day later, we landed in a very wet and windy Kolkata in the dead of the night. The following day, thankfully, the skies were clear and the bikes were ready to be collected from the Ducati Kolkata showroom. The sight of two Multistrada V4 Rally bikes, kitted with panniers, crash protection and more was a sight to behold. Someone had to pinch us to make us believe that the trip of a lifetime was about to begin.
West Bengal to Jharkhand
Since the cyclone had delayed our plans, we decided to ride from Kolkata to Jamshedpur in Jharkhand in the evening of the day we collected the bikes. Rolling out of the chaos of Kolkata traffic was surprisingly easy as the Multistrada V4, set in Urban mode, made light work of it all. I, for one, was impressed by the turning radius of the bike and the few minutes it took me to judge the width of the panniers.
Pratik, too, took to the Multistrada like fish to water. In the midst of the traffic, we were showered with appreciative glances and a tonne of attention that only two red Ducatis can garner. Soon, we hit the highway and were reminded of what makes the Multistrada V4’s explosive performance so addictive. We were hitting unmentionable speeds with zero effort and it took a great deal of restraint and an eye on the speedo to ensure we weren’t pushing beyond what the road conditions permitted.
Darkness fell soon and with the Mulistrada’s LEDs lighting up the road ahead, we rolled into Jamshedpur, also called the Steel city of India, well in time for dinner.
Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh
The next leg of the journey was long but we were expecting to cover time and distance quickly, given the prowess of the Multistrada. Little did we know of what was in store for us. The route took us from Jharkhand, to Odisha and into Chattisgarh.
This time though, a majority of the roads went past villages and small towns. It was quite interesting to see the diversity of the land, the houses, the people and the food that is served on the table. India is truly magnificent and motorcycles are the most immersive way in which one can experience the beauty of our land.
The Multistradas stood out in this landscape and everywhere we went, we were greeted by curious onlookers. I remember us being surrounded by half the village when we stopped for snacks. Conversations sparked and in no time, there was a beeline of people waiting to take pictures with the two Italians. Talk about that celebrity feeling. It was also impressive to see the penetration of internet in India and how many young guys were aware of motorcycles like the Ducati Multistrada and BMW R 1250 GS. After exchanging selfies we headed into the second part of this leg and it turned out to be the most trying time ever.
The National highway in Odisha was where we were, and it was fast, smooth and flowing until we caught up with the tail of a jam from hell. The cyclone that had passed a day before had wreaked havoc, caused flooding on the highway and left trucks stranded for kilometers. We had to take a number of detours that took us through dense forest trails, a tribal settlement and even a steel plant.
The roads were unpredictable and non-existent in most places. Luckily, the Multistarada V4 and its electronics, be it the brilliant Skyhook suspension and various traction control and ride mode settings made light work of dealing with the chaos. Even the 30-litre fuel tank ensured we had sufficient range to take those detours without having to worry about fuel. And when we did need to tank up, we were surprised to find 95 octane fuel at Indian Oil pump in remote places like Kuchinda, Odisha. That takes away some of the issues while riding a big capacity ADV across India.
Nevertheless, the last part of the journey to Raipur, Chhattisgarh was sublime. The road quality of the highway was impeccable, the Multistrada settled at a quick pace, and the adaptive cruise control made life easy. We rolled into the beautiful city of Raipur by midnight, without any fatigue to speak of, despite spending 14 hours in the saddle.
Chhattisgarh to Maharashtra
Raipur to Nagpur in Maharashtra was a short stint so we left our hotel by mid-afternoon and reached our destination well in time for a quick dinner and to hit the bed early. Afterall, the last leg was going to be the longest day, spanning 835km from Nagpur to Mumbai.
As usual, we were a little delayed leaving Nagpur, but we made up time on the brilliant roads that led to Akola and Amravati. Well paved, fast and with little traffic, these were some of the best roads we’ve got in Maharashtra.
This was also where we explored the full potential of the Multistrada V4’s performance. The insanely quick acceleration (for an ADV) left us smiling from ear to ear. The comfort offered by the seat, the plush suspension and the wind protection was all that made the Multistrada V4 Rally such an incredible long distance motorcycle.
It should come as no surprise then that 835km in a day was doable because the Ducati Multistrada V4 made it so easy. I’m yet to come across a motorcycle that is as versatile and capable as this one, which also explains why it has my heart.
Ride of a lifetime!
During the final few kilometers before we reached home, our minds reflected on the days that had gone by. We rode a pair of Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally motorcycles from the Eastern coast to the Western coast of India.
Through good roads and bad, in dense traffic and on open highways, across villages and towns, this trip was nothing short of eye opening. We live in a country where there is beauty in diversity. To see and experience everything up close would not be possible if there wasn’t a motorcycle involved. And when it is a bike as capable as the Multistrada V4 Rally, cross-country sojourns are a piece of cake. Not once did we doubt the motorcycle underneath us, no matter the road conditions or time of day. To have that kind of freedom to venture into the unknown is what makes good, capable adventure motorcycles so invaluable.
As I type this story, I can’t help wiping the smile on my face. These four days with the Multistrada V4 are etched into my memory forever. And I have fallen even deeper in love with this bike. Above and beyond that, newbie Pratik Bhanushali has also taken a liking for the bike. The fact that he hasn’t stopped recounting his time with the bike is testament to the special feeling that the Multistrada V4 evokes. We can only be thankful to the opportunity of riding one of the best adventure bikes in the world across roads we’d never been on.
Our hearts, as motorcyclists, are full. Now, if only, we could buy these bikes and keep them forever. What was that opening sentence again of wishing for something truly?
Gallery
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Ducati Multistrada V4 Front View
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