OK folks, it's unofficially-official, Ducati decided to bump up the power of its already-powerful Multistrada 1200. How do we know? New-product documentation filed with the California Air Resources Board reveals Ducati's plans to upgrade the 1200 cc engine with a 1262 cc lump. This brings more power to the table along with a concurrent reduction in overall weight-- to the tune of around 22 pounds. That's right; that power difference is really going to register on the heinie-dyno to further improve what is already one of the best adventure bikes on the market.

Continue reading for more on the Ducati Multistrada 1260.

What The Buzz?

How much will it improve, you ask? Well, it's hard to say right off hand, but here's what we know:

Ducati borrowed the mill from the XDiavel, but with a significant retune as evidenced by the hefty increase in emission values over the 152-pony version that pushes that cruise-tastic sled. I reckon this sporty tuning will generate something in the neighborhood of 165-horsepower with around 100 pounds o' grunt, or so.

It appears that the factory plans to offer the entire standing range with the newly-tuned lump, so the familiar base model, “S” variant and “Pike's Peak” trim package will all still be available. Further details are rather sketchy. Since the current models offer a range of Brembo brakes with a semi-active Ohlins suspension system on the “S” model, I'd expect the new models to at least maintain that standard, if not actually improving on it in the process. Same with the looks. The Multistrada is already one of the more fetching designs-- indeed it is the epitome of the “adventure” look-- and I don't expect these apples to fall far from the tree.

This news shows that Ducati is willing to buck the current trend of favoring the bottom displacements for a slice of the Millennial market. Oh well, I reckon that's what the Scrambler family is for, after all. I look forward to seeing how this liter-plus version performs in this rapidly evolving market. If Ducati hasn't filled us in before then, I fully expect to see the official unveiling at EIMCA this November.