New BMW R1300GS vs Ducati Multistrada V4: Specs Battle!

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0:00 - INTRO
0:40 - POWER
1:26 - SOUND
2:10 - TORQUE
3:05 - COMFORT
3:36 - RANGE
6:01 - WEIGHT
6:44 - SUSPENSION
8:19 - BRAKES
9:16 - WHEELS
9:58 - SEAT HEIGHT
10:54 - TECH
11:35 - STYLING
12:40 - PRICE
13:20 - VERDICT

[patrickhd]

The irony is that the GS1300 may feel faster on the road due to the torque. I went from a 1200GSA to a Multi V4S. Multi is easier to ride, particularly heavy traffic filtering. Can use it for distance, plus also Sunday morning sports bike. But the Multi is thirsty. Stopping for fuel is not a problem...my bladder only has a 185 mile range - absolute max.

[PaulThorpeOfficial]

Having owned both, there's not much between them to be fair. But I kept the Ducati, I suppose that says it all.

[ItsAllJustBollox]

You forgot the service schedule and warranty these are important on bikes designed to do touring..

[chrisvantassel]

As the owner of a GS (2021) and a multi (2023 Pikes Peak) both are great bikes but I have a different take and it is based on many miles on both. The GS with the Telelever to me is a compromise. As different as that suspension is it sucks off road and is vague on road. To me the GS is a sporty couch with the intention to be many things but falling short on many things. Now I have the Pikes Peak so I have the Ohlins EC2 semi active suspension. When you compare my GS to my Pikes Peak it is like comparing a sporty SUV to an actual race car. There is absolutely no comparison in on road performance. The PP is THE most stable high speed vehicle I have ever experienced, it is fast, smooth, taught and handles like a race bike. That being said the PP is in a different class. When comparing the standard Multi to a standard GS it gets closer but the one thing that these comparisons can never factor in is the pure smiles for miles. Pretty well any BMW I have owned has been good but never great, they always lack soul and fun factor. Ducati and KTM lead the world in that category. With that said, I buy bikes for the thrill and the experience not economics or tech. If I really wanted to tour it is my Street Glide, offroad my Desert X and Beta 390 or 890 Rally, for pure face flattening fun the Pikes Peak or Super Duke. There is not a single bike I own that does not do its respective thing better than any It is more important to me to have the tool for the job and not try and make an inappropriate tool do things it was not designed for. The same can be said for the standard Multi but I assure you that the multi is better on road than any GS and at least on par off road but with the smile factor. To sum it up I feel like a passenger on my GS and a pilot on my Pikes Peak.

[ThePumpkinheed]

Seems a pretty bang on summary, look forward to trying the new 1300 GS. My 1250 will take some beating!... Only point I'd maybe disagree on is the seat height adjustment going to the Multistrada. The BMW has several seat options, of which there is several levels of height adjustment on the bike for each, then also the standard suspension vs the sports suspension which adds even more height adjustment and obviously the lowering kits. Pretty sure you can have the GS in every 10mm increment from 800 - 900mm depending on spec... correct me if I'm wrong.

[davidkendall]

I think you nailed it! I rode the V4S for a week in Spain and own an R1250GS. I would score it the same way you did. I was almost afraid I would love the V4S so much that I would want it over my GS, especially since I have been a Ducati fan for a long time (but there is no Ducati dealer where I live). I was underwhelmed with the V4S. I actually preferred the DesertX we had in the group. The V4 lacked the soundtrack that I expected. I expected it to be very smooth, but it was vibey at highway speed. The quick shifter had failed somewhere prior to 10, 000 km being on the new bike. And it was HOT on your junk at slow speeds and brutal in the city. On the upside, awesome top end and I enjoyed it in the twisties. But overall, I preferred the GS (which was a relief to be honest), even when compared back to back (we had 7 bikes from Love for Ride…MS V4S, Desert X, R1250GS, Africa Twin, Tiger 1200, Tiger 900, Versys 1000). I think too many street riders look at HP too much when they really should give more attention to torque. Doubley so for an adventure biker who goes off-road. The GS has a better power band for the real world. These are not race bikes. A GS has the HP of a race bike from not too long ago and torque to make you drool. The new 1300 seems to elevate it even more. The boxer sound sucks at sedate pace, but I find when you wring it’s neck it is not too bad!

[laddiegill]

Great summery but you missed one most critical element, which is a major consideration for long distance riders. That is the Shaft drive vs the Chain drive. 😀. (BMW also has Brembo brakes, Brembo label is on the inside though)

[brunoseat]

I think you were a little biased! 😎

In order:

Suspension, I prefer the Ducati’s skyhook. In my opinion with the telever you miss some sensibility when you brake hard and some efficiency when you brake in really bad roads.

Brakes: give a draw when facing the best braking manufacturer of the world?! Sorry but no…

Wheels: why give a victory to any one?! It’s a clear draw.

Technology: noooo… as an example, Ducati is the only one that can personalize each one of their modes (suspension, engine… ) while GS only have that option in their’s “pro” modes.

At the end, I think it must be a victory for Ducat considering what I mention before.
More… is expensive, but it has larger kms between services and more warranty years (not sure).

However, 2 really great bikes

[robertcorbett]

So Bob, important to me when looking at bikes like this for touring is: final drive….it’s a shaft every time….I just don’t want the faff of having to lube a chain each day and worry about if it needs adjusting and cleaning mid tour. Secondly I’m not sure what breakdown cover Ducati offer but BMW is gold plated pan European with repatriation included if required……makes me feel very secure 😊

[ahmedalmussabi]

You compared between the full options GS with the normal maltistrada v4, I have maltistrada v4 rally edition and I see it's better in terms of suspension tech options and breaking desks than the new GS

[atifmahmood]

Seat Height you're wrong. I'm 5 foot 5 inches with an inseam of 29 inches. Ducati dealers in the toronto area wouldn't even respond to my asks. I'm comfortable with 30.5 inch seat height. And I'm a torque junky I have a R18 big boxer cruiser and a F850GS factory lowered with low seat. BMW Toronto got me on a GS 1300 with electronic height adjustment with a low seat option. None of the ducati dealers were able to do anything similar. So I have ordered a R1300GS Trophy because for short people BMW is THE ONLY manufacturer that has invested in enabling adventure touring for short folks and women.

[thevtadventure]

Think I’m pulling the trigger on the HD PanAm. Cheaper than both of these and I’m in the US and dealers everywhere. But I would love a 975 PanAm

[amandiodeazevedoevangelist]

Fuel economy: no reference to Rally Multi version… 2 cilinders off… 4l/100km… 1st bike in the World with this tech… Besides brakes, how BM wins the tech point? Huuummm…

[TacticalHamsterDance]

Thank you for the comparison! I haven't ridden the SAS and GS 1300 yet (although both are still available, unlike Multistrada, as the Ducati dealer probably started selling their fleet very early), however I liked the Multistrada a lot. I haven't tested it around my town yet, only in Spain (with Love for Ride like another commenter here) but it feels like the only bike that is well tuned for both sporty and leisure reading. The former - duh, it is Ducati, the suspension can be appropriate, the engine likes high RPM; however even in slow riding it is comfortable enough, the engine is smooth and has enough power (sure, the power in low RPMs is lower than BMW or KTM but it's a big engine, it doesn't matter than much), basically it has everything. What surprised me is that even if the engine was boiling, even in 35 degree heat I was cool. (Sure, BMW or Triumph have good ventilation too, although Triumph cannot take tall riders because of that, but compared to say Africa Twin lack of heat was noticeable.) The only minus was the engine in low RPMs sounded like a shy vacuum cleaner but then again BMW's sound is nothing to write home about either.

We will see how BMW did with their new model, it seems that despite late season the dealer has them in testing fleet and hopefully I'll be able to test.

[davea]

Ive had a lot of bikes in my 50 yrs of riding i test road the Ducati and it gets hot around your legs i love ducati had a couple but the grunt and the comfort of the gs for quick riding is great on my 1250. depends on where you live and what roads you ride frequently . i have other bikes for more off road stuff. Look if you bought one or the other you will be a Happy Chappy there both Amazing Bikes !!! im 62 and 73 kg, love your channel thank you from AUS.

[rustincrawford]

BMW brakes were branded Brembos at the U.S. reveal, but this was an EU spec bike. Not sure they’d change that for the U.S.

[Kurlach]

Christ this is what we’ve come to, reviewing a bike that isn’t out against a bike most of us could never afford based on specs. Give me strength

[jcollins]

I rode a 2021 BMW GS Adventure. I love the bike, but the MS V4 looks to be an incredible bike. I assumed it would win this comparison hands down.
I don’t disagree with any of the assessment categories except the maintenance intervals suggested in a comment.
I’m surprised to see that it wasn’t even close.

[P_R_Nick]

Struggling to consider this information considering very few have ridden the gs1300 yet. It would be nice to hear /see some feedback from actual experience once it's been released to the press.

Just saying like.

[vstm]

Used to have RT and found it comfy, quiet and relaxing. Nimble enough and fast. Bought GS after and never became friends with it. Good bike nonetheless but who really needs it (for the purpose)