I don’t believe in coincidence. But then sometimes things do line up in the most bizarrely surprising fashion that I can’t ignore them too. After having planned and made bookings for the entire road trip through Italy and Austria, i received an email that left me in disbelief. I had been shortlisted as one of the 14 finalists for the Ducati Globetrotter 90, an event for which i had enrolled more than a month ago with no certainty of getting selected from the more than 3,500 entries that Ducati had received worldwide. 2016 being the 90th anniversary of Ducati, the company had announced a contest for bloggers and moto- enthusiasts like myself to be a part of their historic celebrations. If selected, the 7 finalists would be the torchbearers for the Italian motorcycle manufacturer to do a round-trip around the world aboard the company’s newest machine, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro.
While initially we had planned to arrive in Italy mid-May so that we could make it for the MotoGP race at Mugello, delays in obtaining the visa had pushed our departure dates back to June 9. In our travel plans, we had decided to break the jetlag in Milan for a couple of days, before we headed to Tuscany for a week of more relaxation and fine wine, more on that here. While all was planned and ready to be executed, I got the surprise email from Ducati instructing me to report to Nipozzano Castle near Florence on June 14 for the Globetrotter 90 final selections. It was sheer coincidence that we had planned our Tuscan visit exactly on those days. And as the Castle was a mere 60kms from where we were staying in Chianti no plan needed to be altered or excruciating pains of cancelling hotels and bookings had to be taken. The only addition was my riding gear kit in our packing.
When on a holiday, the last thing that one wants is the shill noise of the alarm going off way before you lazily prefer to crawl out of the bed. My anticipation and eagerness was far ahead from causing such irritation though, as I jumped out of bed a full hour before the alarm was set. While getting dressed to leave, i was consumed in thoughts about how it would be like to meet an unknown group of people in an unknown country, each competing for their own piece of pie. The Pie! The prize of getting selected as on of the 7 participants was a unique slice of adventure, bespoke to each. The finalists each get to take the Multistrada 1200 Enduro across continents and literally around the world. The first rider would be flagged off from Ducati’s womb, Borgo Panigale on July 4, heading up north towards Moscow. From there the second rider would get astride the touring machine on a mighty 40-day adventure across Siberia into Asia, finishing in Japan. The Multistrada 1200 Enduro being the torch that showcased 90 years of Ducati innovation and design would be then passed on to the third rider who would travel across Japan to had over the motorcycle to a ship that would bring it to the United States. Here, the next rider would start their journey from the western tip of the U.S in San Francisco heading east towards Indianapolis. For covering the rest of North America and bringing the 1200 Enduro back to Europe, the fifth rider would be needed. Once in Europe, at Portugal, a new rider would take over the handlebars of the 1200 Enduro and head up north towards the holy grail of speed – The Isle of Man as the penultimate leg of the long, enduring journey. By this point, Ducati’s adventure tourer would have covered an incredible distance of more than 20,000km (12,427 miles) around the world. To bring the tired machine back home, the seventh and final rider would ride across western Europe towards Borgo Panigale where all the madness had begun more than 6 months ago.
Nipozzano castle from above. Photo courtesy Nipozzano Estate.
Nipozzano castle situated 30kms from the city of Florence stands with a commanding view on one of the highest hills in the area. Built more than a thousand years ago, the castle is one of the strongest fortifications of the florentine area. Under the castle’s watch is a vast area of land that looks over the Arno and Sieve rivers. Once home to the Counts of Guidi during the 10th century, the castle has stood strong during the middle ages and through the great World Wars. Today the entire estate is the prize possession of the royal Frescobaldi family where they peacefully produce some of the best Tuscan wines.
The vineyards at Nipozzano estate, today part of the Frescobaldi family.
As i entered, the estate that seemed to have braced the colour red for the day with Ducati flags and masts fluttering with equal opulence as the royal demeanor of the estate itself. As i neared the courtyard, a sea of familiar shapes started to become more and more prominent. Under the marvelous Tuscan landscape stretching over a backdrop of endless vineyards stood a dozen of Borgo Panigale’s finest creations. A lineup of Multistrada 1200 Enduros stood in front taunting me to exploit their capability. But the closer i got, the more intimidated i felt. “These motorcycles are tall!” i thought to my 5’8″ self. As if the sharp ‘beak’ shaped front end and tall fuel tank of the 1200 Enduro wasn’t daunting enough as a view, there were knobby tyres that had been specially added. I could foresee what’s coming. Ducatis are generally known for their brutally raw feel, so it was natural that i was a bit overwhelmed by the thought that this massive machine moved around with the help of a 160bhp 1198cc DVT engine that was ready to burst out torque on demand. While i was anxious, i was looking forward to the challenge. Later i would learn that all the brutal force of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro could easily be reigned in by just a few clicks and buttons.
Once all the candidates had arrived, we had been instructed to head up to a room inside the castle where the briefing and further instructions would be delivered. As i turned to enter the estate’s castle, i caught a glimpse of dark clouds coming our way. “hopefully”, i said to myself. “Not today”.
Ready for the briefing session.
Our technical training was headed by Beppe Gualini, the technical director of the Ducati Riding Experience (DRE). Beppe’s career spans for over two decades of intense rally-raid action. His experience comes from more than 65 African rally-raids and 10 Paris Dakar rallies. He was also the man responsible for designing the Enduro course for our selection, which Ducati had nicknamed – “Bootcamp”. The first section of the Bootcamp, was designed to check the rider’s physical endurance and navigational skill. For this task, Beppe along with his team had come up with a notorious plan which involved the riders to find strategically placed flags around the estate with the help of a rudimentary map and compass. This was probably Beppe reminiscing his Paris Dakar days before the GPS was a norm, a time where the map and the compass was one’s only way to navigate through vast deserts. While that might sound like a mighty exciting thing to do on the motorcycle, our test would be on foot. I think Beppe had misunderstood us for marathon runners (and me as a healthy non-smoker) as each of us had to located and stamp about 10 checkpoints on our sheets. The checkpoints were spread all over the massive estate and we had one hour to report back. After a 10-minute sprint and securing the first checkpoint, my lungs felt like coming out of my body to tell me that they had enough, explode or create similar melodrama so that i would stop. It worked, and i walked the rest of the distance. While walking is never a great idea when you are on a tight time-bound lease with a vast area to cover, but for me and a few others it was the only option where we could finish back at the castle instead at the back of an ambulance. In the end, i was able to secure 3 checkpoints with the only motivator being able to ride the 1200 Enduro as the next task. What Beppe had smartly accomplished was a clear segregation of the fit from the rest, and i was clearly the latter.
10 times Paris Dakar rider and technical director for Ducati Riding Experience Beppe Gualini showing us how to navigate the maps.
A rudimentary compass and a map was all there was to find the checkpoint in the vast estate.
Its a mad race. Whoever finds the most amount of checkpoints scores the highest.
Helplessly lost in the vineyards of Nipozzano.
By the time we had returned from our Ducati flag “treasure hunt” which for me was more a case of “the zen and art of not letting your lungs explode”, we were instructed to finish our refreshments and then head into the castle and get geared up for the next session.
The moment all of us were waiting for. As we kitted up and started walking towards the lineup of 1200 Enduro, grinning with excitement while tense at the same time. As i thumbed the starter on my machine, the massive L-twin woke up with a shrewd rattle, shaking up the handlebars and pushing me back further into my dreary thoughts. Reluctantly i climbed onboard with my toes barely touching the ground. And this was with the lower seats which drop the height by 20mm to 850mm. Thankfully though, the cockpit view of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro is less intimidating. You start seeing things like riding modes, traction control, ABS and cruise control along with many more functions to instructing the computer to take it slow or deliver the full “amusement park experience”. Seeing the 1200 Enduro’s electronics put me in mild comfort and a hairline of confidence that i might have a chance to wring this machine without being totally at loss of talent.
Getting a crash course in motorcycle maintenance.
Before we could exploit the full capability of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro in it’s natural habitat, Beppe thought it would be a good idea to warm us all up while giving us a crash course on the 1200 Enduro’s dynamics. We were taken to a course designed to test our motorcycle handling skills. Here, we would slalom through a series of cones placed on loose gravel by counterbalancing ourselves to the motorcycle’s weight for the best possible traction. After seeing the first set of riders go over the course, I had a feeling that the 1200 Enduro was a bit too heavy for such an exercise. As i rolled towards the cones, lining the motorcycle with the first while positioning my body to counter the machine’s weight, I was surprised by the weight of the machine, or rather the lack of it. On such a tight slalom course, the 1200 Enduro felt light and quick to flick from one side to other, while it’s knobby tyres made sure that the front stay put in the right direction of travel.
Gravel slalom course set by Beppe to test rider skills.
By this time, the weather had started to show it’s ugly head above us. What previously were blue skies with brush stroked puffy white clouds were now scarily dark clouds in shades of dreary greys. As we neared the end of our training, it had started to drizzle. The training had made me a man more confident to handle (even manhandle somewhat) the Multistrada 1200 Enduro and I was prepared for what was next. At this point, Beppe and team took the lead, guiding us on to tarmac roads for the very first time. The training had left me quite tired and i was eager to place myself on the well-cushioned seat. Combined with the excellent damping from the semi-active Skyhook suspensions that pretty much glide over anything thats not created by the impact of extraterrestrial objects, I could imagine myself traveling great distances with my rear end still having some feel remaining when i disembark.
Ideally, i prefer a dry patch of road with lots of corners on low profile tyres that allow for maximum lean. I also prefer my front wheels to be smaller than the rear for better weight distribution towards the front. This allows for more front end feel so that i can push the machine harder into the corner, generating “fun inducing” corner entry speeds and a big silly grin inside the helmet. The Multistrada 1200 Enduro was an exception to this rule and i was finding myself quite happy with the change. With a light fondle to the clutch and a slight twist on the right hand i could feel the front end rise up to show its feelings off to the weather. As I rolled the throttle harder, the new DVT engine was quick to react, sending the massive 136Nm of torque instantly to the rear. The acceleration is superbike quick on the “Sport” setting, while the endless surge of torque ensures that you grip on to the handlebars as tight as possible all the way to the top of the rev range.
Heading up into the trails.
Moving up the estate, we found Beppe and team waiting for us next to a detour which seemed to go nowhere. This small trail of slush and mud barely wide to fit the 1200 Enduro without scrubbing against bushes was a shortcut that crept from between the lush foresty part of the estate back towards the castle. “Are you ready?” Asked Beppe, “Yes” I almost yelled in excitement seeing the trail ahead, forgetting that i was finding the motorcycle challenging to ride less than an hour ago. A trail is off course no place to relinquish the joys of a seat, so we stood tall on top of the handlebars muscling our way through the murky terrain. While standing on top of the handlebars, the massive bulk of 1200 Enduro disappears underneath and you suddenly get a feeling of riding a much smaller machine that can be made to dance at will. As the trail went deeper into the woods, the slushy terrain was complemented with tree roots, rocks and streams of water. By now, it had started pouring quite heavily too. Navigating the 1200 Enduro is quite simple here, in fact keeping my spectacles dry from the rain was more challenging. Point the motorcycle in the direction of travel and release the clutch. At low gears, the abundance of torque makes it quite easy to keep moving forward without the engine stalling or spluttering. In case you stray in direction, a slight twist of the throttle brings the rear spinning back to align with the direction you wish to travel, and thats it. Our trail soon started to descend towards the castle. While I started to pick up speed and now was properly able to throw the 1200 Enduro over the slippery terrain feeling like the master of the dark art of motorcycle trail-blazing, one of Beppe’s apprentices went past as if i was standing still. I saw him go past and then go so further ahead that i could no longer see him. This is when for the first time, I saw what the 1200 Enduro was truly capable of. Most of us there would have to be Beppe’s protege for at least 2 years before we could garner talent to ride in such a way. As the forest opened up, Nipozzano Castle awaited for our return.
After freshening up, we headed to the castle’s dining hall where a lavish Italian five-course meal awaited us. While setting down to consume our food, I reflected back on the experience that was laid out in front of us today. The Multistrada 1200 Enduro that intimidated me with it’s sheer proportions a few hours ago had now become second nature. It was a classic case of first impressions aren’t the last, where the layer of electronics between the rider and the machine’s moving parts shapes it’s docile nature. That said, for those who favour valour, a few click and button presses could get them to the monstrosity hidden underneath the Enduro’s skin.
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