More BS VI Ducatis incoming; Multistrada V4 to feature new radar tech

In a recent interview with Overdrive, Bipul Chandra, MD Ducati India stated that the company was very excited to bring its entire revised BS VI compliant range of motorcycles to India in the coming months. Ducati's head honcho even stated that the transition from BS IV to BS VI didn't come about quickly as we had hoped with the company taking its time to carry out thorough research and development of its offerings and bring them up to speed with regulations. The Panigale V2 was the first BS VI model to be launched in India late last August, followed by the Scrambler 1100, the Mutistrada 950S,  the Scrambler 800 and the most recent Streetfighter V4 and V4S. And now, we can ready ourselves for an onslaught of some more brilliant motorcycles from the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer here in India, because Ducati is bringing its revised line-up to the country in a phased manner.

Chandra stated that the BS VI Diavel and the Panigale V4 family are expected to launch in the next couple of days, while also mentioning that the new Multistrada V4 is also on its way to India and could be here in the next 30-40 days. Overdrive was also informed that the bikes would have gotten here sooner, if not for some logistic shipping issues faced while en route from Thailand. In terms of motorcycle launches, the bikes that will follow in tow are the likes of the Supersport facelift, the new Monster, the Hypermotard all the way till October 2021, after which the entire range of Ducati motorcycles will be complete.

New Multistrada V4 will feature Ducati's new Radar tech when it comes to India

Another welcomed bit of news we received was the fact that Ducati is going to get the Multistrada V4 to India sometime between the end of June to the beginning of July this year. Aside from the new 172PS V4 Granturismo engine with its spring actuator valve closure, an even bigger talking point of this motorcycle in particular is the new innovative radar-guided tech in addition to its already impressive list of riding aids that it houses. The Ducati MD has confirmed that the Multistrada V4 will house this tech when the bike comes to India.

The Multistrada V4 is the first production motorcycle in the world to ever come with tech of this kind – featuring both front and rear radars that enable the adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection. With the cruise control function engaged, the radar up front detects the proximity of other vehicles on the road ahead, calculates the distance and time between itself and the vehicle travelling in the same direction and adjusts the speed of the bike accordingly by acting on the engine primarily, and then if needed, feathers the brakes. Once the vehicle ahead moves out of the way, the system brings the bike back up to the set cruising speed. The new system can be activated and adjusted in terms of speed and distance through dedicated controls on the handlebar.

The rear radar enables Ducatis new blind spot detection system – which informs the rider of the presence of vehicles in areas that are not visible to the rider directly or in the rear view mirrors by means of LEDs located atop both mirrors. The LEDs warn the rider of two situations, the first being when a vehicle is about to enter or is in the blind spot when the system switches on the LED of the corresponding side letting the rider know of what's going on out of view.  The second is a hazard warning for when the rider wants to change direction and uses the turn indicator. When the indicator is switched on, and if there is a vehicle already in or entering the blind spot on the same side, the system flashes the LED in the rear-view mirror on that same side informing the rider of that vehicle's presence. Like the radar up front, the rear radar too can be adjusted as per the rider's preferences.