Ever since I first watched Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor go around the world together on the back of a motorcycle, I've wanted to do it, too. How could you not, honestly? It was this sense of adventure, a sense of escapism, a sense of truly learning and knowing the world around you that you just don't get from a weekend trip to the mountains.
It was an expedition ala the ones you'd read about in your history books. But it was now, it was here and, theoretically, you could pick up a motorcycle and do it yourself. Many have since done so, traveling around the world via the back of a bike, and even Ewan and Charley have done it a few more times since, though in different locales and taking different routes.
But that yearning for this grand adventure has never left me, and it's something I'm still chasing, still planning in the back of my mind.
And one of my favorite games I like to play with that thought is what motorcycle I'd take. Which is the best off-road adventure bike around that'd be capable of going through swamps, mud, desert sands, mountain shale, rivers and streams, and crossing great divides? What would be the perfect motorcycle to go do a trek like something from Florida to Alaska? Well, Ducati might finally have the winning answer with the brand's new Multistrada V4 Rally.
Hot damn, does this look ready to cross continents.
I first rode the Ducati Multistrada V4 a few years back and, at the time, was incredibly impressed that this 500-pound heavyweight was as nimble and agile as it was. I took it on one of the more challenging trails near my home, a spot where you have baby-head-sized boulders covered in silt, and sand pits designed to pull you in, and the Multistrada V4 had zero issues getting me home safely.
The Harley-Davidson Pan America I took the following week on the same trails? Not so much.
And all the fun stuff that made the Multistrada V4 what it was then is still present now, including the 170-horsepower, 91 pounds-feet of torque V4 engine. I may or may not recall a very fast wheelie on gravel. Likewise, Ducati added the brand's new Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) 2.0 shifter, which helps shorten the throws, but better the feel of each shift. In that same vein, the engine and transmission feature a revised chassis that utilizes a repositioned swing arm for better handling on full compression of the suspension.
To that end, Ducati's semi-active Adaptive Skyhook DSS (Ducati Semiactive Suspension) EVO remains present, but it's been "evolved" and can now think faster and adjust its compression and rebound settings to give the rider more control, comfort, and agility on the fly.
According to Ducati, "The Multistrada V4 Rally confirms and improves the automatic suspension preload management functions, which ensure a constant setup regardless of the presence of the rider alone, a passenger, and/or luggage, thus maintaining the correct weight distribution. The rider can now change the suspension response even on the move, regardless of the selected Riding Mode, for greater comfort during a relaxed ride or more support and feedback when tackling the curves of a mountain road," adding, "With the introduction of the DVO (Ducati Vehicle Observer) algorithm, the Multistrada V4 Rally also features electronic controls that can operate with greater precision. This feature provides a more accurate estimate of the motorcycle's position in space and its overall mass, simulating the input of 70 sensors to supplement the data provided by the inertial platform."
Slick.
And because of all that electronic wizardry within the Ducati's suspension, you'll want to just keep plowing through the miles. Thankfully, a whopping 8-gallon fuel tank will allow you to do just that. You also get forward collision warning, adaptive lighting, Ducati's Automatic Lowering feature to help egress off the tall motorcycle, a 6.5-inch color TFT, standard heated grips, a revised center stand, and a windshield that's both wider and taller to make 2-up riding more comfortable.
But more importantly to my round-the-world fantasy, the Multistrada V4 Rally also comes with Pirelli Scorpion Trail II off-road tires, and some sweet Brembo Stylema brakes. The things you'd need, along with that massive freakin' fuel tank, to do something as stupidly insane and fun as take the motorcycle from the Florida Keys to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, or some equally dumb iron butt trek like the Yucatan to the Arctic Circle.
As I read the release, I just kept dreaming of the mountains, the long treks through rain storms, the countless bugs eaten, and all the gear I'd need to finish the trip. I have most of it, though I'm sure I'd need a few more pieces. But the stage was set and now I can't help but daydream at my computer. As for price, it's slightly out of my reach, as the 2026 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally starts at $31,995, which in this economy, is for the folks who have the money and the time for the adventure I described throughout. I, personally, don't.
Yet, when I finally do, I can't wait to tell that insane story.
