Ducati Multistrada 950 Competition Check

The Tiger XRx just like the Multistrada 950 with its 19-inch spoke wheels is capable of dealing with various terrains; it is more focused on long distance touring rather than off-roading. On the other hand, Honda’s Africa Twin is a completely dedicated off-roader equipped with 21-inch wire-wheels, with your wallet feeling a tad lighter than it would if you buy one of the other two.

Engine

The Honda Africa Twin uses a 998cc parallel-twin engine which produces 86bhp at 7,500rpm and 92Nm of torque at 6,000rpm through a six-speed dual clutch transmission which will be the only option available to Indian customers. Triumph’s Tiger XRx uses the 800cc three-cylinder engine used across the Tiger 800 range that produces 94bhp and 79Nm via a six-speed transmission, whereas the Ducati Multistrada 950, with its 937cc Testastretta liquid-cooled L-twin engine, puts out a maximum power of 113bhp at 9,000rpm and maximum torque of 96Nm at 7750 rpm, making it the most powerful among its competitors. 

Electronics

The Multistrada 950 offers four ride modes with throttle-by-wire which adjust ABS and DTC (Ducati Traction Control) along with throttle response - namely the Urban, Touring, Sport, and Enduro. Of these, Sport and Touring modes comes with full power while power is restricted to 75 horsepower in the Urban and Enduro modes. Each of the four has different default settings for the three-stage Bosch ABS and switchable eight-level traction control programs. 

The Africa Twin offers ABS and traction control as standard, both offering different modes for different riding conditions. The ABS on the motorcycle can also be switched off for the rear wheel, similar to the Enduro mode on the Multistrada 950.  The traction control has four settings, off and levels 1-3. Level 1 lets the rider go loose while level 3 goes easy on the rider. 

Triumph’s upscale Tiger XRx model gets switchable ABS and traction control as standard which can be set to Road, Off-Road or Off, and four throttle maps include Rain, Road, Sport, and Off-Road. Further, three riding modes can also be selected. The first is called Road setting, that automatically sets ABS, throttle control and the throttle maps to a default road setting; the Off Road setting, switches the ABS, TC and throttle maps to a suggestable off-road mode, while a third mode allows the rider to select and customize the settings they prefer.

Suspension, Seat height and Weight

The Tiger XRx features a tubular steel trellis frame which sits on Showa 43mm upside down forks which provides 180mm of travel and a Showa monoshock at the rear with hydraulically adjustable preload providing 170mm of travel. At 830mm of seat height, the XRx has the lowest standard seat height, which can be made even lower with an optional 790-810mm seat. With a 19 litre fuel tank, the bike has a kerb weight of 216kg. 

The Multistrada 950 comes equipped with a 19-inch front wheel with KYB 49mm inverted forks and a rear Sachs mono-shock. The standard seat height is set at 840mm which can be adjusted with accessory seats that go as low as 820mm and as high as 860mm. The Multistrada 950 weighs the heaviest among the three with a kerb weight of 227kg and a fuel tank capacity of 20litres. 

The Africa Twin's 21-inch front wheel with its inverted cartridge type, fully adjustable, Showa 43mm upside-down front forks provides suspension travel of 230mm - the largest in its class. The rear shock features a fully adjustable Showa with rebound and compression settings on an 18-inch wheel. The bike features a seat height of 860mm with a fuel tank capacity of 18.8 litres and a kerb weight of 223kg.

Braking

Stopping power for the Multistrada 950 comes with twin 320mm front discs, clamped by Brembo calipers and a 265mm rear disc. The Africa Twin gets 310mm dual discs at the front and a 256mm disc for the rear wheel. Triumph’s Tiger XRx gets Nissin 2-piston calipers and 308mm discs in the front, and a single piston Nissin caliper on a 255mm disc at the rear.  

Pricing

The Ducati Multistrada 950 retails at ₹ 12.06 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), while the Triumph Tiger XRx is sold at a price of ₹ 11,95,450 (ex-showroom Delhi) the Honda Africa Twin comes at a ₹ 12,90,472 (ex-showroom Delhi) price tag.