Staff Blog: The magic carpet

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According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (no, me neither) there are 2.2million potholes on the UKs roads, it’s going to cost £113million to fix them all and there has been £32million of damage to vehicles in the past year.

That sounds like a lot. Although, to be honest, what I know about potholes; other than they really shouldn’t be there; is limited. One thing I do know however is that in the current financial crisis where money is in short supply, they aren’t going to get fixed in a hurry.

In light of this the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring with semi-active ‘Skyhook’ suspension makes even more sense and the wallet-battering £15,500 this bike costs new sounds like good value when you think of how much money it’s going to cost to fix all those potholes. The way the bike just smothers bumps, ridges, undulations and surface imperfections is extraordinary thanks to the semi-active suspension.

I try to mix up my daily 30-mile each way commute to work to avoid becoming complacent and inattentive and some of the more rural options are in a shocking state of repair. These roads can reveal hidden instability in all but the best road bikes and the Multistrada is the best yet thanks to the combination of the replacement Bridgestone T30 tyres, Sachs semi-active suspension and the inherently great handling of the Multistrada in the first place. This bike is really making me wonder if it ranks as the best bike for British roads in their current state.

BLOG13 | MULTI13

Andy Downes

By Andy Downes

Former MCN Senior Reporter