The Bagger That Would Break King of the Baggers
If Ducati ever decided to roll a Multistrada V4 RS onto the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers grid, it wouldn’t just show up—it would wipe the floor with the Harley-Davidson Road Glides and Indian Challengers that currently rule the series.
That might sound like heresy to fans of American iron, but let’s be honest: the Multistrada V4 RS isn’t your typical touring bike. It’s a wolf in bagger clothing—a machine born from Ducati’s MotoGP DNA, dressed up for long-haul comfort, and engineered so well that it’s basically track-day ready straight off the showroom floor. No thousand-pound weight reduction programs. No Frankenstein suspension swaps. No exotic motor builds just to keep up. The Multistrada V4 RS is a factory weapon.
Power That Leaves No Doubt
The Multistrada V4 RS packs Ducati’s Desmosedici Stradale V4—the same heart that powers the Panigale superbike. We’re talking north of 180 horsepower without breaking a sweat. Compare that to a race-prepped Harley or Indian bagger, which struggle to make numbers that even come close, despite tens of thousands in mods. Ducati doesn’t need to build a special “race motor” for this game. The race motor is already there, detuned just enough for the street. Reserve yours here.
Handling Like Nothing Else in the Class
Baggers, by definition, aren’t supposed to be nimble. That’s part of the spectacle of King of the Baggers: watching massive, heavy machines drag hard parts through corners. But the Multistrada doesn’t play by those rules. It’s lighter, tighter, and purpose-built with Öhlins suspension, razor-sharp geometry, and Ducati’s electronics package that’s straight out of the superbike world.
Those Harleys and Indians spend entire off-seasons just trying to stop wallowing mid-corner. The Multistrada? It’s stable, planted, and begging to attack apexes—box stock.
Brakes That Actually Work
Every bagger racer in MotoAmerica has to address one thing immediately: brakes. Stock Harley and Indian bagger brakes simply aren’t built for the track, and teams pour money into Brembo upgrades just to keep things under control. The Ducati Multistrada V4 RS? It already comes with top-spec Brembo Stylema calipers and track-tested stopping power. No garage engineering required.
Ducati’s “Cheat Code” for the Series
Let’s call it like it is: the Multistrada V4 RS is a bagger on paper, but in reality, it’s Ducati smuggling a superbike into the touring class. If MotoAmerica allowed it to grid up, Ducati wouldn’t need a factory race team to win. A dealer demo bike, with mirrors taped up and saddle bags bolted on, could probably take the checkered flag.
Why It Matters
King of the Baggers is amazing theater—it celebrates American V-twins and has carved out a niche no one saw coming. But the Multistrada V4 RS shines a light on just how much compromise is baked into Harley and Indian’s platforms. Ducati didn’t set out to build a race bagger, yet by pursuing excellence in every aspect of design, they accidentally built the ultimate one.
The truth is, Ducati doesn’t need to prove anything in this series. But if they ever unleashed the Multistrada V4 RS against the field, it wouldn’t be a fair fight. It would be a massacre.