Ducati sells the Multistrada V2 and the Multistrada V2 S off a single model page, which tells you something before you read a single figure: these are two versions of one motorcycle, not two motorcycles. Same engine. Same output. Same chassis architecture. The question is narrow and specific — what does the extra $3,000 get you, and is it money you should spend?
The answer starts with the platform, because the platform is most of the motorcycle — and on the V2 S, the platform is the part Ducati did not change.
The published figures, side by side
| Spec | Multistrada V2 | Multistrada V2 S |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 115 hp | 115 hp |
| Torque | 67.9 lb-ft | 67.9 lb-ft |
| Weight, no fuel | 439 lb | 445 lb |
| Colors | Ducati Red | Ducati Red, Storm Green |
| MSRP | $16,995 | From $19,995 |
Two trims, one set of performance numbers. The S is not the quicker Multistrada V2 — it is the better-furnished one, and it is a $3,000 and 6 lb step rather than a change in what the motorcycle is capable of.
The engine is not the variable
Start by taking the engine off the table. Both trims run the same V2 — the lightest twin-cylinder Ducati says it has ever produced — making the same 115 hp and 67.9 lb-ft. Both benefit from the same larger flywheel that Ducati credits for low-rpm smoothness, and the same variable valve timing that Ducati says spreads torque through the low and mid range.
Both also share the chassis: the aluminum monocoque frame that uses the engine as a stressed member, the trellis subframe, and the aluminum double-sided swingarm. Both get the 5-inch full TFT color display.
That shared foundation is the real argument for the S at $19,995. You are not buying your way out of a compromise, because the base bike is not compromised: the lightest twin Ducati has built, 115 hp, 67.9 lb-ft, an aluminum monocoque frame and a 5-inch TFT dash are all standard equipment on a $16,995 motorcycle. The S begins from a complete machine and adds to it.
What the weight figure tells you
On the Multistrada V2 S, Ducati's published weight goes up, from 439 lb to 445 lb.
That direction is the point. A premium trim that weighs more than the base model is one that carries something extra, not one that has had mass taken out of it, and the S is priced accordingly. Six pounds on a 439 lb motorcycle is not something you will feel on a backroad; what it tells you is which way Ducati took this trim — toward more bike, not lighter bike.
Pricing, including the paint
| Trim | Color | MSRP |
|---|---|---|
| Multistrada V2 S | Ducati Red | $19,995 |
| Multistrada V2 S | Storm Green | $20,495 |
Both figures sit before Ducati's $995 destination charge, and before tax, title, registration, processing and handling, dealer charges and any applicable tariffs — none of which are in MSRP. Ducati publishes the S as a "From" figure, so configuration moves the final number.
Storm Green is the S-only color, and it carries a $500 premium over Ducati Red. The base Multistrada V2 is Ducati Red and nothing else. For some buyers that is the whole decision, and there is no shame in it — a travel bike you like looking at is a travel bike you ride.
Stacked against the rest of the family, the S at $19,995 sits level with the Multistrada V4 at $19,995. That is a genuinely interesting crossroads: same money, two very different motorcycles. One is the better-equipped twin; the other is the base V4. Which one is right depends entirely on whether you value equipment or cylinders, and it is the single most useful comparison to come in and make in person.
Reading this as a Portland rider
The case for the V2 platform is strongest in exactly our conditions. At 445 lb the V2 S is at least 51 lb lighter than any Multistrada V4, and weight is the specification that matters most on wet pavement, broken asphalt and the kind of gravel shoulder you end up on by accident. 115 hp is enough to make a confident pass on 26 and never more engine than a damp surface can take.
The engine's character suits the calendar here too. The larger flywheel and the variable valve timing are doing their most useful work at the speeds a Portland riding year is actually made of — third gear through a neighborhood, second out of a wet hairpin, sixth on I-5 in November. A travel twin that is smooth and torque-rich low in the rev range is a travel twin you ride in weather you would otherwise sit out.
Against that, $3,000 and a 6 lb step is a long-term ownership decision rather than a performance one. If you are keeping the bike for years and riding it through the grey months, the S is the version to look at closely.
Who this bike is for
The Multistrada V2 S makes sense for a rider who has already decided the V2 platform is the right size of motorcycle and wants the better-equipped version of it. That is a legitimate and common position — the lighter twin is the correct bike for a great many riders, and if you are going to own one for years, buying the version with more in it is defensible.
It is also the right call if you want Storm Green, if you ride year-round in poor conditions, or if you are the kind of owner who would otherwise spend the $3,000 on upgrades afterward and end up with a worse result than the factory version.
It is not the right bike if you are stretching to reach it. The base Multistrada V2 at $16,995 is the same engine, the same frame, the same output and the same display — a complete motorcycle, not a stripped one. And it is not the right bike if what you actually want is more performance rather than more equipment, because at $19,995 the Multistrada V4 is sitting at the identical price with two more cylinders.
See it at MotoCorsa
The Multistrada V2 S, in Ducati Red and Storm Green, is part of the Multistrada range at MotoCorsa Ducati in Portland. Browse our current Ducati inventory to see what is on the floor, or contact us to book a test ride — and ask us to walk you through the S and the base V2 back to back, because that comparison is better made with your hands on both than read anywhere.
Specifications and pricing sourced from ducati.com and are subject to change. Contact MotoCorsa for current availability and out-the-door pricing.