Multistrada 1200 Suspension Test – 2013 MTS1200 with Skyhook vs 2013 Aprilia Caponord vs MTS1200 ABS

Multistrada 1200 Suspension Test – 2013 MTS1200 with Skyhook vs 2013 Aprilia Caponord vs MTS1200 ABS

 
A hands on test of Ducati’s Skyhook semi-active suspension on its Multistrada 1200GT up against the offering from Aprilia on its Caponord 1200TP with the base model Multistrada 1200 ABS with passive suspension as the benchmark. (01July2013)

Semi-active suspension electronically adjusts damping in real time to reflect road and/or riding conditions. Passive suspension settings remain unchanged unless manually adjusted between rides.

Written by freelance biking journalist Simon Hargreaves, who rode the bikes….obviously and with Photography by Jason Critchell – www.jasoncritchell.com.

Also involved Greg Taylor of GTME (gtme.co.uk) and Peter Trevor of KA Sensors (kasensors.co.uk).

And not forgetting credit to Ducati and Aprilia for the loan of the two semi-active suspension bikes and Ducati UK Forum member ‘DukeXTC’ aka Pete for the loan of his Multistrada 1200 ABS.

The bikes:

♦ 2013 Multistrada 1200 Granturismo (MTS1200GT)

♦ 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 Travel Pack

♦ 2013 Multistrada 1200 ABS

Multistrada 1200 Granturismo and Aprilia Caponord Travel Pack

The test location:

Millbrook Automotive Test Facility, Bedfordshire
(Millbrook Proving Ground)
www.millbrook.co.uk

Millbrook Proving Ground is one of Europe’s leading locations for the development and demonstration of every type of land vehicle. Located in the Midlands with a vast array of different driving facilities.
One of only a few development centres in the UK, the 700-acre site dates back over 40 years and is among the most comprehensive and established proving ground facilities in the world.

Construction began in 1963 by General Motors, who, after building similar facilities in the US, wanted a site to test their Vauxhall and Bedford vehicles being manufactured in Luton. Rather than a flat, disused airfield, the location for the proving ground, just outside of the Northamptonshire village of Millbrook, was chosen because of its variable terrain. Experience from the construction of General Motor’s own proving ground at Milford in Michigan, US with its 4.5-mile high-speed bowl and hill routes helped with the development of Millbrook, and a scaled down replica was produced and completed a year later. [more]

Multistrada 1200 test at Millbrook Proving Ground

I [AndyW] was lucky enough to be invited along for the day at Millbrook……ok, to be honest I was lucky that Simon was agreeable to my inviting myself along! lol
What a great day out, decent ride up to Millbrook, insight into what goes on behind the scenes for some bike magazine articles (the planning and preparation….the technical prep of the bikes with the data sensors etc was very interesting) and the icing on the cake was being driven round the site – a run round the banked track and the ‘mountain pass’ roads were the highlights! 😀

 
Ducati and Aprilia’s Semi-active Suspension head to head

NB: Hi-res versions of all photos here and a lot more can be found here.

Simon’s article was published in the September 2013 issue of Bike Magazine – “Semi-active: magic carpet or myth?” www.bikemagazine.co.uk
…an interesting read.

 The Verdict “We’ve split our test into two halves – a subjective road ride and an objective track test. From a science point of view, the datalogging shows the Caponord’s ride is significantly more controlled than the Multistrada’s, suggesting Aprilia’s approach to managing semi- active suspension is more effective than Ducati’s. But graphs only tell part of the story. From a rider’s point of view, both test track and road deliver similar verdicts: neither bikes’ suspension is a revelation. The Aprilia is softest and isolates the rider from bumps more effectively, but is less sporty and direct than the Ducati. It’s the one you’d choose for long distance riding. If only it drank less fuel.

The Multistrada is a harsher, more visceral experience – more like a conventional bike. It’s firmer over bumps but feels the sportiest of the pair – lighter steering and more nimble, with a more involving riding position. The Ducati is also the ‘noisiest’ in terms of other ride quality factors – namely, its engine vibration. Given the choice, it’s the bike we’d prefer for shorter or mid-distance blasts.”

Read the full article:
bike_semi_active_suspension_tests_ducatu_aprilia_Sept-2013.pdf
…plus the ‘case study’ doc from GTME  (gtme.co.uk):
gtme_ducati_aprilia_semi-active_suspension_case_study.pdf 

Due to the obvious space limitations of a magazine article only a few of the hundreds of photos taken by Jason were published. Here’s a few more all of which plus a couple of hundred more (!) can be seen full size here:
http://andyw-inuk.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Ducati-Multistrada-1200/2013-MTS1200-Tests-Millbrook 

And there was just enough time at the end of the day for the obligatory wheelie and airborne shots! lol

Caponord 1200 vs Multistrada 1200 statistics
>