Ducati just announced its new V4 Granturismo engine, the basis of the next-generation Multistrada, which will be released on November 4.

For at least a year, we’ve been expecting a new Ducati Multistrada, powered by a V4 engine. We didn’t get the whole bike with today’s release, but we did get a very interesting new motor, with Ducati moving away from its classic Desmodromic valve design in favour of longer maintenance periods. The new engine uses conventional valve springs, which are easier to work with, but they do somewhat restrict the V4’s ability to hit high revs. Max output is 170 horsepower at 10,500 rpm, with 92 pound-feet of torque at 8,750 rpm.

The new V4 Granturismo engine is 1158cc capacity, with 83mm x 53.5mm bore/stroke. Compression ratio is 14:1 It’s obviously a liquid-cooled 90-degree V4, and as you’d expect, it has a six-speed gearbox. The crankshaft is counter-rotating (supposedly, this improves handling), and the DOHC top end uses a combination of gears and valves to drive the cams. The crankpins are offset 70 degrees.

It’s a semi-dry sump system, with one pump pushing oil through the system and two pumps returning it. The V4 has a wet, multi-plate servo clutch, but you won’t necessarily need to use it all that much, since the bike also comes complete with up/down quickshifter. Another interesting piece of tech: Ducati apparently built some sort of rear cylinder deactivation into this machine, so you’ll only run on the front two cylinders of the V4 in stop-and-go traffic. This is nothing new; the American V-twin manufacturers have done similar for years. But, it’s the first time we’ve seen it on a bike like this, and it’s thanks to the V4 design, which allows Ducati to program this in.

As the marketeers told us earlier, the new V4 engine has 60,000-mile maintenance intervals for things like valve adjustments, which is practically sci-fi in the world of Ducati. Even routine work like oil changes are now pushed all the way to 15,000 miles, which shows just how tight the modern engines have gotten.

The rest of the new Multi will be unveiled on November 4. We know the new machine is getting forward-facing and rear-facing radar, enabling an adaptive cruise control system. No doubt Ducati has other tricks up its sleeve in the coming weeks as well.

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