OK. We've suffered through the city and flogged along the freeway. It's Secret Road time. Ours is a private, though publicly accessible, nearly hidden, paved accidental motocross course about 45 minutes from our Los Angeles office. Hint: It connects two roads whose first letters are K and L. If we told you any more-well, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?
Out here, with only the red-tailed hawks watching, the Ducati simply rules. If you live for corners, this is your machine. It's precise, purposeful, smooth and brutally capable, and the new 1078cc engine is simply brilliant in any corner-rich environment below, say, 80 mph. The old-school, air-cooled, two-valve engine has always been a favorite of ours, with its amazingly usable power and nearly flawless throttle response, and the new oversized version delivers more of the same. While other, peakier engines need time to spool up coming out of corners, this one just rocks and rolls, making valuable time from the apex on.
The Triumph's extra horsepower should theoretically help its cause, and it is a wonderful, lusty, torquey mill in its own right. But the Tiger's floppy suspension lets it down here. This liquid-cooled triple weighs about the same as the air-cooled twin, but it feels much heavier in practice. And the Tiger's throttle hesitation adds one more obstacle to rapid progress.
In the quick corner reversals and transitions of our Secret Road-and just about any other twisty road we can imagine-the Ducati's accessible, rider-friendly chassis and usable power make it a real contender. Its upright, far-forward seating position works beautifully, helping to keep the front wheel down and delivering loads of feedback on corner entry. The Multi's easy-twist shock spring preload knob and full damping adjustability let you dial it in to your exact preferences quickly and easily. Its offbeat styling and upright stance gives it an aura of 40-Year-Old Virgin, but in the heat of combat it's all Boogie Nights, baby.
The Triumph, on the other hand, is more of a lover than a fighter. All the elements for a great snotty-road scratcher are present, but it needs one more round of development-certainly stiffer springs and perhaps a suspension revalve-for its potential to come through.
So, the Duc wins by a beak on the strength of its amazing all-around capability. It doesn't just do it all, it does it all as well as most specialist machines in their fields of expertise. But the Tiger is also a highly desirable motorcycle. Its top-shelf ergonomics, long-haul tourability, muscular engine and high level of overall refinement make it a very viable choice. If your riding habits tend more toward commuting and sport-touring than dragging exhaust shields on Racer Road, the Triumph may well be a better fit. It's one of those rare machines that makes you want to climb on and keep riding, hour after hour, day after day. MC