This weekend, we take a look at 4 escape autos to go well with riders of all proclivities. The mile-munching Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally leads the cost, adopted by the brand new Husqvarna TE 300 Professional and FE 350 Professional enduro bikes. A customized Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 avenue scrambler from Japan completes the set.
2026 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally
Motorcycling is in a bizarre period the place main marques try to persuade us that the most effective bikes for overland journey are giant, quick, and costly, with tech options up the wazoo. Most hardcore overlanders I do know desire less complicated bikes which are simpler to restore on the aspect of the highway, and that trigger much less monetary and emotional injury after they fall over. But when your concept of long-distance bike journey entails straightforward weekend getaways with extra asphalt than dust, a giant journey bike is simply the ticket.
Enter the brand new Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally. Up to date for 2026 and touted by Ducati as “the best companion for long-distance vacationers,” it sports activities a mammoth gasoline tank, top-spec operating gear, and extra digital rider aids than you possibly can shake a stick at.
Ducati’s four-cylinder 1,158 cc Granturismo engine powers the Multistrada V4 Rally, delivering 170 hp with 60,000 km [37,282 miles] between valve clearance checks. It is packaged in an aluminum monocoque body, matched to a tubular metal subframe and a double-sided aluminum swingarm with the next pivot level than earlier than.
The V4 Rally rolls on 19F/17R laced tubeless wheels, and is propped up on Marzocchi suspension with Ducati’s proprietary Skyhook semi-active system. Now with 200 mm of journey at each ends, the digital suspension setup handles every thing from automated preload changes to on-the-fly adjustments that react to your driving model and the floor you are driving on. An evolution of the earlier Skyhook system, it additionally comes bundled with auto-leveling and auto-lowering performance (the place the bike lowers itself at crawling velocity) for elevated accessibility.
Brembo Stylema brake calipers are hooked as much as Bosch ABS and a linked braking system (which will be switched off). The rear disc additionally will get a bump as much as a 280 mm unit.
Different adjustments embody a 30-liter [7.9-gallon] gasoline tank, a bigger windshield, redesigned deflectors for higher rider and passenger protection, and new footpegs. The LED headlight cluster features a daytime operating mild and adaptive cornering lights, whereas the 6.5” full-color TFT dashboard packs in every thing wanting a video participant.
On the tech aspect, you get a quick-shifter, switchable rider modes, and a dizzying quantity of capabilities, all of that are knowledgeable by 70 sensors through the ‘Ducati Automobile Observer’ algorithm. Radar-controlled adaptive cruise management, blind spot detection, and ahead collision warning can be found as a part of an improve package deal, negating the necessity to pay any consideration to the highway whereas driving.
Aesthetically, the brand new Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally appears heaps higher than a few of its competitors, whereas sustaining that signature Multistrada quirkiness. For 2026, it is obtainable in conventional Ducati pink and a brand new inexperienced livery with gold wheels, in ranges of trim starting from primary to totally kitted with baggage on the prepared. [Ducati]
New Husqvarna TE 300 Professional and FE 350 Professional
KTM’s current monetary griefs have created doubt round the way forward for its baby firm, Husqvarna Bikes. However, like KTM, the Swedish-born bike model continues to persevere—as evidenced by releases like the brand new Husqvarna TE 300 and FE 350 ‘Professional’ fashions.
It is an open secret that Husqvarna’s bikes are simply re-skinned KTMs—however there is a secret sauce that makes them way more fascinating. The Professional designation ups the ante with distinctive graphics and a handful of upgrades for the two-stroke TE [below] and four-stroke FE [above].
The Professional fashions commerce Husqvarna’s signature white, blue, and yellow palette for gray bodywork on white frames. The plastics are adorned with graphics designed completely for these fashions.
Constructed to be competition-ready machines, the TE 300 Professional and FE 350 Professional characteristic up to date WP XACT closed cartridge forks and WP XACT rear shocks, each totally adjustable. Additionally they get radiator followers for optimum cooling beneath high-stress circumstances, simplified radiator caps, and gasoline line protectors.
The Professional designation provides manufacturing facility race-spec wheels to the combo, constructed with Excel rims and CNC-machined hubs, plus Galfer discs and a Supersprox rear sprocket. You additionally get entrance and rear brake guards, a clutch slave cylinder protector, ODI grips, a ribbed seat cowl, and a set of body protectors. The bars are premium ProTaper fashions, and every bike has a pull-strap affixed above the entrance fender. [Husqvarna | Images by Kastinger F.]
Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 by Ask Bike
The Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 is kind of a looker in inventory type, however the proprietor of this explicit bike wished one thing just a little wilder. So he hit up Ask Bike’s Rad Yamamoto—who answered by turning the 701 right into a neo-futuristic scrambler that appears prefer it rolled out of an anime movie.
One of many shopper’s requests was an all-encompassing aluminum physique—however earlier than Yamamoto-san might fabricate that, he needed to take care of the bike’s chassis. A brand new aluminum subframe was constructed, and each the battery tray and air field have been radically redesigned.
As soon as that was sorted, Rad formed a full set of physique panels out of 5052 aluminum alloy, giving the bike its distinctive vibe. A Husqvarna enduro headlight sits up entrance, with a plexiglass cowl over it and a carbon fiber ‘beak’ under it. There’s extra carbon fiber trim beneath the tailpiece, with vivid pink upholstery including distinction.
Rad additionally created new carbon fiber fork shrouds for the 701, plus radiator protectors that host auxiliary lights. “The side-mounted fog lights have been impressed by the taillights of the brand new Land Rover Defender,” he explains, “whereas the entrance lip was impressed by the underside of an area shuttle.”
Refreshing and extremely imaginative, Ask Bike’s Svartpilen 701 is the proper sci-fi-inspired escape car. [Ask Motorcycle]
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