We know that Ducati plans on bringing its Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine to segments outside of the superbike realm, but only those segments where the high-power, high-revving engine makes sense in that application (and where the cost associated with the machine justifies the pricy engine’s use).

So, it doesn’t surprise us then that the first model to get the V4 treatment is a new Streetfighter from Ducati, the prototype of which was used for that fateful campaign up the Pikes Peak mountain.

Rumors have been rife though that Ducati would put its V4 engine into the Multistrada lineup as well, and today we get our first real proof of that notion, with the Ducati Multistrada V4 test mule caught on the road in Italy, both in photo and video.

The bike we see though looks very, very similar to the current Ducati Multistrada 1260, though we can see an obviously different exhaust, which accommodates the extra two engine cylinders on the bike.

Watching the bike make a pass in the video below, it is clear that we aren’t dealing with the sounds of a typical v-twin engine, and that the MotoGP-inspired V4 most reside in the bike’s belly.

What is unclear though is whether this bike being spied is just a test mule to provie the new V4 engine in this application, or if the new Ducati Multistrada V4 will have a very mild facelift from the current v-twin generation – a move we saw already with the Panigale V4 looking a great deal like its predecessor.

We are inclined to believe the case is the latter, as Ducati’s design department has become increasingly conservative over the past few years, especially when showing its unwillingness to try bold new designs for flagship bikes.

This had led to no shortage of machines that recycle the look and feel of their predecessors, without really offering anything new to the eye.

This approach has been a mixed bag for the Italian brand, with criticism coming at the Panigale V4 not making a bigger stride from the 1299, though the move could be considered a success with the new Hypermotard 950, which sees many of Terreblanche’s lines reused.

As such, it will be interesting to see what Ducati does with this Multistrada V4 model, especially considering how old the “1260” design already is in the eyes of the consumer.

Source: Ducatisti Integralisti (Facebook)