A lower seat at the touch of a button is the promise of Ducati’s Easy Lift function. Already available on the Multistrada Rally, it’s now offered on the cheaper V4S as well, both on new bikes and as a free retrofit software upgrade.

Making use of the Multistrada’s electronic suspension control, Easy Lift opens the suspension valves for three minutes after the ignition has been turned on. This effectively softens the rear shock and front forks, making what is a big, heavy machine easier to lift off its stand – the softer suspension also results in a lower seat height once the rider is aboard, a boon for those with shorter legs. The seat height can be set at one of two levels – standard, and the lower level produced by Easy Lift.

The Multistrada V4 already has a Minimum Preload feature, allowing the bike’s ride height to be reduced by adjusting the rear shock’s pre-load. Again, this effectively lowers the seat height temporarily, which could come in useful at low speed. As the demographic of motorcyclists increases, while the bikes they buy grow in size, weight and height, maybe we’ll see more of these low speed rider aids in the future.

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, thought the idea was a good one: “It sounds great, doesn’t it, accessibility at the touch of a button. Then I think about durability, not something I associate with Ducati or Italian electrical systems. I’d be more interested in lower seats as an option, like Kawasaki’s ER5 used to have, or lowered rear shocks, as provided by Hagon, for many years. Neither of which depend on electronics.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Ducati