While we wait to here the specs on the upcoming Bimota BB2, the boutique Italian firm’s rekindled collaboration with the German motorcycle manufacturer, Bimota continues to work with Ducati lumps, both of the air and liquid-cooled variety. One of the more intriguing concepts put forth at EICMA, the 2013 Bimota DB12 is an expression of an uber-exotic Ducati Multistrada 1200.

Unlike the supercharged Bimota DB11 VLX, the Bimota DB12 will remain naturally aspirated in its 160hp state, but like how the Multistrada 1200 was part of the Bologna Brand’s movement away from being solely a sport bike company, the DB12 represents the same movement for Bimota. Already showing a dirt bike at last year’s EICMA show, the 2013 Bimota DB12 is clearly the Italian brand taking a step back, and testing the waters with this design direction.

Yesterday, we broke the news that Ducati’s second-generation Testastretta 11° motor features a dual-spark configuration, and we got a bit of flak in the comments section of that article over that claim. Well, today Ducati has released the technical specifications of the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 line, and the Italian company has confirmed a dual-spark setup in what it is now calling the Testastretta 11° DS engine.

The new Testastretta 11° DS engine is mostly the result of the ever-tightening emissions standards in Europe, though the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 (along with the other bikes that will get the Testastretta 11° DS engine) benefits from a smoother power delivery, as well as increased mid-range power and torque. Accordingly, peak torque on the Multistrada 1200 goes from 87.5 lbs•ft to 91.8 lbs•ft for 2013. Zesty.

Ahead of this fall’s motorcycle shows, Ducati has unveiled its 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 range, which sees the sport-tourer getting a host of updates. Featuring a second-generation Testastretta 11° motor, perhaps the bigger news is the inclusion of Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS), Ducati’s new semi-active suspension system. Other changes also include an updated three-level ABS system, as well as revised aesthetics.

As we tipped yesterday, the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak edition gets a new color scheme, as it uses the team’s livery from this year’ hill climb, and appears to take the reigns as Ducati’s “sport” offering for the MTS1200. In addition to the new colors, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak gets the Ducati Skyhook Suspension, as does the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring. DSS will not be available on the base model Multistrada 1200 however.

New for 2013 is the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Granturismo, which is aimed to be a more purpose-built touring option in the Multistrada line. Featuring an increased side luggage capacity, top case, additional LED illumination, enhanced wind protection, and long-distance tires among other things, it will be interesting to see how Ducati prices the Granturismo against the regular Multistrada 1200 S Touring model here in the US.

UPDATE: The water-cooled 2013 Ducati Hypermotard has now been released by Ducati.

We have a sneaking suspicion that the 2013 Ducati Hypermotard 848 that has been spotted tramping about is going to be a very interesting motorcycle indeed; as from out perspective, Ducati seems set to consolidate the Hypermotard line into a single water-cooled model, while simultaneously offering a smaller-displacement multi-tasker that will slot in under the Ducati Multistrada 1200.

Our best view yet of the bike’s exhaust side comes from the folks at Moto Revue, as we see what looks to be a finalized exhaust can and a clear view of the HM848′s water-cooled Testastretta 11° motor. There has been tremendous confusion/controversy as to whether the spied machine is a new Hypermotard or Multistrada model, and the confusion is rightfully so, as the bike takes cues from both machines.

Ducati North America has posted its Q2 2011 sales figures, and business is apparently booming for the Italian company in the US, Mexican, and Canadian markets, as sales are up 61% in the second quarter of this year. Selling over 5,200 bikes to customers so far this year, Ducati North America’s year-to-date sales are also up an outstanding 63%. Helping drive the sales increases are the extremely popular Multistrada 1200 models and the new Diavel. Along with the already sales-topping Superbike 848 EVO and Monster 796, these models account for most of Ducati’s sales growth.

Here’s a type of recall that we’ll begin to see more of in the coming years, Ducati North America is recalling 1,051 Diavel and Multistrada 1200 motorcycles because of a faulty software issue. A certain version of the hands free software package may cause the electronic steering lock to fail to disable during the “key on” process.

The result is that a rider would be unable to move their motorcycle, at least not beyond a small radial path. In the eyes of the NHTSA though, this could mean that a rider could start the motorcycle and attempt to ride off, and then realize they lack the ability to steer (read: not good). While the safety issue here seems fairly benign, the idea that one couldn’t get their bike moving because a 0 should be a 1 would be fairly frustrating to us if we were owners of either machine, hence the recall.

Ducati News Today must have gotten the same news tip as us, as a IT security blog is purporting to have information on how one can steal a Ducati Diavel (and presumably a Ducati Multistrada 1200) via the bike’s keyless ignition system. It should be stated up-front that the pos referenced is dated April 5th, with the writer of the blog supposedly discovering this information on April 1st…and well all know what sort of Tomfoolery goes on during that time of the year.

According to the post’s author, the Ducati Diavel can be started not only without having the key in the ignition, but without the key at all. While anyone who has ridden the Diavel knows that you only have to have the key in the proximity of the Diavel while you’re riding, the idea that one can start the bike without the key comes from a default code that comes up when such an act is attempted. Where things get sticky though is that the author claims that this four-digit PIN is set from the factory to be the last four digits of the Diavel’s VIN, and that few owners know of security feature.

If you’re one to believe a recent filing with the California Air Research Board (CARB) and those pesky internet blogs, Ducati is set to bring a “Corse” version of its Multistrada 1200 to the United States. While we like anything named “Corse” that’s from Italy, we weren’t sure exactly what a 2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Corse model would look like in reality, considering in the past the Corse line has been comprised of some go-fast parts, and the Ducati Corse paint scheme.

Since that’s essentially the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak Special Edition in a nutshell, we reached out Ducati North America to see what the lowdown was on this apparently new model (which our sources forgot to tip us off about) that will likely be making the rounds on the interwebs today. The answer is frighteningly simple: it’s what the company was going to call the Pikes Peak edition if they didn’t get the nod from the famed mountain race to use its trademark. Sorry folks, nothing to see here.

Ducati is issuing a recall notice with the NHTSA for the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 adventure-tourer motorcycle. Affecting 1,196 units, the MTS 1200′s recall stems from an ECU problem that could see the motorcycle stall while idling with the clutch disengaged (something we experienced when testing the Multistrada 1200 last year). To fix the problem, affected owners must take their bike to a Ducati dealership, where the ECU will be re-flashed with a modified firmware package.

Dubbed the Best Motorcycle of the 2009 EICMA show, the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring has a lofty title that we’ve been itching to test since we saw the bike debut in Milan last year. While the new Multistrada 1200 comes in many flavors, we somehow managed to get our hands on the Multistrada 1200 S Touring version, or as we like to call it: “King Duc”. The Multistrada line has been Ducati’s attempt to be more than a sportbike-driven brand, and with this latest incarnation we can see that the Bologna-based company has taken a serious stab at making a go-anywhere GS-killer, with Italian style of course.

We were anxious to bring the Multistrada 1200 to our happy hunting grounds in Santa Barbara, CA where we had just recently test ridden the groundbreaking Honda VFR1200F a month back. Our adventures with the new Multi actually began with a very long and boring two-hour drive into Brea, CA on four wheels. Traveling on four wheels in Los Angeles is the stuff suicide notes are made of, and naturally the return trip from Brea was a more pleasurable experience for a certain test rider, than it was for one editor stuck in LA gridlock. Of course that didn’t stop me from having the pleasurable experience of becoming acquainted with the Multistrada 1200 in its natural territory, the open road.

Knowing the sporty nature of Ducati motorcycles (and the seemingly inverse relationship between sportiness and comfort), we were skeptical of how enjoyable the 150-mile ride back from Brea would be on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring. Suffering through the almost endless miles of parked cars on the highway that laid between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, I pulled over and sent the first text message back about the bike, “So much fun!!!!” it read, along with a picture of the Multistrada sitting on the side of dead-end road.