Ducati Strada Aperta spied on the open road

Translating to "open road" it now looks like Ducati's forthcoming adventure bike is going to be called the

Over the previous round of spy photos, these new shots actually tell us very little. The abbreviated front mudguard also appears to act as an intake, expect Ducati 1198-inspired headlights, an abbreviated low-slung exhaust, a single-sided swingarm, 17-inch wheels and a high, elongated, dirt bike-style tail rather than the 1198-style unit that's making the rounds in sketches. Oh, and there's also a two-piece cast/trellis frame as on the Monster.

It's also still not clear where the Strada Aperta will sit in the Ducati lineup. Clearly, since it's water-cooled, it'll be more expensive than the Ducati Multistrada, but will it replace that model?

It's actually quite impressive that we don't have an answer to all these questions yet, dealers were shown the bike last summer and Ducati is typically more leaky than this. According to some potential customers, those same dealers are still prepared to currently take deposits on the bike and are even forecasting deliveries late this year, indicating that the model could be launched earlier than the EICMA show in November.

via AdvRider and Asphalt and Rubber