New Multi....

[DucDave]

Last night I rode home in the rain on the new Multi. I slipped into 'Urban' mode and gotta say, I never felt more comfortable than I did last night. Traction control, damped engine mapping, and anti lock brakes made for a very pleasant ride home!

Oh...and the tires that come from the factory - Pirelli Scorpion Trail - have 7200 miles on 'em. Granted, I only put about 3k myself, but, if that's any indication of the wear, I will be VERY happy. BTW, these have been across the country and are barely flatted out.

So far, the new Multi is everything I hoped for and more!!!

(It's not as good looking as the old Multi, but...oh well..!!!)

[nilez]

Last night I rode home in the rain on the new Multi. I slipped into 'Urban' mode and gotta say, I never felt more comfortable than I did last night. Traction control, damped engine mapping, and anti lock brakes made for a very pleasant ride home!

Oh...and the tires that come from the factory - Pirelli Scorpion Trail - have 7200 miles on 'em. Granted, I only put about 3k myself, but, if that's any indication of the wear, I will be VERY happy. BTW, these have been across the country and are barely flatted out.

So far, the new Multi is everything I hoped for and more!!!

(It's not as good looking as the old Multi, but...oh well..!!!)

if you're into the whole 'ugly duckling' thing...

does it come with windshield wipers too?

[Paul_E_D]

In this case, it truly doesn't matter what it looks like. The bike is so much better than any streetbike I've ever ridden. Game changer.

[Chippertheripper]

The buells came with scorps, they got very greasy towards the end of their life. Just a friendly word of caution, from one who has run a set past their prime.

[DucDave]

The buells came with scorps, they got very greasy towards the end of their life. Just a friendly word of caution, from one who has run a set past their prime.

Thanks! These are a brand new tire developed specifically for the Multi. I'd say they're pretty well past their prime now and I've not experienced any greasiness!! (Have on others though....I know what you're saying!)

[Stromper]

Its wonderful it has the power and brakes of a 1965 Honda Superhawk

Yes I am jealous

[jayth]

Figured I was the only guy dumb enough to ride in yesterday. Cant say I had that warm fuzzy feeling on the fz headin' home. Guess its C10 season. Love the new multi btw. Cheers!

[Wanderer]

Rode mine in also yesterday, same bike. I totally agree regarding its abilities in lousy weather!

I just wish riding at night didnt give me the willies still after all this time. (very poor night vision)

[markbvt]

I test-rode the new Multi a few months ago; have to be honest, I wasn't all that impressed. It's a great bike to be sure, rides nicely, awesome power, but the ergos are weird (I can't stand the screen being only a foot or so from my face, for one), it's way too electronics-dependent for my taste, and the bodywork feels very flimsy. The bike feels like it would fall apart if you took it on anything resembling an adventure ride -- the Trans-Labrador Highway would probably shake it to pieces. Compare this with the R1200GS Adventure I test-rode the same day, which felt solid as a rock. I preferred the GSA's ergos as well; in fact, I preferred the GSA all around, despite its weight and lower power output.

For me, the Multi would be a nice sport-touring bike with a few mods to improve the ergos, but it wouldn't be very useful for the kind of riding I actually want to do. And frankly, if I had that kind of money to spend I'd rather pick up a... actually, I'm not sure what I'd buy. The Multi wouldn't even be on my list; I wouldn't buy a BMW either. I actually can't think of any $15-20k bike that I'd buy. Instead, I'd probably pick up a lightly-used KTM 690 Enduro for ADV rides and a Triumph Tiger for street ones.

Not trying to downplay your happiness with the bike, just offering an alternative opinion.

--mark

[slammp]

Well he shit on your parade!

[clutch]

My .02:

I just completed a 1200(+) mile trip through Italy on a brand new Multi “S”.

I Picked it up in Bologna.

This bike is really cool. It performs as Ducati had designed it to do.

The majority of the trip was on pavement. But I did get some dirt time.

The dirt time I would compare it to what you would find as the best / stable portion of the gas or power lines in our area here in New England

This was the largest bike that I have ever ridden in the dirt.

A 1200!

The electronic mode switch up is a plus. My first thought was it would be a just a bell or a whistle. I was wrong it truly performed well.

As for the famous roads that you may know or have seen in Italy. I kept the bike in sport mode for the most part.

The stock power of this bike has all the power to show and go at anytime.

As for the looks, I know what some people maybe thinking. Maybe a little “clunky” but that all disappears in a flash once you get this bike going.

This bike can perform as an urban beast in the worst of any traffic in Italy. (Which was more enjoyable than you can imagine)

On the Autostrada, rock solid.

On the dirt, easy and it felt light.

I was sorry to give it back when I was done.

[Paul_E_D]

Lol! You guys are on crack. I don't what the hell stromper is talking about. I was doing crossed up wheelies out of the corners like a mile from the dealership. The bike has power, handling, and flexibility in a complete package that is unbeatable right now.

Take off the brand loyalty (disloyalty) blinders and ride it again. Fit and finish as well as general quality is light years ahead of triumph. Handling is light years ahead, as well as power and electronics. I'm normally shy of electronics, but they work better on the new multi than I ever imagined they could. Like ducdave said, the urban mode alone makes the bike more suited to bad conditions than any bike I've ever ridden. Zero white knuckling.

It's not a GS, but that's not really a criticism. The GS is a tractor by comparison. The multi would kill it in a timed event up the alcan. Traction control alone makes it a more capable bike on greasy roads. It works incredibly well from what I can tell. It's also very well balanced and confidence inspiring.

[science512]

Right there with you Dave. Best bike I have ever ridden (or owned). Love it.

[DucDave]

Mark...there will be 2 or 3 of us doing the TLH next summer so we'll see if your predictions hold true. Granted, it's not as lovely as the Weesrtom....!!!

[slowrider]

I just picked up the Multi last weekend. I agree it doesnt have the same solid feel as the GS, but the flip side is it also feels a lot lighter riding it. I picked it up mostly for sport touring on. I still have my F800GS for more technical Adv type rides, but the Multi seems like it would be fine on a the TLH. Again, all the electronics are a concern, but I have been at the mercy of CANBUS for 5 years now and not suffered for it.

Before I demoed the bike, I really thought I would be keeping my Hypermotard and try to slip one more into the garage. After riding it, I was surprised at how light it felt/handled and made it very hard to justify keeping both.

[markbvt]

Mark...there will be 2 or 3 of us doing the TLH next summer so we'll see if your predictions hold true. Granted, it's not as lovely as the Weesrtom....!!!

Weestrom, lovely? The Ducati Sport 1000 is lovely. The Weestrom and Multi... aren't. IMO anyway.

What kind of tires are you planning to run on the TLH? Because I would strongly urge you to find something more aggressive than the stockers, especially for the front.

Hopefully I'm wrong about the durability of the Multi's bodywork.

It's not a GS, but that's not really a criticism. The GS is a tractor by comparison. The multi would kill it in a timed event up the alcan. Traction control alone makes it a more capable bike on greasy roads. It works incredibly well from what I can tell. It's also very well balanced and confidence inspiring.

The Alcan is paved. Of course the Multi would kill the GS. As for the traction control, that doesn't help much when you're riding on freshly-graded marbles and your front wheel is skittering around all over the place.

If the Multi were offered in an Adventure version able to run 110/80-19 and 150/70-17 tires, it would be a more versatile bike. But no one makes actual dual-sport tires in sportbike sizes, so tire choice is a severely limiting factor for the Multi at present.

If you stick to paved or well-packed dirt roads, yes, the Multi's a great bike. But I don't. (The Weestrom, incidentally, was not the best choice for the gravel either. It did okay, but it could definitely have been more sure-footed. I ride it primarily because it's cheap and ultra-reliable. Once Triumph has released the new Tiger 800XC, I'll reevaluate.)

I wasn't saying that the Multi isn't an excellent streetbike. It's just not the ADV bike that the marketing department has made it out to be.

--mark

[Stromper]

It was a joke son....

There is a PRACITCAL sense of irony that great sophisticated electronics is used to make less power and braking

[Tricklidz]

Where's the best place to demo one (dealership). Is Ducati offering any financing deals now?

[zombie]

Hey Mark
you got any gps tracks for the trans-lab ride??

sorry for thread hi-jack

[Wanderer]

Having gone directly from the R1200GS (and other in the GS series prior) to the MTS 1200 - I'd actually agree with Mark on a good few points. Tire choice is a real concern, while the Scorpions are not bad - they're not as at home in both situations as the Tourances, let alone the TKC80.
The times I've taken mine off the beaten path, the 17inch front does certainly feel odd in comparison, but for general fire road type duty its not horrid. I'm not sure it is the much proclaimed 4 bikes in one - but its three and a half damn good ones in one for sure

Things like the panniers do feel like somewhat of an afterthought, but I notice that both Jessee Luggage and Trax from SWMotech are on the way for a more robust solution.
Engine, drivetrain, and suspension wise, it feels light years ahead of the GS - and if it were not for the ability to dial back the output via the various modes, this actually would be a serious problem off the tarmac.

I do wish the lights were somewhat better - but thats a complaint I had with the GS also

[Chippertheripper]

Steve, I would give wagners a shout.

[slowrider]

I do wish the lights were somewhat better - but thats a complaint I had with the GS also

Yeah, whats the deal with the high beam? I dont have much complaint about the low beam setting, but I'd like the high beams to be more effective than the low setting. All 4 bulbs running simultaneously (flash) wasn't bad. Anyway trick to make that the high beam mode?

[markbvt]

Hey Mark
you got any gps tracks for the trans-lab ride??

sorry for thread hi-jack

Hey Mick, check your PMs.

--mark

[science512]

Where's the best place to demo one (dealership). Is Ducati offering any financing deals now?

Come up to Seacoast and try her out

[DucDave]

Come up to Seacoast and try her out

Steve...let me know when you're thinking of heading up? (If you do...! I could meet you there!)

Dave