Ducati Monster Forum

I'm increasingly interested in the new Multistrada 1200. I realize nobody out there is going to have much first-hand experience with it. However, I want to start doing my usual obsessive research and endless reading. I've also never ridden a motorcycle other than my Monsters, so want to start getting a feel for whether I'm really interested in a sport-touring bike.

Can anyone point me to a Multistrada or Ducati touring board that has anything near the level of information and community that the DMF has?

There is little in the world like this place.

+1

I've suggested before that this forum have a place for Hypermotards, Streetfighters, and Multistradas, but nobody likes that idea.

Probably your best bet is http://www.multistrada.net (http://www.multistrada.net)

I will probably get flamed for suggesting it but there is a spot called Ducati.ms that has a Multi specific section. I do not condone VS patronage though.

(http://blog.lib.umn.edu/boley011/architecture/flamethrower.jpg)

 ;D

sadly there isn't a much better place for hyper or multi info.

there is a place.....but you would have to give me your (one day) multi 1200 to me.

I too share your interest in the new Mutistrada but I think my interests lie more with the S model.

I don't have a deposit on one so it may take sometime to procure one.

Dolph     :)

Multistrada.net is a great board, and independent of VS and everybody else.

http://www.multistrada.net/ (http://www.multistrada.net/)

Unusually, you have to register even to read most of the stuff there. It's worth the trouble.

Don't ride the new multi, it's motorcycle lust and will only cost you a shed full of money.. :'( the ad brochure is in the form of a hard back book and is a gem.. [thumbsup]


 [coffee]

I suspect it's only a matter of time til one follows me home...
I'll be doing a demo ride Saturday am hopefully  [evil]

Please post up a report!!

Yeah, I've had the strong sense that a test ride could get very expensive.

Our dealer is having their launch event this weekend and I mentioned to my wife that I was torn because I wanted to go but that I might end up wanting to buy one if I did. Her response was "What's the problem? Do you need to take a cheque with you?"

I certainly wasn't expecting anything of the sort. I'll check out multistrada.net, but the other motorcycle boards I've seen just tend to depress me. The closest I've found to DMF is the Modern Vespa board, which actually shares several members with DMF.

I checked out some of the VS-related sites and just confirmed view that they're a waste of electrons.

Multistrada.net is a good board.  [thumbsup] Not as good as the DMF, but what is?  :)

I was hoping to get a demo ride last Saturday, but I was told that there weren't any production bikes in the country yet.  I got to sit on a pre-production one, though.

You had better double-check that the dealer actually has bikes.

All dealers are getting the MTS this week. I see many being sold this weekend.

Isn't there a section on advrider.com???

http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5)

Demo rides are this Saturday in both Dallas and Fort Worth.  Road trip!

We've been giving demo rides for the last month and as far as I know we have 57 on order mostly with deposits, when I was at the store yesterday there were at least 9 new multi's ready to go out to lucky customers but like I said Don't test ride because you'll fall in love with it. There don't seem to be a certain type of rider, we've taken all types of bikes from sport, naked and touring and every one who demos comes back in awe of the bike and as one guy said it ticks all the boxes twice... [bow_down]

 [coffee]

btw don't forget to get the ad brochure book as its a keeper... [thumbsup]

As of now it definitely looks as if multistrada.net is the one.

Hey, if you had just listened to me in the first place:
[Edit: If I could spell right the first time...]

I probably should have made clear that I did listen to you and that after having checked out a number of sites concluded that you were correct.

advrider.com has a 100-plus page thread on the multi 1200 here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=383232 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=383232) which is still fairly active.

Some good reading in it for someone obsessively researching the bike.

Just bear in mind it begins in October '08.

And that pretty well sums up how they do things on AdvRider.com

They'll have one thread with hundreds or thousands of replies and you have to dig out the good stuff from all of the crap.  And when you find a subject you might want to participate in, you're already post #80 when you first notice it.  Easy to get lost there.  But I keep going back hoping for something useful, which there is, on occasion.

I'll +5 (or whatever) that multistrada.net is a good place for info.

I'm booked in for a test ride of the new Multi next Friday. [thumbsup] I'm expecting to be really impressed with it, which will probably mean trouble for my ST down the road. :(

Pretty much sums up everything on the internet!   ;D  (Or in life for that matter)

Everyone that I know that have ridden it has fallen in love. I'm too short for it, so I'm SOL.

Hey Carlos. I dunno whether to be happy or nervous about that. A new bike wasn't really in the plans for this summer, but I'm not the kind of person to patiently wait until the (financially ;) ) right time to make a change if I'm taken with something new. This could be an expensive demo ride.

+1

mstevens, what dealer are you heading to?  I was thinking of visiting Seacoast tomorrow night. 

That's the one!

I was a BCM guy, in part because my in-laws live in Franklin. Seacoast is a roughly similar distance from me. Great Bay is way too far.

Yeah Mark, those things are not cheap. Great bike though. When you have dealers that get to ride bikes all the time not wanting to get off of them, then that tells you a great deal about them.

It's just like I said "MOTORCYCLE LUST", if you try I'm sure you'll want to buy... ;) ;)

Carlos I'm abit of a short arse and I can get my feet down without a problem... [moto]

 [coffee]

Crap. I was hoping they'd be too tall.

Well then I'm probably doomed. [laugh] Time to break open the piggy bank. ;D

How was it?

Haven't been out yet. My local dealer's demo day is this coming Friday so I have a few more days before I get to test the new Multi.
 :)

I took a 40 minute test ride of an S-Touring model yesterday 2-up with my girlfriend. Rider and passenger comfort is exceptional. Speeds ranged from parking lot to 50kmh residential to 140kmh highway.

In touring mode the suspension ate up road bumps, pavement heaves and cracks (we have lots here in Eastern Canada) but didn't feel "floaty". Sport mode was significantly firmer and, to my mind, not really suitable for 2-up on less than perfect roads. Power was :o

My gf preferred the passenger seat to my ST3s's - she said there was more width and it felt more roomy lengthwise. She would like a rear grab hoop like the ST3.

I had no real issue with the wind buffeting off the screen others have stated - I'm 6'1 and the screen was set about middle. Mirrors work great. Seat was comfy, though my ride was too short to tell if I'd like it at the end of a long day of riding. I didn't get to throw it around too much but it felt very responsive and light without being twitchy. The centre stand was the only thing that really bugged me... it sticks out so far and high that, if you ride with the balls of your feet on the peg, it contacts the inside of your ankle. It needs to be cut and welded in such a way that it doesn't interfere with foot position. Also, the rear brake lever is positioned too far inboard to be available without tiwsting your right foot quite far inward. Minor issues though and ones which could be easily fixed.

To my mind, the new Multi embodies all that is great about the ESA-equipped R1200GS without the weight and bulk. Ergos are very similar to the R1200GS std and ADV models I've ridden, which were both super-comfy bikes.

Bottom line, I think it's a substantial leap forward in sport-touring, and an exceptional motorcycle. Yes, it tops the ST3s. Yes, I want one. Yes, I'm seriously considering a trade.
 ;D

Mark it's just like I said, Motorcycle LUST...  [moto]

Chris the store manager keeps dangling the carrot (sorry keys) but I keep saying nothanks well at least till we get back from WDW... ;) ;)

 [coffee]

Hi Geoff. When you're back from the WDW fest definitely take your dealer up on the offer. [thumbsup] I'm sure you'll love the new Multi. One would look great in your garage, too.

Do it... do it

;D ...if only money grew on trees, and houses didn't need new roofs. A bike upgrade was not planned for this summer.

However, I'll be calling my local dealer tomorrow to see how creative we can be. We'll see...

Yeah, the S model is not exactly cheap. I think they still have good financing available.

20k for a S Model Multi?

make the beast with two backs that, I'd buy a GS 1200.

Go ride both. I'm pretty sure that would change your mind. GSs are nice...but the weight gets very old after a while...and they are anything but issue free. A GS runs $20K as well.

+1 what Triple J said.

The 1200GS is a fine bike and a vast improvement over the 1150GS in road handling, weight, and factory options. However, it's a very heavy feeling bike and not particularly exciting to ride. I'm sure a strong argument could be made that it's the better choice for 2-up over long distances, but for a fun all-rounder that will occasionally see longer rides I can't see how you can top the Multi S. At least, that's what my 40 minute demo ride told me. ;)

I test rode one here last year that had a sticker of 17,500$.



I am just not convinced a ducati can be battered to death off road for >100k mi like a BMW can.


I can see the weight issue; that makes perfect sense.


I just think BMW builds a better bike for off-road use.

But I guess time will tell with the new Multistrada.

A standard Multi with ABS is $16.5K. No electronic suspension, but for $17.5K I doubt your GS has ESA either.

Poke around ADVRider. The GS can't be battered off-road for 100K miles without some issues either. Final drive failures aren't that uncommon...same with fuel pump controller failures.

Also, after riding a GS off-road, you may not want to batter it for 100K miles...it is a hand full off road...seriously. If you really think you'll be doing that much off-roading (and I doubt you will) get a KTM Adventure...or something even lighter/cheaper. Lighter than the GS, and better off road from what I'm told and have read. Even an F800GS.

Experience on both the 1200GS and MTS1000 on decent condition fire roads/good condition double track has shown me the MTS is the better bike for a mostly street guy that ocassionally follows a dirt road...due to weight and the bike being smaller overal.

Dude, you're never going to take any bike off-road. What the hell are you talking about?

[laugh] Cyrus, I think Carlos is callin you out.

Frankly, I'd be fooling myself if I thought a Multi would ever find its way offroad while in my hands. I'd ride it on the dirt roads to my cottage on occasion, but that'd be the extent of it. I used to spend a lot of time offroading my Jeep, but I came to despise the hours of cleaning that came with it.

It's kinda cool knowing you're riding a versatile bike that can be taken off road, but to actually run a Multi offroad is a bit silly. There are lots of better options out there for that kind of work.


Again, +1 to Triple J's comments re: the ESA option on a GS. It's an expensive option and bumps the price of a new GS into the Multi ballpark. Worth every penny, though, IMO.

Ok tough guy


you short make the beast with two backs (yes, I can say that because I am taller than you).


He's a pussy






i am just talking out of my ass, per usual.


I just don't think of Ducati's as being an offroad bike, you know?

[laugh] Easy fellas. No need to get all bent outta shape.


They're not. Well, not really. But all the marketing material makes them look mighty cool blasting along dirt roads, kicking up stones and leaving a trail of dust behind. :P Kinda makes you want to sell everything, break out the passport, and arbitrarily pick a spot on the globe to ride to. At least that's the impression the marketing team wants you to have.

Yeah, I'm a bit cynical. Doesn't make me want one any less, though.
;D