Multistrada v. Cagiva Navigator
 

I had a ride on Italia Moto's Multistrada demo bike today.It was kind of interesting because I rode up there on my Cagiva Navigator,a very similar style of bike.
My initial reactions to the "Strada were,blimey this feels light,I dont like the bend of the 'bars and the grips are horrible.The clocks are in your face but the mounting looks messy.The same can be said of the exposed wiring and connectors under the tank.
The motor suprised me by having loads of low down punch,more so than the Cagiva.In fact it caught me out when I saw a gap in the traffic and popped a wheelie into Lincoln High St!The Cagiva motor has roughly 10 bhp more than the Duke and is very top endy.The power really kicks in at 7k and keeps building right up to the rev limiter.The Duke still impressed me tho,despite only 180 miles on the clock and still very tight.
Out into the twisties of my (ahem!) test course it soon came aparent that the rear shock was way too soft for me.The front felt great,but the bike was wallowing out of the corners.I did stop and wind the preload up a bit,but it did'nt improve matters.I did'nt get to the damper adjusters as they are very close to the hot exhaust and I did'nt have a 2 foot long screwdriver!
All my Cagiva ever wanted was a couple of extra clicks on the rear shock.Its a heavy bike and needs a bit of encouragement to turn.But once its there,it corners like a good 'un,as my collection of worn out boots can testify.
My overall impression of the Duke was a good bike and better than the Cagiva.It just needs a bit of fettling to get there.The Duke desperately needs a hugger/belly pan/front guard to survive a British winter.(About 400 quids worth)The Cagiva has got most of that as standard.

Now the crunch,am I still gonna buy one?Well that depends on the trade in price,there was mucho sucking air through the teeth when looking at its crash damage.So we will see.I would have to find about 4k on top of the Cagiva,which makes the Duke twice as expensive.But is it twice the bike?
For those of you that dont know,here is a pic of the Cagiva.

It's more than twice! It's a Duke after all! Only 39hrs and 4mins to go before I pick mine up.........can't wait......39hrs 3mins....... pt:sing:

[Edited on 28-5-2003 by luckywhiteheather]

Well done!!
 

Lo Millar!

We met at the Alvins track night last year, I was on the 996R.

Well done on buying the MS! Is it coming from Alvins again?

Fancy meeting up sometime after you get it?

Cheers!

Scott

Hmmm...see what you mean Keefyboy, especially if the only thing wrong with the Navi is that it isn't a Duke.

It's a lot of money to pay out on top of the trade in for the Navi - is the 4K for the standard bike or with all the termi, hugger, bellypan etc?

You know what I'm going to say now don't you? You could just do a private sale on the Navi, get an ST for cash and have 4K left for trick bits for the ST or the 998S...or beer!

You've ridden plenty of ST's to know what they're like, and they scrub up quite nicely after winter as well. You can try mine any time. Now that I've jacked the ride height and put a 14 tooth sprocket on it, it's quite lively, but the power delivery is still soft enough not to be too much of a handful as a winter hack. And no, I'm not trying to blag a go on the S, you can just take it for a blast the next time we're at Grafham while I have a brew and a fag.

[Edited on 28-5-2003 by Jools]

Jools,cheers for the offer of the ride mate.I had a go on a ST2 recently and it reminded me of how good they are.My mate was following on a 999 and could'nt get anywhere near me.:devil:
I'm still waiting to hear what the dealer will give me for the Navi,but I'm not expecting good news.And yep that was for the bike as it comes out of the crate.If that is the case,there are two roads I can go down.
One is the ST route,I love those bikes,and as you say,they scrub up well.Or keep what Ive got and get the wheels re-rimmed and new stickier tyres,try some differant brake pads (EBC HH?) and a Paris/Dakar Lucky Explorer paint job.It would make the bike into some kind of ultra supermoto.:D
Hmmmmm!

[Edited on 29-5-2003 by keefyboy]

Oh yes, that sounds like a plan.

With the money that you would have to fork out for the 'strada, you could get 17" rims laced onto your hubs, fit sticky tyres and even give the suspension a real workover with spring rates & revalving etc. The TL motor must have a lot of tuning potential as well, although that's probably missing the point for a winter bike. Isn't the smart money always spent getting the chassis, suspension and brakes well and truly sorted before going for more power?

Well the dealer rang today and I'm gonna do the deal.Its only money innit!?!?
A spangly new Multistrada is sat there waiting for me to pick up.:D
The only downer is that it will have to stay there for another two weeks.I'm too busy this weekend,plus its a bit late to sort the insurance.Then I'm off on my hols to Italy,apparently there is some motorcycle racing on down at Mugello.:roll:

Fooled me all along there! Look forward to seeing the Multistrada on a rideout soon. If I can ever get out to play again!

Sorry mate it was'nt my intention to fool anyone.;)
I got into a bit of a depression when the bike was a no-show,then the question mark over the trade in..................:mad:
I was two thirds the way to saying f**k the Multistrada,they can keep it!

Don't suppose it was you blasting between Helpston & Barnack on a shiny red Multistrada the other day , was it??:)