Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Multistrada: Enduro / Pikes Peak / V4 / V2 / 1260 / 1200 / 1100 / 1000 > Demo booked for the 20th

[Smiler]

Have a demo booked on the 20th at Leeds Ducati – I will let you know how it fairs!

Smiler

[Monty]

Best get ready to buy one then........it's THAT good, and I know that I keep singing it's praises .

John

[Smiler]

The Multistrada?

After a heated discussion between myself and Ducati Leeds over the possibility of riding the Multistrada demo bike (You can only ride it if your going to order one!!), any way; The bike in question was in silver (not the best of colours for this model) and because of its unusual looks (I'm still on the side that say's this is one ugly bike) it needs to be red just to stand out from the crowd. Key in and switched on, the dials go through a checking sequence then hit the ignite button and the 1000cc air cooled twin spark lump springs into life. The lack of that distinctive throb is the fist thing I noticed; it pulled away very smoothly from low rev's and off I went. The engine feels more like a 600 than a 1000, a bit tinny and most of the power is at the end of the rev range, more to the point the engine is missing that grunt I was expecting. On the B roads from Shipley out towards York this thing just flys along, the upright riding position give you a commanding view with long travel suspension to take up the bumps and fills you with confidence, it turns in like a sports bike a holds it line well, not having enough power to get you into real trouble (on exiting corners I found my self just twisting the gas straight to the stop, not rolling on the power as you would with sports bike). On the motorway its happiest at 85mph any more and the wind becomes a real pain, I'm 6"2 and the standard faring gave very little protection. The riding position at first felt very comfortable almost like a VFR but it soon became a parent that a 100 miles would be about the limit before you need to stretch your bits (you can buy a comfy seat from Ducati Performance!). The wing mirrors are the same as the rest of the Ducati fleet, good for picking the fly's out of your teeth when you are stationary but totally crap on the move. One other thing that I found a bit strange is the clocks have two multi function buttons to change the display and your hand covers the display when you push them so you can't see what you have changed!

Any way after 2hrs playing my view is still very mixed "it does what it say's on the tin" It's fun, it's practical, it's better than a VFR on the twisty bits, but it needs more power; here we go again! Why do Ducati build a new model bike and stick the old air cooled lump in it, we all would prefer the 916 engine, it's only taken 10 years for them to put it in the Monster.

Would I have one? NO, the Monster is a better alternative, it looks better and it goes a lot better.

Smiler.

[Edited on 21-5-2003 by Smiler]

[Monty]

Interesting comments. MCN tested it today against VFR800, TDM900 and GSXR600-the Multistrada won!
Comment from Terblanche " We are working on many new idea's and looking at extending the Multistrada range. I'm confident that we can do even better than this bike with Ducati's new technologies" so maybe that will be a testastretta powered Multistrada in the future-now that would really rock.
I found when I rode it that I could cruise at 100 comfortably but that by the time you got to 115 it was a bit windy-but then I am only 5ft 10in. A monster S4 would thrash it in a straight line but on give and take roads I don't think the monster rider would see which way the Multistrada went. Totally agree with you about winding it out of corners, you have so much feel for what the tyres are doing you can just gas it and go. The Multistrada was holding onto Keefyboy on his 998S when we rode around near Melton Mowbray-and he is quick. Obviously on a smoother straighter road he would have vanished. Riding down roads I don't know I would be quicker on a Multistrada than my ST4S since you can stop it, turn it, and gas it out of corners with so much more confidance. But, I can cruise my ST4S 2 up at 120 in comfort-horses for courses and all that.

John

[nicksp]

Horses for courses is I think a great way to approach the Multistrada, I personally can't compare it with other Ducatis, but 100 mph was easy on my old bike (VFR), 100 mph on my Multistrada is a lot more like hard work. Conversely now I find I can get to work much quicker on my Multistrada than I used to on my VFR (and older Bandit), this is a journey mainly on poorly surfaced, cracked, twisty, undulating B roads. I can blast past cars out of tight bends where I wouldn't even think about overtaking on my VFR in the dry or wet and I can see over the dry stone walls!


Nick

[Monty]

And you are a lucky boy to be able to ride the 'Cat and Fiddle' on your way to work!!
Be interested in your thoughts but I reckon my licence may last longer with a Multistrada. With the ST4S I keep finding I am doing 120-130mph, it's all just too easy .

John

[nicksp]

You could have a point there John, I reckon the top speeds I do now are well down on what they used to be on my VFR, which was clearly not the beast that your ST4S is. Having said that, the points on my licence are a result of speed traps in 30 mph zones near roundabouts on dual carriageways, in which case the Multistrada is no help at all ! BTW the 50 mph limit on the 'Cat and Fiddle' run is also a bit of a potential points accumulator, you have got to be very careful at the weekend, because I guarantee there will be two police Pan Europeans somewhere along the route watching and waiting.

[richardh]

Ah yes, the old "how fast on my tourer, officer?" bit. While I was initially sorry that the MS was launched with the 2v engine, given the speeds I've been reaching even on my semi-regular commute on the 4s, an aircooled Duke may be the only thing that saves my license. I'm also a marked man with part of Surrey plod, but that's another story...

I do love the 4s though - last bank hol, I was coming back across Exmoor on the A39 when I spotted a new Daytona 600 behind me (turned out was a Triumph press bike) and thought, "he's got some lean angle on", then had the realisation that I was doing the same speed, two-up, with panniers and a tank bag.

Richard

[Monty]

I know what you mean Richard, at the Ducati Uk track day at Silverstone in 2001 I was riding round the outside of people on 748 and 996's and alledgedly leaving darkies on the exits-oh, and I still had the panniers on .
I drove over the Cat and Fiddle a couple of weeks ago and the 50 limit makes sense-in a car. But I imagine it will be very frustrating on a bike .

John

[richardh]

So Silverstone allow you to keep the panniers on? Excellent - my last trackday (still had my 748 then) was at Cadwell and one of my brisker mates was v disappointed that the authorities there wouldn't let him out with the panniers on his R1100S. Just as well though - he promptly binned it at Mansfield! My Sunday morning wakeup call is a trundle down the local stretch of the A272 - I'm sure you've also witnessed the mirror double take that GSX-R riders do when they spot a be-panniered tourer about to ride around their outside. One of the small things that make life that much sweeter javascript:icon('')