Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Multistrada: Enduro / Pikes Peak / V4 / V2 / 1260 / 1200 / 1100 / 1000 > shall I get one?

[Ian]

I thought I would get out of the Tesco's food shop today so announced to the wife that i had to take the 916 into the bike shop.
Well it was a bit more than pop in, - they let me out on their demo bike, - i will only need 20 minutes i said as i left, - 1 1/2 hours later I came back with a big smile. I will ramble on a bit here as it might be useful for other prospective MS ponder-errs.

Swinging a leg over it felt fine for me, - I am about 5'11", - it is tall compared to the 916, but the 916 is very low.
My first thoughts were, as i pulled away and then braked to get around some parked bikes were that the brakes were too fierce and the forks were too soft, - never had the front end dive before you see. Then i noticed a draft down each boot as again for the first time in ages my legs were n't bent backwards. The seating position is a bit odd as you do sit forward with bent arms. I headed off around the back roads of Gatwick which have some nice twisties but are full of holes, drains and covered in mud in places, - i was cautious but not as cautious as i would have been on the 916, - the seating position and wide bars do give you a feeling of being in control of the bike rather than at times the feeling i get of just being the crash test dummy. I came up behind a CBR600 and thought I would be polite and stay behind him, - 2 bends later i thought sod this (he was kicking up stones and far slower than i wanted to be), - so i went by expecting him to tag on, 2 bends later i could n't see him ( i could even look over my shoulder which is a no go on the 916, although the mirrors are no better). Within a couple of miles I was really enjoying myself, - the seat is odd, - it is perhaps too hard and does feel a bit tilted towards the front, - a couple of times i tried to push myself back to get more comfy, - it could be the bars though that need to be straighter and an inch away from me. Realizing that I was now on the outskirts of Dorking I thought i had better turn back, - and I did a U-turn in the road without putting a foot down!!!!!!! Back down the country lane again, - passed the CBR, - he did n't want to knod, - this time i thought i would give it a bit of way-heeeee, - and true Duc she pulls clean from 3000, - the rear suspension squats a bit and the front goes light, but no big deal. 2 cars ahead and the first left hander of an s-bend just ahead of them, - i went for it, passed them, rolled off the throttle and cornered easily, - it felt as fast round the bends as the 916, but so much easier, - i was n't concerned with the joins and bumps of the road, the MS just coped, - if it wobbled it was no big deal. The ride form here to the M23 went with me looking over the hedges and not noticing the bike, - i was doing something that i had not done in a while which was to just enjoy being out in the fresh air looking at the scenery. Onto the motorway for 1 junction, - accelerated by a Fazer 600 onto the road and out into the fast lane, - ***mph, - it is stable, i was expecting a weave, the only complaint is the screen puts too much wind onto your head, but i guess that is easily sorted. I guesstimate that 90mph cruising all day is no problem (on autobahns of course), perhaps 100mph with a better screen. Would be interesting to know if panniers bring on a weave? Off the motorway and back towards the dealers, - i was impressed, the bike rides better than he looks as if it will, i knew it handled from following keefyboy around Mallory. It is not as "plush" comfortable as i thought it would be, - but the most important thing is that it just lets you ride with a smile. It can be what you want it to be. The 916 needs t be controlled and mastered to get anything out of it, - it is a summer, dry road no traffic no speed traps bike. I did get back onto the 916 and had that initial feeling of having my hands hugging the front tyre, - but there is still part of me that still loves the full on committed ride, - i just need to decide what is right for me, -do i accept that i am 40 next year and get more sensible, to be honest i would like to own both, - i know the MS would get used more, and that perhaps tells its own story about what 1 bike i should own.
As keefyboy said prices have gone up, the black is available and there is a new 0% finance deal. As usual the trade in price was not what i had hoped for, - i understand that they cannot give the same payback on magnesium Marchesinis and carbon stuff.
One thing that did concern me and you guys with them can advise on, - the front brake when warm was really juddering if i braked hard, - when very warm it almost through the bars out of my hands, not a problem as i was down to walking pace by then - is that warped disks? - Not normal is it?


[Edited on 15-11-2003 by Ian]