Ducati MultiStrada 1200

... you bit - "and don't call me shirley" - airplane, the movie..... victory is mine buhahahah

Beautiful... I cant wait!

Manchester Ducati had the only Multistrada in the UK sitting in their showroom over last weekend, and I thought that it'd be rude not to take a look.

I'd expected the bike to be slightly larger than a Hypermotard, but it was much bigger. From memory, I'd say it's like a chunkier F800GS. The upside of that is it fits tall people - I'm around 6'2" or 6'3", and found it a comfortable size.

It didn't feel as light as I expected, so I'm wondering if the quoted weights are a touch optimistic.

The white colour is closer to silver.

There seems to be quite a backlog of orders building up. The dealer had something like 27 on their books, and was quoting June or July for delivery.

So would I buy one?

I'm looking for a do everything machine. Prior to the announcement of the Multistrada I was thinking BMW K1300R or S, and maybe the R1200S. So in a sense the Ducati is coming from the same direction, but from an Enduro angle. So it's not quite what I'm after, but tempted nonetheless.

If they'd come out with a Sport Tourer then I'd have been even more interested. If they build one that looked like the Sport Classic 1000S then...

The big question marks for me would be how reliable will the electronics be. It might actually be prudent to wait for a year to give others the opportunity to pay to be beta testers.

That, and I want to see just how many internal organs insurance is going to cost too.

Edited to add: The bike is doing a tour of UK dealerships over the next few months. More here.

http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatiuk/e...3PGMMUYLADRSCRNCB2SFEYKFUIHUIV3?eventId=28783

I'd love one but that price is a big one.

I'd love one too. But anything more expensive than a banana will have to wait

A couple of interesting tidbits from a Cdn mc show yesterday...
A Canadian Ducati rep won't be getting trained on the 1200MS till March,
when he's off to Italy for mechanical/technical instruction.

When asked, he reminded me that the 1198 motor is rated at 170hp at the crank, so according to the listed 150 crank hp rating of the 1200MS motor, it allowed them a full 20hp to trim, to boost bottom and midrange torque figures and still retain a highly respectable/intoxicating rated output...

Ah to be a savy urbane professional, with the resources to consider the 1200MS or the new dohc BMW GS, perhaps the upcoming Yamaha 1200 Tenere', 1100 EVO Hypermotard...

996DL

the best thing they did was changing the setup so that the low rpm fueling was smooth compared to the other bikes in the lineup with that mill. As a dirtbike loving horsepower addicted and decidely un urbane moto enthusiast i hope ktm can do the same for its 1200 adv

The more competition in this lucrative segment the better, the manufacturers have little choice but to step up to the plate with competent offerings, or lose sales to their competitors. The road biased 1200MS had so much room to reconfigure the torque curve/output, while still retaining immense peak figures, along with including selectable mapping choices for it's tech hungry potential customers.

How smooth and glitch free the fueling will be in upcoming press riding impressions, road reports etc., will be a crucial ingredient in it's initial acceptance and potential sales success. Lot's of exciting bikes to look forward to in this genre...

996DL

Graemsay, thanks for the heads-up. Your review was useful - sounds like they aren't allowing test rides ? Gotta wait till march till its near me - my attention span doesn't las....t..... th....at.... what was I saying ?

I had thought they'd have made a few before they started releasing all the blurb. Sign of the times I suppose.

Bit pricey but I'd love to have a go in 150 bhp mode

The Multistrada on display is the only one in the UK, so Ducati didn't even let the dealer have the keys!

Besides, it was pretty snowy and icy in Manchester last weekend. I don't think that they'd want to risk it. (Though it was the touring model with heated grips... )

Well thats plain silly. Anyway I bet my Uly would leave it behind in the twisties - my ol S1 Buell (80 bhp at rw) easily kept up with a 1198R during some spirited riding - so my Uly gonna kick its ass (I hope).

I want one really, just bitter & twisted that I can't get a test ride.

The whole MTS thing is beginning to sound a bit gay - no test rides !

Ducati's no different than it's competitors, in the availability of a new production model for test rides. The routine, spring factory distributer supported test ride agenda, will feature the 1200MS if all's well with the production line output...

Hell, just be glad you'll be able to see a preproduction example at the trade shows, or dealer premieres.
Canada didn't even receive a 1200MS, for our cross country MC trade show series.

996DL

Ray its people like you that are going to keep our economy from getting back on its feet. The American economy depends on people spending and using credit. Now stop being unpatriotic and go get yourself a multi. Do it for the country!

Either that, or selling their pets and girlfriends into slavery.

"Oh Honey ... there's something that we need to discuss... "

It's odd now that the BMW GS is now one of the "cheap" options.

Not anymore! How does $60K sound for your own jet?

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/01/diy-jet-almost-ready-to-fly/

Similar issue right now in the US with BMW's S1000RR...the manufacturer is trying to maintain a level playing field for all dealerships. Getting everyone supplied with floor stock and demos ready to ride at precisely the same moment is not easy. Dealers here are starting to get the S1000RR for display...keys will arrive later so they can drop the sales gate simultaneously.

Price in Greece
(in E)
15980 base
16980 ABS
19980 SPORT -SPORT TOURING

A few photos from the DC Bike Show:





I was less impressed than I expected. The bike has a few vulnerable, trip stopping parts, and is cramped. Might make a great street bike, but I doubt it is really suited for adventure riding.

Just my impression!

Jim

Perhaps the F800GS, but with the 1200MS base, base with abs, and the two Sport models, they're in the same ballpark as the boxer series, with their base GS and up pricing... I don't think anyone expected a 1198 based Multi, to be a budget alternative in the adv class.

Get over it, and buy one paul thompson !
Or don't bring your wallet, to the spring's demo days...

996DL