Ducati MultiStrada 1200

[Pampero]

I recently had my springs done, front and rear. I had them done in conjunction with the shims, which was warranted so my situation might be a bit unique, but here's what I paid:

$260 for Ohlins springs, both front and rear including tax. I paid one hour ($109) for the rear spring replacement which was not part of the TSB. I paid 1.5 hours for the front, but that included replacing the fork oil. I had 1300 miles on the bike so the oil was still fresh, but when they did replace it, they found both forks had been overfilled by 30cc at the factory. The total cost for my spring replacement and oil service came to just under $500 both front and rear and based on the new stability of the bike, I'd say it was well worth it.

While they were at it, we set the static sag for the front and rear end, which took two guys (one to measure, one to hold the bike upright (with me in riding position) an additional 20 or so minutes for which I was not charged.

Had it just been a spring replacement in conjunction with the shim adjustment, I suspect I would have paid very little if anything apart from the cost of the springs and the time to do the rear end, which was indeed an honest hour.

If doing the fork oil, the factory procedure is to remove both forks. This seems a bit of a hassle and shouldn't really be necessary, but I'm told that's how it's called out. In the past I have done my own fork oil changes, easy on Showa and Sachs forks since they include a drain plug and give specs for the replacement oil (in ccs). However, I understand the Ohilns spec is given in cm and is measured as you would with a dipstick, and that the spec is given for a fork in the full vertical position, not on the bike. That's more than many (certainly I) would probably want to bother with, and doing a static sag set solo is nigh onto impossible anyway. I'll guess it could be done, but I don't know the trick.

Anyway, that's my addition to this topic based on the info I was given.

The bike's overall handling is far superior, just as comfortable, more controlled and I'm glad I did it. I weigh more than 230 pounds and that's all I'll admit to here!

[Pampero]

PS: I'll guess that the Skyhook rig, with it's progressive rate springs and adaptive damping will mean fewer spring swaps as a practical matter (for us full figured men!). I inquired (fruitlessly) if there was or ever would be a progressive spring available for the MTS and was told: no, and not likely. Maybe someone other than Ohlins offers more than a choice of two springs, but I went with the Ohlins solution since it was convenient, reasonably priced and of known compatibility. I have to say, it's good not hearing the clack (mine got progressively more noticeable and went from click to clack) as well.

I think $600 for the job sounds quite fair based on my experience.

[KHVol]

Originally Posted by Moronic

Even for the whole disassembly tho, five hours sounds somewhat generous.

I thought the same...

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by expatbrit

At Laguna Seca this year I was chatting to the Ohlins guy, and the default spring selection is so that you can max preload in Enduro mode, raising the rear ride height, without too much compromise to the ride quality. So the stockers are a compromise with that, along with the rest of the 'bikes sprung for 150lb riders' thing.

Oddly, I was the first guy my local dealer had had swap the springs out, however, and I'm not exactly heavy -- 195 or so in my boxers.

And just to be clear here for those folks who are thinking of getting one of these beasts and are right now freaking out over having to shell out another $5-600 clams for springs, the bike works great with the stock setup!!! But it's a finely tuned carving weapon, and if you want every last drop of handling goodness from it, like ANY OTHER BIKE, you have to set up the suspension correctly for your size, weight, level of expertise, etc. In the case of the S models w/ Ohlins, that just means the right springs.

Now stop freaking out and go get your Mutley. You know you want one, and you've been good little boys (and girls) this year, so you certainly deserve it, right?




-SM

[Moronic]

Originally Posted by Andreazz

You could feel the suspension working. Much les dive under heavy braking. And in the small village we drove thru on the test route, they wanted us to drive fast over the speedbumps. This was the most impressive with the suspension! Sure you could feel the bumps, but the bike just sort off smoothly went over them.

On the road and in the twisties, i think my "old" 1200 S feel the same as the new one with Skyhook. But then again, I`m no professional rider.
But one of the riders in my group is. He race a 1199 in the Norwegian RR Championship. He said that the MTS was surprisingly stabile and fun to ride hard

The new generation Testastretta DS engine was what impressed me the most. It run`s much more smoothly in the low rev`s. Maybe finaly they have got the low end fueling to work together with the emission requirements? I think that owner`s of this new generation MTS will not mess around and getting the fueling adjusted.. There are so much torque from before in this bike`s, so I could not feel the 5% gain the new engine got.

The new design of the windshield still sucks

But all in all, a nice and expected facelift of an 3 year old (and very good) design

More pictures from my trip to Bilbao:

Thank you for the report, Andreazz, and the pics.

If the Skyhook is no worse than the Ohlins stuff, I would be happy with it.

Sounds like the revised engine is good news. Let's hope it holds together for the long haul, as we've grown to expect of a modern Duc.

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by Sock Monkey

But it's a finely tuned carving weapon, and if you want every last drop of handling goodness from it, like ANY OTHER BIKE, you have to set up the suspension correctly for your size, weight, level of expertise, etc. In the case of the S models w/ Ohlins, that just means the right springs.

Now stop freaking out and go get your Mutley. You know you want one, and you've been good little boys (and girls) this year, so you certainly deserve it, right?




-SM

Correct. This is the second time I have made an effort to set a bike up specifically for me and having gone so far as to buy a new one, based on my prior experiences, I felt some fine tuning based on my abundant avoir dupois was in order. For many people, the bike will be fine just as delivered.

Tuning the MS suspension is made about as easy as it gets so doing it seems sensible; no such ready possibility exists on, for example, the last versions of the GS. This is a good point in favor of the Duc.

[Motodisiac]

Keep an eye on Classifieds section, my cherry 2010 with updated Ohlins springs will be for sale shortly.

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by Motodisiac

Keep an eye on Classifieds section, my cherry 2010 with updated Ohlins springs will be for sale shortly.

To be replaced with.....

-SM

[Turkishexpress]

Originally Posted by KHVol

What I was told was 5 hrs labor for the front and 2 hrs for the back at $103 per labor hour, $721 in labor. They described the front as
" the same number of hours as required for complete fork rebuild", believe it at your own risk.

This was the same guy who when asked about the rear brake TSB replied " It's not really a rear brake , Ducati intended it to be a 'rear stabilizer'...." After asking why is the brake fluid black after 2,700 miles, he said he would try to get the TSB approved.

I would not go to that dealer for anything if I were you. If you're near the West Virginia border, take it to DucPond. They'll take care of you.

[KHVol]

Originally Posted by Turkishexpress

I would not go to that dealer for anything if I were you. If you're near the West Virginia border, take it to DucPond. They'll take care of you.

Thanks for the recommendation...

[Ramv]

I am amazed at the differences people find. I am 180 lb and feel the bike in stock form is horribly under sprung in the rear. With ethe preload cranked the rear is still quickly overwhelmed in aggressive riding. Front is decent stock though unlike most bikes I have had. No diving and can handle rough roads well.

[M0t0Rider]

Originally Posted by Ramv

I am amazed at the differences people find. I am 180 lb and feel the bike in stock form is horribly under sprung in the rear. With ethe preload cranked the rear is still quickly overwhelmed in aggressive riding. Front is decent stock though unlike most bikes I have had. No diving and can handle rough roads well.

Looking at the bike as a Touring mount I felt the front was too stiff at 175lbs.

I am thinking sport mode little to no compression dampening.

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by M0t0Rider

Looking at the bike as a Touring mount I felt the front was too stiff at 175lbs.

I am thinking sport mode little to no compression dampening.

If you have the Ohlins, be aware there is a fair amount of stiction in them when new and it takes some time before that goes away. Also note that your preload may be set too high, so you may want to back off on that a bit and see if that helps. Finally, spend some time going through the comp/rebound settings and you'll be rewarded with all of the goodness Ohlins has to offer.

If you don't have the Ohlins, you're on your own.....

-SM

[oalvarez]

adding to SM's sage advice, i'd suggest to those checking/adjusting the preload on their forks to make sure that each tube is set to about the same number of turns out/in from the other. when i adjusted the sag on mine one tube was three full rotations different than the other (from the dealer/factory).

have fun,

[Motodisiac]

Another Multi 1200. My friend was "upgrading" to Pikes Peak so I got his 1200 for a deal I could not refuse :)

D.

Originally Posted by Sock Monkey

To be replaced with.....

-SM