Ducati MultiStrada 1200

[oalvarez]

Originally Posted by EJ_92606

Anyone else take delivery on a '13 yet? Would like to hear more about the Sachs Skyhook suspension.

Thanks,

Hiyas EJ...there are some new owner thoughts posted over at Ducati.MS but most all are based on their rides home. of course they all love their new bikes, I personally think that the new twin spark motor is equally interesting.

[Pampero]

Originally Posted by oalvarez

Hiyas EJ...there are some new owner thoughts posted over at Ducati.MS but most all are based on their rides home. of course they all love their new bikes, I personally think that the new twin spark motor is equally interesting.

Might as well add the link to the first in reports.

Congratulations to you, Hap, and all the other new owners, too! Thanks for the write ups!

[Paulvt1]

I went out jacket shopping today. Weather is quite good for the UK in January. Mild and not a lot of salt on the road. Got to wring the bike out a bit. It's a bike of strange contradictions.
It's a Ducati - but it's comfy, has a center stand and great mirrors.
It's nimble - but stable.
PR3's are the biz.
That slight crest in the road turns into a 3rd gear wheelie.
Best bike i've had in a long while.

[bingbong]

Originally Posted by Paulvt1

I went out jacket shopping today. Weather is quite good for the UK in January. Mild and not a lot of salt on the road. Got to wring the bike out a bit. It's a bike of strange contradictions.
It's a Ducati - but it's comfy, has a center stand and great mirrors.
It's nimble - but stable.
PR3's are the biz.
That slight crest in the road turns into a 3rd gear wheelie.
Best bike i've had in a long while.

I know just what you mean I finally got out on mine for a full day and some nice roads, my mate finally got a test ride on it and was completely astounded at how good it was and more over how relaxed it is when going fast. I was following on a hypermoto which was keeping up well but the experience was very different to the MS. The hyper just shouts infomation at you which is alot of fun but intense. The hyper had the full race termi system, whilst not excessive in noise it definatley adds to the fun. I think I need something for the Multi now, but which one? It's taken me a lot of bike changes to get here but the multi fits me like no other bike has come close to. I remember having a Gilera nordwest a few years ago and thought at the time that it needed a v twin to make it perfect. I now have that perfect bike.

[bingbong]

Skyhook test.
It's definitely an improvement apparently. But, IMHO the only significant thing they found was the old ohlins rear spring is too soft for 2 up riding, which we all know about. And if you are in the wrong mode for the conditions, I.e. urban mode. Then start riding sporty it adjusts. Seems like for like modes ohlins verses sky hook say in sport mode, almost no difference.

Enjoy
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...da-old-vs-new/

[oalvarez]

They also didn't comment on or adjust the damping settings on the old one and rather used what was pre-programmed (DES). The nice thing about Skyhook is that the rider never really needs to make adjustments as the suspension will automatically make them on its own. It acts if you don't or can't.

Fun read

[NMEXPAT]

Originally Posted by Paulvt1

I went out jacket shopping today. Weather is quite good for the UK in January. Mild and not a lot of salt on the road. Got to wring the bike out a bit. It's a bike of strange contradictions.
It's a Ducati - but it's comfy, has a center stand and great mirrors.
It's nimble - but stable.
PR3's are the biz.
That slight crest in the road turns into a 3rd gear wheelie.
Best bike i've had in a long while.

Best Summary of the MTS 1200!

[Paulvt1]

I should have added that i haven't even had a play in sport mode yet. I seem to spend all my time in urban and touring. Can't imagine what sport combined with a full system would be like...

[Moronic]

Originally Posted by bingbong

Skyhook test.
It's definitely an improvement apparently. But, IMHO the only significant thing they found was the old ohlins rear spring is too soft for 2 up riding, which we all know about. And if you are in the wrong mode for the conditions, I.e. urban mode. Then start riding sporty it adjusts. Seems like for like modes ohlins verses sky hook say in sport mode, almost no difference.

Enjoy
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...da-old-vs-new/

Hey, thanks very much for the link. Have been looking for a copy of that article, had thought it would not be posted online, Very interesting, even if it still leaves me wanting more information.

Seems to me the most interesting aspect was what they didn't say: they didn't say there was any part of their riding where the Ohlins kitted bike was better. Given that Ohlins is good stuff, and that the Multi had some of the better Ohlins bits going, that's significant.

But IMO the other interesting bit was that as you've noted, when in the appropriate mode the Ohlins wasn't any worse, either. At least where they tried it. Suspect the Skyhook system would do better on something really rough, such as a bad gravel road. But that's not the Multi's forte in any case.

So we have the key advantage, spring rate aside, in the point oalvarez makes: with Skyhook, the mode adjustment - and more - is done for you. I've a feeling that will prove more helpful than it sounds over a long day's riding.

Nevertheless, I'm still leaning towrds a 2013 base and perhaps adding the full semi-active kit Ohlins says it will offer this year. It might not be Skyhook but I do like the idea of dealing directly with Ohlins for info, parts, service and troubleshooting.

Will have to learn more about the new KTMs tho. Ducati over here haven't done themselves any favours with pricing: it is looking like the Multi base will cost $2000 more than an 1190 Adventure, and $1000 more than the "R".

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by oalvarez

The nice thing about Skyhook is that the rider never really needs to make adjustments as the suspension will automatically make them on its own. It acts if you don't or can't.

Fun read

Then I have to ask, how is this different from well-sorted "standard" (i.e. non-active) suspension? Personally I'd rather have the Ohlins and adjust it to my liking for each mode vs. having suspension that adjusts automatically based on some pre-programmed algorithm that I can't change. Or am I missing something (not uncommon for me )?

-SM

[ten.98]

Originally Posted by Sock Monkey

Then I have to ask, how is this different from well-sorted "standard" (i.e. non-active) suspension? Personally I'd rather have the Ohlins and adjust it to my liking for each mode vs. having suspension that adjusts automatically based on some pre-programmed algorithm that I can't change. Or am I missing something (not uncommon for me )?

-SM

From what I saw on my dealer's demo bike the Skyhook has all the same adjustibility that the Ohlins had, just that in addition, it also has active dampening. So you can still tweak it to your liking, but if you had it setup for stiff, and run across a patch of washboard, it will adjust to the changing conditions. Whether or not that's to the benefit of the rider is for each person to decide for themselves.

[oalvarez]

Originally Posted by Moronic

So we have the key advantage, spring rate aside, in the point oalvarez makes: with Skyhook, the mode adjustment - and more - is done for you. I've a feeling that will prove more helpful than it sounds over a long day's riding.

Originally Posted by Sock Monkey

Then I have to ask, how is this different from well-sorted "standard" (i.e. non-active) suspension? Personally I'd rather have the Ohlins and adjust it to my liking for each mode vs. having suspension that adjusts automatically based on some pre-programmed algorithm that I can't change. Or am I missing something (not uncommon for me )?

-SM

Hiyas Sock....you're not missing much, just the fact that the Skyhook seems to perform better (at least to the two reviewers/riders of the new MTS) if the DES damping adjustments are left in the factory default setting or the DES mode is left unchanged when the road actually does.

ten.98's reply is exactly on point.

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by oalvarez

Hiyas Sock....you're not missing much, just the fact that the Skyhook seems to perform better (at least to the two reviewers/riders of the new MTS) if the DES damping adjustments are left in the factory default setting or the DES mode is left unchanged when the road actually does.

ten.98's reply is exactly on point.

Thanks for that. I didn't know the Sachs units were 16 level adjustable like the Ohlins.

So....is there any adjustment that can be made to Skyhook to change it's active bit? Like "react more slowly", or "react more quickly"? Or is it fixed at whatever magic the factory sets it to?

-SM

[oalvarez]

Originally Posted by Sock Monkey

Thanks for that. I didn't know the Sachs units were 16 level adjustable like the Ohlins.

So....is there any adjustment that can be made to Skyhook to change it's active bit? Like "react more slowly", or "react more quickly"? Or is it fixed at whatever magic the factory sets it to?

-SM

others will surely answer, but from what i've read, there are three (3) settings within each riding mode, soft, medium, and hard (i don't know the exact terminology). so in a sense, yes, the damping can be altered/adjusted within each mode, at least that's what i believe to be true. does it offer umpteen number of compression and rebound clicks to choose from? i don't think so. is the ride ultimately controlled by the Skyhook suspension "brain?" by the sounds of it, yes, and apparently it does a pretty decent job. what one gives up (if anything) by moving to the Skyhook suspension is yet to be seen (i think).


add: i didn't see your comment re: the 16 levels of adjustability originally, and i failed to clearly read ten.98's earlier comment..........i don't think that the Skyhook offers the same wide range (16 clicks) of adjustability like the Ohlins DES offers, i may be wrong here. I was stating that it made logical sense to me for a test rider to like the same or prefer the Skyook suspension given it's automatic adjustability/adaptability over that of an Ohlins DES kit left in its factory settings.

[ten.98]

From: http://hellforleathermagazine.com/20...pension-works/

"In the different riding modes the Skyhook system still has access to and makes use of the full range of damping settings, but switching from one mode to another changes its zero point. In Sport for example its zeroed towards firmer damping settings and it always returns to those in normal riding, while in Urban or Enduro it sits at the other end of the scale, providing a softer ride in normal conditions."

"Where the old showed the separate compression and rebound settings as ‘click’ numbers, on the 2013 S models, you can increase or decrease the damping harder or softer by two stages from the central medium default. This can be done in each of the four modes, so for example if Touring is too firm, you can change it to one or two softer settings, and it will stay there unless you change it back."

So 4 modes with 4 levels of settings per = 16 "clicks", but as the article suggests, it is "re-zeroed" based on what mode you're in with only 4 levels of adjustment per mode.

So, yea, not AS customizable as the Ohlins, but pretty close.