Will the new V4 19" Multistrada erode GS sales?

If the radar system was already DOT approved the cost would have been added in the optional packages. My dealer told me up front the cost of the radar package but it cannot be purchased and activated until it's DOT approved. I'd hate to buy the first model year of the V4 without the radar and only to find out that after the DOT approval the following year's bikes will have it as an option. I'd rather have it factory installed and pay for it later when DOT approves it than not have it and wish I had waited a year.

The 1250RT already has it and I suspect it's the same situation as the V4 Multistrada (activation is pending DOT) and no doubt it will be coming to the 1250GS in the future, maybe for the 100th anniversary of BMW edition in 2023.

So if I understand correctly once it’s approved the price of the bike will go up the $850-$1000 that some people are being told?

Also just to make sure we are on the same page, the bike sitting at the dealer presently has the radar requirement installed, it’s not as if they are only selling base models

exactly that’s why he’s afraid to buy it, got bit by his Husky 450 that never got the maps authorized. Same situation the dealer said they’d update the bike later, later never came.

Yes, once it's approved, the price will be reflected in that optional package. In my home market, the V4 Multistrada S includes Radar. You can also buy the base bike without it, but my dealer said everyone wants a fully loaded bike. Talking to my BMW dealer, it's the same deal, all the GS/GSA are ordered with all the options, a bare bones bike will sit and collect dust, no one wants it.

I don't know how BMW is selling the 1250RT with radar package, are they charging for that radar with the caveat that it will be activated when it's DOT approved or are they doing what Ducati is doing which is to charge you for its activation when they're allowed to do it.

So, yes, you can order a V4 base model without radar installed on the bike.

Agreed on all accounts,

1. We just have issues that they are selling part of an optional package and I personally wouldn’t expect to have to pay another $1000 in six months if I ordered the package, and they really aren’t advertising or advising customers of this apparently

2. The dealers are all confused, even quoting different prices for the eventual software update.

That’s one of my larger complaints about my BMW ownership, they sold a bike without advertised functionality and when I raised the issue, two different dealers didn’t know what to do and it was a question for a while of who was going to pay for the software update.

This comparison just posted:

I think that the answer to the original question is being answered. Here's a video from a GS fanboi who canceled his 2021 GS order, and bought a V4 instead. So, it's going to happen.

3
He canceled his order, someone else will buy it. There will still be brand new Ducatis sitting on showroom floors in 2023.

Can s0meone buy it? Not right now.

Anyway, I'm sure there will be new Ducatis in 2023, all '23 models I'm sure.

<eyeroll>

https://www.cycletrader.com/New-201...TISTRADA|764855672&condition=N&year=2017:2019

https://www.cycletrader.com/New-201...GS ADVENTURE|68616&condition=N&year=2017:2019

Simple Cycletrader search shows:
87 new 2017 - 2019 Multistrada for sale
14 new 2017 - 2019 GSA & GS for sale

Let's not even start on how much a '21 Multi V4 will be worth in '23 <$14K

I don't buy my bikes for resale, but I've learned the hard way buying a new KTM, Ducati, Triumph is like tossing money in the wind.

And a Honda car has a better resale percentage value than a Mercedes-Benz. Says nothing about the capabilities of the individual vehicles, however.

For me, it's more of the enjoyment than the expense.

I ride with these guys on occasion and we’ll see what Jerry thinks after his trips westward. I have no doubt that Jerry has NOT bought his last GSA. He puts around 25k miles a year on his bike.

Here’s another comparison. More substantial than the one I posted earlier. It’s the GS vs MV4S mostly on road.

That one pretty much sums up how I feel about both bikes.

Revzilla’s take

I saw the new Multistrada yesterday at my local Ducati dealership and it's a good looking bike but I'm not ready to trade-in my 2020 GSA. I suppose if you want more engine performance then the Ducati should be the bike for you but if you can live with a little less performance but better all around do everything well then best to stick with the GS. I don't think BMW has anything to worry about in regards to the new Multi stealing sales from the GS.

While the new Multistrada is a better looking than the previous model year I think new XR is better looking than both.

My wife and I spent 9 days in 2015 riding with Zack in Europe. This was when he was still with Motorcyclist Magazine. We tested the, then new, 2015 model year, Ducati Multistrada, BMW S1000XR, KTM 1290 Super Adventure.

I understand fully the new Mulitstrada is a completely different bike, but in 2015 it was the whole group's least favorite bike. It was difficult to shift, the motor fueling was horribly mapped.

My wife became the expert on it as she spent all but one day riding the Ducati. It happened to be the only one she could remotely reach the ground. Great brakes, great handling, but she hated everything else about it. She was the only woman rider for the tour/test.

If I were to win one in a drawing I would sell it and buy anything not a Ducati.

Here's link to the ride: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/...motorcyclist-edelweiss-european-readers-tour/

Interesting story, but you'd be hard pressed to find any parts from a 2015 Multi that would fit on a 2021. Completely different engine, chassis, etc. It's comparing an apple Ducati to an orange Ducati.

I've owned two Multistrada's prior to my first BMW, the 2020 GS1250 I now ride. Speaking of showroom floors, there are just fewer Ducati shops than BMW. The Ducati dealership that I patronized went out of business. The next two are each 2 hours away, the one in Knoxville is atrocious, I've seen work that they have done to a friends Multi and it's criminal. The other in Greensboro, used to be top notch some years ago, but now I'm not sure. I did have one valve adjustment done by them, and it the work was good, just very expensive.

The local dealer charged my buddy $400 for his first service if anyone is curious. I’ve never paid that for a first service on any bike. Doesn’t that seem high?