Experienced Owners Multistrada 1200 Poll

[Bill A]

This is intended to benefit potential buyers who are considering a Multistrada 1200.
Please only participate in the poll if you are a Multistrada 1200 owner, and have several thousands of miles worth of experience with your bike.

In your reply, please list in bullet point fashion:

- The year and model of your Multistrada 1200

- The type of riding you have done on it.

- What you like most about it.

- What you dislike about it, and how strongly you dislike those things.

- Would you buy it again, knowing what you know now?

[Bill A]

Here's my opinion at 7800 miles:

- mine is a Multistrada 1200S Sport

- I do mostly recreational sport riding on it (canyons and mountains); and I have also done a two-week 3500 mile tour two-up. The only unpaved riding I have done has been on gravel roads.

- I love the power delivery, the (front) brakes, and the suspension. It is also more comfortable (especially on long rides) than I expected.

- I expected a few bugs, and i got them (electronics, rear brake, etc).
-- I think the center stand interfering with the left foot is an issue.
-- I think I drag hard parts too easily (side stand and shifter touch down pretty easily).
-- I am disappointed with the local dealership's service (although there have been some good points, too).

- I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I am very happy, overall.

[bartman314]

2011 1200s touring

commuting, touring, sporty road riding, fire roads (limited), track days (1 so far)

power, handling, ergos

poor headlights - significant problem
poor low rpm performance - moderate problem
electronics: steering lock inconsistency - slight problem
false neutrals/finicky transmission: slight problem

i would buy again in a heartbeat. it is an incredible bike.

[CessnaTPA]

2010 standard non abs 9k miles.

Mostly do 100-200 mile country road rides, 3 track days. A dirt road a few times.

Love the low end torque, feel confident in the corners and pulls hard. Very comfortable seat and riding position.

No problems so far, only been to the dealer for the recalls and that was painless.

Defiantly would buy again, hoping they put the 1199 in the MTS and I'll upgrade.

[Turkishexpress]

- 2011 Touring S
- Spirited Street
- Power, comfort
- Suspension not worth the money for me since I could have had a custom superior set up for cheaper or same price with no possibility of electrical bugs. Headlights sucked till I got the HIDs installed. Soft rims. Red Loctite. DES ECU was just replaced. Transmission is useless for a bike at its price range. False neutrals galore, clunky. Just subpar to competitors.
- I would buy it again but the non S model and spent the money on custom suspension.

[GmanJeff]

2011 Touring S.

Mostly relatively short weekend rides, sometimes commute to work.

Pluses: Comfortable, powerful, agile, light weight, trip computer, heated grips, styling has grown on me, nicely integrated factory bags and top case.

Minuses: -RF key works somewhat inconsistently (I am afraid to use the electronic steering head lock for fear of being stranded with it in the locked position)
-Changes to pre-set suspension settings seem to me to be fairly subtle; I'm not sure the electronic adjustability is all that useful (power delivery changes are quite apparent, on the other hand)
-Factory-available GPS not a good value or particulalry well-integrated with bike
-No tire-pressure monitoring system available
-Bike is a little tall, making mounting and dismounting more difficult than on many other bikes.
-Lumpy at low RPMs.

All in all, I like this bike very well. While it is not perfect, it offers a very good combination of the characteristics most important to me: power, handling, comfort, light weight.

Would buy again; no current competition out there offer the same combination of positive attributes.

[falcofred]

2010 Touring S

Sport Touring mostly in Southeast USA, two trips to Indy 19,000+ miles

Love the Ducati Experince, comfort, power delivery, handling.

Dislikes, I had to modify the center stand, I modified the shifter by running it into the ground, the rear brake was none existant until the Ducati Service Bulletin to replace rear master cylinder with new design. The bags now have additional latches, they seal now, but not as user friendly as my 04 Multi bags. The key fob is my least favorite detail, just give me a reagular key as I still need it for gas cap and luggage.

I would purchase again in an instant, no other bike offers the combination that this one does.

[brianc]

- 2011 S touring

- Commuting, mountain twisties, goaty backroads, touring

Likes:
- selectable power modes. sometimes 100hp is more fun than 150hp. The suspension/power changeups really make it 4 different bikes
- it's the best-handling and most fun-riding moto I've owned
- Looks fantastic

Dislikes:
- Everything about it is expensive: parts, maint, accessories, etc
- bullshit that you can't do ECU resets for simple things like maint, etc - whether it requires a tool or a code, nobody seems to know how, except the dealer
- expanding tank and rear brake are annoying to deal with - not really dealbreakers, but unacceptable on a $20k moto
- the centerstand fitment is way too much of an afterthought for a bike that was designed to be an all-rounder sport tourer moto.

Would I buy it again?
- Yes, but I'd do it differently. I'd buy a Pike's Peak instead, and put my own aftermarket bags and centerstand on it. Heated grips are neat, but I doubt I'd buy them right off the bat as an accessory. The centerstand doesn't really bring anything to the table for the touring package, and the colormatched panniers are neat, but so are a pair of pelicans w/ SW Motech racks, and less expensive to boot. I realize I'm complaining mostly about the accessories, so I guess the point is that the overall motorcycle is amazing.

[Paulie]

MTS 2010 S Touring with all options

City commute, weekend touring and spirited riding - 20% 2-up

Love the ergos, power, ridability, sound, looks

Center-stand lever interferes a bit with left foot placement but I've grown used to it and adjust my foot position.

Sub-3500rpm performance is a little jerky, which is a little annoying in traffic (but so is traffic) since you have to work the clutch more. I'm used to it and feel that's the price of asking a beast to be calm through the slow parts of the ride.

I usually leave it in touring mode because sport, to me, makes the ride rougher on MA roads and I don't feel I need a more sensitive throttle. Touring still gets you full power. I've upped the DSC settings for Touring-mode so no real reason to go to city mode except for perhaps rainy days. Bottom line is I don't push the bike near it's limits so I'm not taking advantage of what it has to offer.

I haven't done any light enduro and have/will rent bikes at the track rather than risk my pride and joy. The track is to help make me a confident/skilled street rider but I'll never be a very good track rider.

I'd buy it again in a second!

[Ramv]

- The year and model of your Multistrada 1200:

2010 Multistrada 1200 -- base model, no ABS.

- The type of riding you have done on it:

Some sport, 2-up sport touring, gravel/dirt.

- What you like most about it:
Long list, but I would say combination of 2 up comfort/fuel range/smooth power

- What you dislike about it, and how strongly you dislike those things.

My biggest complaint is the transmission ratios. First is way way too tall. Second biggest complaint is wide rear rim/no aftermarket tire availability. No way to fix either of these. I did a 14t countershaft sprocket, but it doesn't do much for first . Great for highway speeds though.

I have nitpicks with the rear brake getting soft, the flakey wireless ignition, the rattling windscreen, poor oem luggage, the clutch slave leaking, not being able to wheelie, but really none of these things stop me from enjoying riding it.

- Would you buy it again, knowing what you know now?

Unlikely. Somethings are better then I expected (fueling after the re-flash), but the narrow transmission range caught me by surprise. I also expected it to be a little more of a hooligan bike, but really feels very planted and plain.

The main point I want to make it here though, is "Would I" buy it again. I wanted something more dirt friendly and agressive then this. However, for 2 up paved road riding, it is a great bike. And in fact why I am considering holding on to it. I don't think another bike out there would be as good for our 2 up riding experience since we only ride curvey backroads, but occassionally will ride 5-10 miles of dirt to connect.

9000 miles, best tank of over 50 mpg, worst of 30 mpg. Top speed, 150 mph indicated. Sustained with luggage, 120 mph. About 1000 miles of dirt year to date. States rode in include Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada and California.