[Gadgetech]

I've gotten an itch to get a different bike and the MAIN thing driving that is the desire to get something that doesn't have a chain final drive because, while simple, it's just a PITA to me. I went to my favorite dealer with the intention of test riding a GSA (b/c bigger is better) and a Multi Enduro (b/c Ducati). It's raining here in the SE so I don't get to take my normal route but I still hit some curvy roads and some highway. Unfortunately they sold the demo GSA so I didn't get to ride that. I first rode the 2016 Multi Enduro b/c they have them marked down to $16,995 and I like the idea of a bigass fuel tank and it competes with the GSA. Well, for me, the Enduro was just eh. The DVT, at least on that bike, wasn't all that responsive compared to my 2014 and the handling was just too slow probably due to the 19" front wheel. The wind protection was great although the engine heat was more noticeable too. I quickly said, pass on that bike.

Enter the 1260...

So my sales guy basically said, "now ride this" and he rolled their 1260 demo bike over. First let me say this bike was white and it was beautiful (I'm a Ducati must be Red guy). I loved the gold wheels and really which they'd offer those on the Red bike. I think the seat was in the low position b/c I could easily flat foot it at 5'10" with a 32" inseam. I immediately felt at home on the bike and appreciated the 17" front wheel. I did notice that the bike handled what I'd call more calmly but not boring at all. It didn't feel slow at all compared to the Enduro but honestly I didn't feel like I'd be giving up an unreasonable amount of handling either vs. my 2014.

Riding the DVT and 1260 back to back really pointed out the mid-range dead spot on the DVT motor. When riding the DVT, it felt less inspiring to me than my 2014. The 1260 has great, usable power around town and on the highway. I'd like to get some more time on a super curvy road but the rain will likely prevent that this weekend.

The brakes are ridiculously better than those on my 2014 but I'm guessing pretty similar to the DVT bikes.

The DQS (Ducati Quick Shifter) was pleasurable to use up and down. Best performance which shifting up in gears was to have the throttle at a constant opening. If I were twisting the throttle and shifting up, it would do it but it didn't feel right. Down shifting worked extremely well with the throttle closed.

I was also impressed by the SkyHook suspension. It felt more refined and just better overall compared to what is on my 2014. The touring seemed to provide a much more cushy ride without being bouncy (like the Enduro I rode) and the sport seemed to provide a much more athletic ride without being harsh.

I thought the display was nice and crisp and is easy to read. I like how they configured the on screen menu on the 2018 as compared to the 2016, it seemed much more intuitive but that's really a minor thing that takes very little time to adjust to. Both of the newer bikes seem to process riding mode changes quicker than my 2014, seemed to take less time for the button press. One thing I noticed immediately about the display is it seems to be mounted on a cushion as it vibrates/jumps around quite a bit at lower revs. It wasn't an issue for me, just something I noticed pretty early in the test ride.

A couple things I didn't really care for is how quickly the clutch grabbed right when I started to release it (I choked the bike down twice in probably a 15 mile test ride) and secondly when sitting at a light and blipping the throttle, the RPMs would jump up and then it would just die and I'd have to restart the bike.

I'm not sure I'm a buyer right now but I will say I'm very interested and dropping hints to the wife (who isn't super happy about it :|). They do have a great financing rate this month for them. It will be heresy but I do need to test ride a GSA and see what I think of it. Folks I've spoken to that have ridden the GSA and Multi "claim" the GSA is closer to a standard Multi in terms of handling vs. the Enduro Multi and if I can get that in something without chain maintenance, that might be my jam. Call me skeptical, though. For the record, I don't really care about off-road performance. It's really the fuel range and no chain maintenance that intrigue me about the GSA.

The purpose of me sharing is because I was really impressed by the 1260 Multi, not really why my motorcycle choices make no sense...:grin2:

 

[Wolverine1]

I just got an email from my local dealer of choice (Duc Pond Motorsports), ZERO% financing for 60 mo. :x

 

[Jeff_Tippett]

Re your ride on the DVT: The flat spot is totally cured by the Termignoni exhaust and factory designed up-map. I put one on my '15 at about 4k miles and the bike was transformed. When I bought my '17, I had the Termi installed before I picked up the bike. Sadly, it is a very expensive option.

With a 31 inseam I can flat foot with the seat in the high position. I use the Touratech comfort seat which is about 1/2 in. taller than the stock seat.

I find chain maintenance to be not a PITA at all. Modern o-ring chains are great. I use a Grunge Brush and WD40 to clean and a Grease Ninja to apply spray lube. You could look into an automatic oiler like the Scottoiler. I don't have one but there are several fans of several brands. Check Youtube. I owned a Yamaha Super Tenere with shaft drive for 3 years. It was great on trips but was a PITA when it came to remove the rear wheel for tire changes. Took 3 or 4 times as long as pulling the wheel on the Multi. Shaft drive adds about 25 pounds to the weight of a bike.

Shaft drives are great until they go wrong. There are a thousand stories on the internet (all true, haha) of BMW final drives failing in inconvenient places. Repairs are very expensive. Do some research and buyer beware.

I am not sure why anyone would want to haul 8 gallons of gas around other than for bragging right at Starbucks. Long range is convenient but not really needed in the USA. Those big tankers are very top heavy and a bitch at slow speed parking moves unless you are very strong.

Enjoy whatever you buy.

 

[Gadgetech]

I just got a grease ninja, it’s a great tool! I still hate chain maintenance though. Probably because I’m super OCD and want my chain spotless, I probably spent an hour cleaning my new Gold D.I.D. Chain Thursday night (literally removing the dirty lube around each rivet). Your points on the driveshaft and BMW are all valid! I like to try different stuff just to cure the ‘what if’ curiosity I have. I’m hoping to take another test ride on the 1260 and a GS maybe today. I might even get them to let me take their new Tiger 1200 out.

 

[zr1000a1]

BMW used to have issues with shaft drive, but it was many years ago. I've owned several BMW with shaft (K1200S 2008, GS 2012, RS 2016) and neither of them had any shaft related problems. Also, removing a rear wheel on BMW is much much easier than any chain driven bikes. My point is, you should forget about shaft issues, it's way in the past. Yes, a shaft adds some weight, but not even close to 25 lbs, I'd say more like 8-10 lbs

 

[Gadgetech]

I took another ride on the 1260 today, probably a 15-20 mile loop and into some twisty stuff. I think it's a great bike, just not enough greater to trade in my bike. I would anyone looking to ride one though, nice machine.

 

[2wheelmike]

Used would be the way to go, regardless of which DVT you're referring to (2015+ MTS 1200 are all DVT). As expensive as these bikes were/are, they have a bunch of warts that are easily, if not cheaply, fixed. Enjoy your 2014 or whatever you end up with-

 

[tyr]

I took another ride on the 1260 today, probably a 15-20 mile loop and into some twisty stuff. I think it's a great bike, just not enough greater to trade in my bike. I would anyone looking to ride one though, nice machine.

Tried a V4 yet? Since you're Bike-Curious, I figured I'd ask.

 

[Gadgetech]

Tried a V4 yet? Since you're Bike-Curious, I figured I'd ask.

No need, I already know how uncomfortable I’d be on one of those. I can’t sit on one in the showroom for more than a few minutes.

 

[complexCarlo]

Suprised you havent mentioned the XR from BMW. Very capable bike that is a lot of bikek for the money. I would suggest the KTM but you mentioned you werent interested in off road capabilities which I suppose if you were you could consider the ENduro more seriously.

Touring bikes are a hard topic as there arent many that can fill in the Multistradas shoes. It comes down to the personality of the rider!

 

[Gadgetech]

I’ve ridden an XR before on a demo day a year ago or so, nothing about an in-line 4 interests me.

 

[tyr]

No need, I already know how uncomfortable I’d be on one of those. I can’t sit on one in the showroom for more than a few minutes.

You have no interest in a Multistrada that has a V4 engine? Strange, that's why I rode one even if wasn't my target bike probably for the same reasons you said. I will wait for them to put a detuned 180-190hp V4 multi out before I upgrade...it's probably the most "usable" engine I've seen from Ducati stock. Not to mention it's a freaking rocket.

 

[Damascus]

^^^

I think the OP is looking for a real, three dimensional bike. A theoretical, two dimensional bike on paper sounds good, but they are really, really uncomfortable to ride, not to mention the lousy wind protection.

 

[Gadgetech]

^^^

I think the OP is looking for a real, three dimensional bike. A theoretical, two dimensional bike on paper sounds good, but they are really, really uncomfortable to ride, not to mention the lousy wind protection.

Imagine the paper cut! :surprise:

 

[tyr]

Imagine the paper cut! :surprise:

Do you no longer have your 2014? It just seemed like from your responses that the current models weren't as big of an upgrade as you wanted? Didn't realize the itch was immediate. I always have the itch and pretty much demo most anything, regardless of ergos...always wondering what I'm missing. I was looking at the 1260 and ended up on a V4 as well and figured I'd wait until they slapped that into something before upgrading personally. It felt like the bike had a custom tune from the factory. If I had to upgrade this year though I did really like the 1260 for a lot of the reasons you said. I have Tuneboy with cc and qs on my 2014 so I don't get too much out of upgrading at this point personally. Wasn't trying to jack the thread with something (too) silly, it just seemed like you demo a lot of bikes if you get the chance, so was curious if you had got that bad of an itch.

 

[Gadgetech]

Yeah, I still have my 2014. I think a V4 in a Multi would be great, hopefully they come through with it. It’s interesting because I’ll test ride a lot of stuff but I’ve never ridden a full on sport bike...ever. The closest I came was a Streetfighter 848 I had for 3 months. I couldn’t get rid of it soon enough.

Honestly I wanted to be more impressed with the GSA but at this point it’s just not athletic enough for me. I know people who ride and love them and want to act like it can handle close to the Multi but in my own personal testing, I’ve found it to be about 80% as good (IMO) in the twisties. I’m a fast rider and by that I don’t mean better than everyone, I just like to ride fast ALL the time in comfort. The weight isn’t an issue, it’s the other things that give it a good off road presence like the 19” front tire and extremely compliant suspension. I thought the wheelbase being shorter on the GSA than the Multi 1260 may give it similar handling characteristics but that isn’t the case. I’m going to look for someone with a used newish GSA that I can take for a few hours and see what I think over a longer distance but for me and my riding style the Multi just does it.

I just bought a 4 year Ever Red warranty on my Multi so I’m good waiting awhile for Ducati to make that V4 Multi.

 

[Damascus]

Wasn't trying to jack the thread with something (too) silly ...

Ditto here too. And sorry about being a wise axe. I saw some daylight for one of my stupid jokes and dove right in. Have a great weekend and ride safe.

 

[Damascus]

Honestly I wanted to be more impressed with the GSA but at this point it’s just not athletic enough for me.

Pretty much the same here when I test rode one. For a motor that's supposed to be so torquey, I just didn't feel it punched like I thought it would. For me, it felt like the power was coming from a universe far, far away. The GS line is obviously great for a lot of folks, but I know quite a few who bailed after being bored to tears.

 

[Gadgetech]

Pretty much the same here when I test rode one. For a motor that's supposed to be so torquey, I just didn't feel it punched like I thought it would. For me, it felt like the power was coming from a universe far, far away. The GS line is obviously great for a lot of folks, but I know quite a few who bailed after being bored to tears.

I had a 2012 R1200RT, which was before the liquid cooled motor, but I had the same experience. I had to fight from going to sleep on the bike...literally. But people keep telling me how impressive the LC motor is. I also found the GSA riding position to be slightly more leaned forward than the Multi which surprised me somewhat. Different strokes for different folks is what it comes down to.

Seems like what it all boils down to is I walked away more impressed with the 1260 than I expected to and less impressed with the GSA than I expected to so I should just quit acting like a brat and quit whining about chain maintenance.

 

[Numbercruncher]

Any of the BMW 1200 GS models are down on peak hp compared to a multi; substantially so. Roll on torque at 4,000 rpm may be better as the bike is tuned for mid range power but definitely try before you ride. I would not worry about reliability with shaft drive. The rear wheel removal on the R1200GS is simpler than any chain drive bike. But chain maintenance is pretty minor nowadays. Unless I am riding off road, I only clean the chain when I wash the bike. I'll take a rag with a little bit of gasoline and carefully wipe down the plates of the chain. I don't use enough to get the chain visibly wet as I don't want to dry out the o-rings. Once done I lube the chain and ignore it for 1,000 miles. Many prefer Kerosene for wiping a chain but that is too oily and heavy for me. I do the gasoline thing in the driveway and have had great success. Your mileage may vary.

Why would anyone want to trade in a 1260cc V-twin for a 1100 cc V4 on a touring bike? You get a little more peak hp but at way higher revs???????? The torque peak of 91.5 lb/ft comes on at 10,000 rpm whereas the 1260 puts out 95 lb/ft at 7,500 rpm. I don't tour at those higher V4 revs. Yes they can tune the bike for more low rpm torque but that engine is made for peak hp and racing so I don't see them trying to make the power more like the 1260 cc twin they currently offer.

NC