[Simplemonk61]

//////////BMW rider for past 25 years. My RT is getting a bit heavy for me to wrestle with (I am 67); The Multistrada is very interesting to me and I got to ride an 11' which knocked me out. That having been said, I have NEVER been stranded on any of my BMWs and I do have concerns about reliability and longevity RE: Multistrada. That having been said, I know NOTHING of these issues and I would like to learn. Fire Away!!

 

[t-bills]

I put 56k miles on my 2011 Multistrada before it was stolen. I had just finished doing maintenance on it to get ready for a cross country trip. 2011-2012 were particularly great years for the Multistrada. I still say these were the best all around bikes ever made. They had the amazing Ohlins mechatronic suspension (changed in 2013 to Sachs skyhook). The bugs from 2010 had mostly been worked out. This era did have an issue with the fuel gauges failing. All of them. Even the 28 revisions to the fuel gauge. But that is far from leaving you stranded- just keep an eye on your trip meter. Some also experienced problems with gas tanks swelling from ethanol fuel. This affected bikes that had fuel sit in it for extended periods of time.

Things to look for in a bike of this vintage:
1) Look for bodywork having uneven gaps as this is a sign of a swollen tank. While the gaps in bodywork are a bit on the large side for some, this doesn't necessarily mean a swollen tank. Look for a seam to be uneven.
2) Service records- these bikes are scheduled to have valves and belts done every 15k miles. Also, the belts have a finite calendar life for those bikes not ridden much. I prefer to not exceed 3 years on belts, but some extend this on out to 5. If the bike is due for valves and belts, you are looking at spending some money ($800 minimum, some places up to $1500) or learning how to work on desmodromic valvetrains. If just needing belts, a bit less- say $3-400ish. Factor this in to purchase price.
3) Any error codes- you can cycle through them on the dash to read what the codes are.

 

[DaveK]

//////////BMW rider for past 25 years. My RT is getting a bit heavy for me to wrestle with (I am 67); The Multistrada is very interesting to me and I got to ride an 11' which knocked me out. That having been said, I have NEVER been stranded on any of my BMWs and I do have concerns about reliability and longevity RE: Multistrada. That having been said, I know NOTHING of these issues and I would like to learn. Fire Away!!

European bikes in general are not as reliable as Japanese or American bikes based on owner reports... but you've owned BMW's so you know that already. If you've been OK with BMW reliability... you'll most likely be OK with Ducati reliability (BMW has worse reported reliability in their new bikes than Ducati).

I've not heard many reports of owners getting stranded by Multi's... but there WILL be little annoyances. I've got nearly 50k miles on my 15... never stranded (did have an annoying ses/limp home situation once from a bad throttle sensor)

 

[coast range rider]

...2011-2012 were particularly great years for the Multistrada. I still say these were the best all around bikes ever made. They had the amazing Ohlins mechatronic suspension (changed in 2013 to Sachs skyhook). The bugs from 2010 had mostly been worked out...

Several 2010's had a coolant/porous head issue and there was a tech bulletin on replacing the coolant.
I am interested in hearing of the other bugs, because I thought the 2010-2012's did not have changes besides paint/decals.

 

[Redbrit]

I came from BMW as well, from far enough back that BMW reliability was a certainty, not just legend. I'm still of the opinion that BMW's failures are largely predictable, where to my observation Ducati's are more varied and unpredictable. I also understand that parts availability can be less than timely. So far (6 months in), I have not experienced any of this. (NOS '16 MTS). There are things I'm watching for; my bike has a recall for the key fob. I bought understanding that dealer-performed mainenance is more than incrementally more expensive than on the BMW.

So, as another expatriate BMW rider to another, read up. This site is a great source. So is the Ducati area over on ADV rider. You probably need to take the opinions from each with a different grain of salt. But unlike buying most cars today, buying a European motorcycle (and with apologies, particularly a Ducati) is a leap of faith.

As to the MTS itself, it is somewhat lighter than the GS, a good bit lighter than an RT. But it's as tall in the saddle as a GS and seems to carry its weight higher. I notice this pushing it around, not while underway. The 1200 or 1260 engine is much more immediate than the boxer. There are more, finer points I could opine on, but we can all answer those questions for you as they come up.

HTH.

 

[t-bills]

@coast range rider the bikes are the same from 2010-2012, but individual parts were revised.

While the Multistrada does have higher costs of maintenance on the big services (belts and valve checks), they are less frequent. The 2010-2012 have 15k mile intervals. 2013+ have 18k mile intervals. Some have retrofit those intervals to the 2010-2012, which seems reasonable to me. So, every 7.5k/9k is an oil change and 15k/18k also involves valves and belts. The BMW has more frequent services with every 6k is an oil change and valves and every 12k also involves final drive and transmission. I don't have hard numbers, but I'm guessing the overall service costs are pretty similar.

 

[scotlings8]

I just came off of a bmw k1600 for the last 60k miles. Decided I wanted something lighter. I have only had my 1260 for about 7000 miles, and it has already been in the shop longer than the BMW ever was over the course of 60k miles. It's a great bike, but quite a bit more finicky. Ducati says it's normal to burn up to a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Wish I had known that before I bought. Great riding bike, I just hate carrying a quart of oil with me everywhere I go for longer trips.

 

[Pampero]

I bought my 2012 new, 25000 now on the clock. I've had some of the problems that others have reported but I've never been left stranded. Thomas' (T-Bills) observations are a good starting point but I'll elaborate.

*Tank expansion through osmosis was mentioned. Replacement is the only solution. Some owners Caswell epoxy coat their replacements and IMO it's a plus if a bike has had that done. If the tank on a bike of this vintage hasn't expanded yet, it won't. If the tank has expanded it's likely that one or both panels have been compromised so check that. It's an expensive repair ($2K?). Also look at the trim ring surrounding the fuel filler to see if it stands proud of body panel, which it shouldn't. Many bikes have had this issue, been repaired and are stable now.

*Fuel sender.

*The so called "Porous head" issue. This was determined to have been caused by the use of an improper factory coolant fill. Many searchable threads on .ms about this but if your bike doesn't 'burn through' coolant now, it never will unless you use the wrong coolant in the future. It seems like they require a specific product (and dilution) but that's resolved by simply using the factory recommended fill. If a bike you're considering is affected you'll know it as the smoke screen can shield a carrier task force. It wasn't a problem for me and many others but happened in cases where a bike got the wrong coolant mix, which affected a certain run of them.

*Instrument Panel Failure: It's another expensive repair. Mine was replaced under warranty. I don't know if this is a weakness or was a QC issue for a limited time, but it wasn't unique to my bike.

*Rear brake is more of a place holder (in both meanings of the term) than something that might aid in arresting forward motion. They all do that, sir. Fix is an M50 Brembo swap. Some folks replaced both ends but it's mainly the rear brake that merits disdain.

Heated grip failure is not unheard of. Most of these things happen within the first years of ownership except for fuel sensors that I think can fail at any time. Otherwise it's the usual maintenance of tires, chain and sprockets, fluids and not much else.

My bike burns no measurable oil between changes so I'm here to say they don't all do that. I put in the Mechatronic SCU package and made minor ergonomic adjustments and mods to my tastes and have thoroughly enjoyed the bike for 6 years and haven't considered selling it for a newer one.

I had a GS before the Multi but was seduced by the feel and performance of the Ducati. I ride mine without concern and in confidence

Most owners have loved their Multis and consequently have taken good care of them although I would want records anyway. Despite their considerable real world capabilities, few indeed buy one to track or race. The upside is they're very sporting but don't usually get abused, make great "if I can only have one" everyday bikes and are hard to kill in the important places.

 

[Redbrit]

I bought my 2012 new, 25000 now on the clock. I've had some of the problems that others have reported but I've never been left stranded. Thomas' (T-Bills) observations are a good starting point but I'll elaborate.

{snip}

*Rear brake is more of a place holder (in both meanings of the term) than something that might aid in arresting forward motion. They all do that, sir. Fix is an M50 Brembo swap. Some folks replaced both ends but it's mainly the rear brake that merits disdain.

{snip}

I had a GS before the Multi but was seduced by the feel and performance of the Ducati. I ride mine without concern and in confidence.

Brilliant.

 

[Simplemonk61]

2011 Multi

S model with 5800 miles. Barely used and never down from what I can see. Runs, rides and handles wonderfully. Engine knocked me out with it's almost endless power. Looks not unlike some GS owners who buy one and farkle it out to be like their buddies,only to find out that they don't really like to ride that much. Bike is at a Ducati dealership. Are there any good aftermarket warranties out there? What say ye?

 

[Pampero]

Sound like a good suspect to me. I highly endorse the buy as long as everything checks out.
Mine's with me for the foreseeable future, maybe the duration. (And I'm older than you....Multi is a good ol' man's rig).

Here's the link to an ongoing discussion of aftermarket warranty availability:

Mine is (for a few more months) with RPM One. They've been great to deal with but sadly for them the cost has been more than returned to me so I came out ahead on the deal.

 

[DarR]

@Simplemonk61
Warranties are not likely reasonably priced other than the dealer's. Get something in writing.
If something major is to happen, at 5800 miles it would have already happened.
BTW, 5800 miles is just about new also. Enjoy.

 

[herveyw]

The 2010-2012 have 15k mile intervals. 2013+ have 18k mile intervals.

I have a 2014, it's 15k. I believe the 18k interval came in with the 2015 DVT model.

 

[shorton]

I’ve got a 2014 model with 16k miles. Bought new in 2016. I had a clutch master cyl replaced when it was still almost new. And I’ve had a keyless module replaced under warranty. I had a fork seal go bad, replaced under warranty. I had a non-critical centerstand weld fail, replaced under extended warranty. Other than that mine has done fine. No oil usage, my rear brake works. I’m pretty crafty and I did the 15k service myself. I did it over the winter and took weeks to piddle at it in no hurry. It was not a big deal to do imo and I bet I did a better job than the dealer would have done. I’m pretty old too so needed a lift table to do the service comfortably. If someone stole this one, I’d buy another one like it.

 

[Damascus]

I still love my 2012 with 36K miles on it, but it has had a host of problems, and it's not a bike I would recommend for someone looking for a guarantee not to get stranded by it. "Small" stuff aside, here are a few documented items that can leave you stranded and/or seriously ruin your day:

> Some bikes - including mine and those of other/former members here - can shut down when they get wet. This makes riding in the rain more adventurous. LOL
> Some bikes - including those of other/former members here - had faulty side stand switches that can cause the bike to shut down at speed. I bypassed my switch rather than waiting for that neat trick to happen.
> Some bikes - including mine and those of other/former members here - had faulty electronic steering locks that can cause the bike NOT to unlock. I no longer use mine, but a manual disc lock instead.
> Nearly all Ducatis - including mine and those of other/former members here - have a gear selector fork return spring that will fail at 20K miles. At 15K miles, my local mechanic told me it would fail at 20K miles and it did like clockwork. Fortunately, it failed in my garage and not off in the hinterlands somewhere.

I remain a Ducati fan because there is nothing like one - when it's running - but it's not a brand for the faint of heart. As the infamous slogan goes ... "Ducati - Making mechanics out of riders since 1946"

That said, I've met many former BMW owners who have regaled me with similar tales of woe. Not to mention Consumer Reports showing BMW as having one of the highest failure rates among major brands.

In short, neither brand is on par with the Japanese brands in terms of reliability. Hope some of this helps.

Ride safe,
Murph

 

[Sandmonkee]

> Some bikes - including mine and those of other/former members here - had faulty electronic steering locks that can cause the bike NOT to unlock. I no longer use mine, but a manual disc lock instead.

Ride safe,
Murph

Hi Murph,
Mind if I ask how you got it unlocked in your situation? This has always been a fear of mine. Also, do you know what the cause was? Something to do with the fob?
Thanks