I have owned Ducati superbikes for nearly 24 years now. 851 bought in '96. 999 bought in '05 (sold in '10 and bought back the exact machine again in '16), and 1299S bought in '18.
So I am used to generally uncomfortable ergonomics (851), plenty of performance for the street (all), and nearly unbearable summer seat/engine heat (1299, 999).
47 today. Body at 23 (when I bought 851) is very different from middle-aged motorcyclist, I don't ride as often as I could. Superbikes normally are used on weekends and nice days. Did my first New Years ride this year in many years.
When the Multi came out in air-cooled and later 1200 form....I was unimpressed and never really considered it even a "real" Ducati. However, again and again as I consider adding another bike while a V4 Streetfighter or Panigale would be more of the same, something a bit different keeps popping in my mind. Namely a Hypermotard (would want an 1100S), Diavel, and the Multistrada 1200S of some form.
Hyper seems like fun and quite impractical, a lot like the superbikes I have now. Maybe not the best choice of the three.
Diavel is certainly different and looks like it would be very comfortable, but even its use would be somewhat limited.
But the Multi...maybe there is a bike that can do many things very well. Highway commuting & trips. Plenty fast (faster than anything I own but the 1299S animal in the garage), it certainly looks like it would be comfortable. I would want an S version of some form with ABS.
So which one? Please give feedback from your experience if this is inaccurate:
2010-11: original 1200. S has semi-active Ohlins. Some rumblings of heads needing to be replaced after 20k miles or so due to casting defect. non-S also available without ABS
2012: same as above without the head issues. Maybe the best value choice.
2013-2014? New Skyhook electronic suspension and dual-spark plug heads for smoother low-speed running and better fuel economy.
2015-18: DVT engine. TFT dash. I assume more electronics.
The bike that stands out as a pretty cool bike would be the 2017-18 Enduro Pro. Still quite expensive secondhand, but a very unique and cool version of the model. I am tall so the seat height would not be a big deal. 19" front wheel might mean different handling but I would likely also taking on easy off-road situations.
After my mom died last year I did the normal assessment of things I would like to do while I can with a new sense of urgency. One of the things I would like to try is a bit of "adventure" riding. Not difficult off-roading, sold my YZ450 a couple of years ago before I hurt myself. Gravel roads, maybe fire trails, easy off-road stuff. I am fortunate to live near Arkansas which promotes motorcycle tourism and actually have planned road & trail routes (maybe 150 miles each) that seem pretty neat. It would be cool to try to do all the routes in a year on the 15-odd weekends it would take to do all of them. The Enduro might be the perfect Ducati that could do all of them.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling, just looking for opinions on these bikes. New to the family.
So I am used to generally uncomfortable ergonomics (851), plenty of performance for the street (all), and nearly unbearable summer seat/engine heat (1299, 999).
47 today. Body at 23 (when I bought 851) is very different from middle-aged motorcyclist, I don't ride as often as I could. Superbikes normally are used on weekends and nice days. Did my first New Years ride this year in many years.
When the Multi came out in air-cooled and later 1200 form....I was unimpressed and never really considered it even a "real" Ducati. However, again and again as I consider adding another bike while a V4 Streetfighter or Panigale would be more of the same, something a bit different keeps popping in my mind. Namely a Hypermotard (would want an 1100S), Diavel, and the Multistrada 1200S of some form.
Hyper seems like fun and quite impractical, a lot like the superbikes I have now. Maybe not the best choice of the three.
Diavel is certainly different and looks like it would be very comfortable, but even its use would be somewhat limited.
But the Multi...maybe there is a bike that can do many things very well. Highway commuting & trips. Plenty fast (faster than anything I own but the 1299S animal in the garage), it certainly looks like it would be comfortable. I would want an S version of some form with ABS.
So which one? Please give feedback from your experience if this is inaccurate:
2010-11: original 1200. S has semi-active Ohlins. Some rumblings of heads needing to be replaced after 20k miles or so due to casting defect. non-S also available without ABS
2012: same as above without the head issues. Maybe the best value choice.
2013-2014? New Skyhook electronic suspension and dual-spark plug heads for smoother low-speed running and better fuel economy.
2015-18: DVT engine. TFT dash. I assume more electronics.
The bike that stands out as a pretty cool bike would be the 2017-18 Enduro Pro. Still quite expensive secondhand, but a very unique and cool version of the model. I am tall so the seat height would not be a big deal. 19" front wheel might mean different handling but I would likely also taking on easy off-road situations.
After my mom died last year I did the normal assessment of things I would like to do while I can with a new sense of urgency. One of the things I would like to try is a bit of "adventure" riding. Not difficult off-roading, sold my YZ450 a couple of years ago before I hurt myself. Gravel roads, maybe fire trails, easy off-road stuff. I am fortunate to live near Arkansas which promotes motorcycle tourism and actually have planned road & trail routes (maybe 150 miles each) that seem pretty neat. It would be cool to try to do all the routes in a year on the 15-odd weekends it would take to do all of them. The Enduro might be the perfect Ducati that could do all of them.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling, just looking for opinions on these bikes. New to the family.