Multistrada 1200

[Crash Cash]

More info on SuperbikePlanet: part one, part two, and part three.

And yeah, way... way... WAY too much electronic crap. I'm not talking "are Ducatis hard to work on/not reliable" but "too much crap to break, and too much crap to get in the way of riding and having fun"

Granted, I'm a guy that thinks you're a lazy useless sod if you have power windows in your car, but seriously, this is over the top. I want to hear how well all that crap is still functioning 40,000 miles down the road, and how many times it's been in the shop.

 

[Fred W]

But you don't have to buy it all, do you Crash? I mean, if you get the stripper model, doesn't that remove a lot of the electro-puffery?

 

[scubatech]

Fred,
Very few problems in general. The owners don't complain about the maintenace either. I guess they figure it is part of ownership. I would get that video on the valve adjustment for the Desmo' if I owned one. Also NEVER lose the" red key",if that's still in use!

The 996-998 were torture to ride very far for my old knees. Sureley for a bike like the Multi' they will improve the ergos!!

I used to love to fire one up in the parking lot with a set of Termi's on it,talk about necks snapping around. Cool stuff.

That's what I thought you meant. I never had any problems with my old 2-valve desmo, and did all the maintenance myself.

I had a set of Termi high mounts on my seven-fiddy monster. Even the sound of that lil' thing turned heads. <sigh>

That's a beauty Fred!!

 

[scubatech]

I work as a salesman at a multi-brand motorcycle dealership in Rhode Island, which is the only way it's financially feasible for me to order a new Multistrada 1200S Touring. There's a great employee purchase program through Ducati, actually they're the only brand we carry that has one. I'll let you all know the reality of living with the bike - should be delivered first week of May.

Stagecoach,

Good,it will be interesting. I used to sell ducatis too. Most people I know who own them,love 'em. None of my friends who have Duc's haven't had any major problems over all. Ducati folks were the most knowledgeable buyers and the hardest to sell a bike to.

So scubatech, are you coming right out and saying that our Niehart is a Crabby Old Fart? Not that you would be wrong about that, of course! I went to the Ducati of Scottsdale Multistrada 1200S unveiling last Thursday, I absolutely love this new Ducati. I also am very interested in seeing the ongoing reports from Stagecoach.

https://www.examiner.com/x-25726-Phoenix-Wh...-AZ-Motorcycles A huge turnout for the new Ducati. Mostly Certifiable Old Farts, like tu Papa Chuy and Uncle Dave!

Don,

Nah! I don't know him or maybe I would. I think Duc' are percieved much like BMW's,to be so problematic and high maintenance that they are broken down all the time. The internet can do that to a bike. I ask every customer that comes in the dive shop on those brands about the reliability of their bike and I get very little negative response. Most have little or no trouble at all. The KTM guys over on the Orange Crush forum ***** all the time,but wouldn't have any thing else. Go figure. I don't thing these brands would sell if they were that bad! The Muti is gorgeous though!!

Ken.

Howdy Ken, If you think back to WFO-08, you'll remember old Niehart. He was the distinguished looking gentleman that led day rides all three days. Maybe the Specific Northwet Goons will post up a picture of Niehart, I see RenoJohn is looking at this; RJ, do you have a decent photo of Mr. Dave "Niehart" Black to put up here.

Your are right,I do remember him now. He led a ride and rode all the way home that evening. How can you beat that for hospitality!

 

[Checkswrecks]

I was walking down the streets of Austin today and happened across a Ducati sign in front of a restaurant. Talking to a pleasant guy in a Ducati N.A. shirt, he said that he was staying at the InterConti. Hmmm, and only a few blocks walk, soooo...

Looky what I found in the garage! Actually, a couple, and the tires looked well feathered. These were not babied show pieces - somebody'd been out playing in the Texas Hill Country!

Walking around to the hotel lobby revealed this display. Note the missions laid out in black and white on the floor:

Talking to one of the factory guys, this was the last day of the dealer launch and dealers from around the country had been able to ride the bikes around the Hill Country.

There were a number of other bikes in the garage and next to the BMW GS, the MS12 clearly looked svelt by comparison. When you talk to a dealer who was here about how the MS12 rides and he compares it with the competition, it won't be just because he read it in a magazine. For those into RTs, there was this and I'm not into RTs but the paint scheme was attractive:

The best part is that the bikes begin to hit the dealer back shops over the next couple of days and the actual public launches will be THIS WEEKEND. Not all dealers will have them right away, but all dealers who've ordered the bikes should have them within a month.

It's an impressive machine. For you who've been waiting, got plans for the weekend?

Checks

 

[Niehart]

"Niehart is a Crabby Old Fart", that would be me and if I had the cash one of these would be in my garage. :blush:

 

[beemerdons]

"Niehart is a Crabby Old Fart", that would be me and if I had the cash one of these would be in my garage. :blush:

Mi Amigo Dave, I am seriously considering buying a Ducati Multistrada 1200 after the July 15 BMW International Rally in Redmond, Oregon and the July 22 WFO in Eureka, California.

Seth and I are heading up to Roseburg, OR on Monday 7/12 and staying with ShinyPartsUp-wife Kat-and McNamara Kids; attending both M/C Rallies and then back to Chandler, AZ.

To swing the deal, being an old retired fart on fixed income, I'll need to either trade in "Pam Anderson" my H-D FXD or "Ingrid" my BMW R1150RT. Tough decision, but I want a Duc!

 

[Checkswrecks]

Watch the WebBikeWorld site, Don. The site is going to chronicle Duck Pond (a Winchester, VA, dealer near us) uncrating one today and then is supposed to get a loaner for the site.

Oooo, this could be fun!

btw, I went back & interviewed the Ducati NA guys for WbW and got to sit on the new bike. (I had no riding gear & time was tight.) The ergos are a bit more relaxed than the older 'Strada, which could get cramped after a while. These things are going to be great!

 

[beemerdons]

Checkswrecks, I fully agree with you mi Amigo, Ducati is going to sell every single one of these Multistrada 1200's they can bring to North America. I went to Ducati of Scottsdale's un-veling of the Multistrada last month and sat on it; rolled it around and leaned it over in both direction. Incredibly nimble and light at 450 lbs. The bike this Duc is really going to threaten is the Super Tenere 1200:

Why spend the same $20K on a machine that weighs 600 lbs., like the Yamaha does. I'll take a light weight M/C in a New York minute over a big, fat, bloated pig! I have to sell either Pam or Ingrid!

 

[RenoJohn]

I am seriously considering buying a Ducati Multistrada 1200

Don, I sure hope you do. You'd put it to great use. You'd lose me as a friend as I'd be too jealous to associate with ya ....but your new friends will be better quality anyway.

Why spend the same $20K on a machine that weighs 600 lbs., like the Yamaha does. I'll take a light weight M/C in a New York minute over a big, fat, bloated pig! I have to sell either Pam or Ingrid!

Amen brother.

And it's nice to see HP to weight ratios going in the right direction. Everyone seems to understand this .....uhh, with the exception of ....

ah, never mind, don't get me started.

 

[beemerdons]

I am seriously considering buying a Ducati Multistrada 1200

Don, I sure hope you do. You'd put it to great use. You'd lose me as a friend as I'd be too jealous to associate with ya ....but your new friends will be better quality anyway.

Why spend the same $20K on a machine that weighs 600 lbs., like the Yamaha does. I'll take a light weight M/C in a New York minute over a big, fat, bloated pig! I have to sell either Pam or Ingrid!

Amen brother.

And it's nice to see HP to weight ratios going in the right direction. Everyone seems to understand this .....uhh, with the exception of ....

ah, never mind, don't get me started.

Mi Amigo RenoJohn, did you catch that smart *** swipe that Old Michael took at me yesterday? OM said it is a good thing that I live in Phoenix where it is hotter than Hell, because that is where Papa Chuy and his friends are going to wind up anyway. Sounds good to me hombre, I would rather be in Hades with mi Compadres like RJ, SkooterG and ShinyPartsUp anyway! Sinners Rule, es verdad!

 

[RadioHowie]

I'll take a light weight M/C in a New York minute over a big, fat, bloated pig!

Which is exactly why, Mi Amigo, that you haven't imbibed from the Gen II Cup-O-Weight-Gain-4000 and the light, svelte Miss Lucy Liu graces your garage.

 

[beemerdons]

I'll take a light weight M/C in a New York minute over a big, fat, bloated pig!

Which is exactly why, Mi Amigo, that you haven't imbibed from the Gen II Cup-O-Weight-Gain-4000 and the light, svelte Miss Lucy Liu graces your garage.

My Gosh, Howie: You're sure feisty today, first you take a kick at the Canuckians (it's not as if they don't deserve it!) and now you are jimmy-kicking those sorry Generation II losers. Go get 'em, Tiger!

 

[Checkswrecks]

Moving aside from the fat-boy comments...

Rick's got our reviews on the WbW site with some video:

https://www.webbikeworld.com/ducati-motorcy...0/uncrating.htm

Any idea how frustrating it was to talk to all these guys who just rode the MS12, sit on it, see it move, play with it in the garage, and NOT have riding gear? Arrgghhh!

 

[SPORT]

Although rubber toothed belts are a virtuous design for driving camshafts: quiet, smooth, efficient, and inexpensive; the concept has met with less than favorable acceptance among American motorists.Car drivers have, essentially, voted with their pocket-books and have shunned auto engines with rubber cam-belts (that need periodic replacement). Owners just don't want to be saddled with any periodic replacement (if they can get out of doing it...) -- so that it's now a two-decade-old design. Manufacturers have had to retro-engineer chain driven camshafts to satisfy consumer demand.

It's probably the glaring Achilles Heel of Ducati design? When one considers how small the camshaft (and, especially, the crankshaft) sprockets are -- little wonder the belts don't last....

Thread Jack...

Ah, I love my 2001 Toyota Tacoma with rubber toothed cam belt. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but with a 60k mile replacement time, and allowing them to do the job, it cost me $300. Just got it done last year and will be good for another 8 or so years. I'll keep my Toy...thank you.

I would imagine on a bike that a non-metallic cam chain will be quite easy to replace, not nearly as much labor as a car might have. Nevertheless, only time will tell.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Thread Jack...
Ah, I love my 2001 Toyota Tacoma with rubber toothed cam belt. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but with a 60k mile replacement time, and allowing them to do the job, it cost me $300. Just got it done last year and will be good for another 8 or so years. I'll keep my Toy...thank you.

I would imagine on a bike that a non-metallic cam chain will be quite easy to replace, not nearly as much labor as a car might have. Nevertheless, only time will tell.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Thanks for re-posting this.

Actually, I mis-spoke when I commented on the size of the rubber cam-belt sprockets used by Ducati -- Ducati uses an idler shaft in the engine 'V' to cut the speed to 1/2 crankshaft speed and then drives the cams with belt & sprockets from there. So, all the sprockets are the same size (albeit rather small, IMO).

The size of the sprockets in chain drive systems can be critical to longevity and trouble-free operation -- the bigger the better.

IMO, the FJR's crankshaft sprocket is too small...

 

[LancasterFJR]

I sat on the Multi1200 this weekend at Proitalia in Glendale. It's a demo. Proitalia is one of the few dealerships that will let you test ride any bike you want if they sense you have the right credentials and riding experience. I am one of their costumers, having bought a Monster 1100S with Termignone slip-ons over a year ago. The Multi1200 is e very nice looking bike in the flesh. A lot of usable electronics and gizmos. They have 17 buyers on the list, each had paid a $500 deposit. The sales rep, Rick, invited me for a test ride, but I declined. The reason being I wasn't going to buy one and didn't want to change my mind. The general rule: never buy version1.0 of any mechanical or electronic device. There are already some reports of EFI issues with inexplicable stalling. I am sure Ducati will fix the anticipated problems through recalls, but who wants the hassle. I will wait for next years model. Sam

 

[UFO]

Took delivery of mine on Saturday. Imagine the FJR with ~150 lbs less, more hp, hardbags, and electronically adjustable Ohlins, traction control, ABS, slipper clutch, etc, etc...

Granted, I owned an FJR for 7 years and it's a great bike. But wow....Yes, it's a fun bike. :yahoo:

Someone above is right, they will sell every one of these. Good luck getting one this year if your name isn't on someones list. The dealership in Seattle got their first allotment. Every one of them were sitting in the garage with Sold signs on them. Never made it to the showroom.

 

[Fred W]

I am green with envy, Skipper. That is going to be a great bike, no doubt. Doesn't look like it will be too kind for any pillion's you should entice to perch on the back, but the rider will be too absorbed in the task at hand to notice, I imagine.

Please keep us posted on the long term report...

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Hope the 'fly-by-wire' throttle doesn't crap-out near the end of the race...

(C. Checa @ Miller...)

j/k, seriously, congratulations.