Today I took my 2012 1200s in for the throttle recall at Woods in Abergele so decided to take their 1200s DVT out for a test ride. I was fortunate in that the person who had booked it for a test ride after me had cancelled and rebooked for Thursday instead, I assume because of the weather but it started out dry and enabled me to keep it for a couple of hours so thank you if you are reading this. Took her on a variety of roads, twisting bends to Betws y Coed, dual carriage way etc and had a mix of sunshine and heavy rain so I think I had the opportunity to make a good comparison turning up and going home on my 2012 bike. Summary Very very good bike that made me smile but not better enough to make me dip in my pocket yet. Engine 2012 - 8, DVT - 9 Difficult one for me this as the new motor is unquestionably smoother and easier to ride, especially around town, there is no hesitation and pulls really well. Having said that, and in my humble opinion if is lacking some of the character of the earlier motor, never noticed any real difference in power but then its only 10bhp so I don't suppose I would. one of the present surprises was that I expected it to be a bit peaky but nothing of the sort. lots of stomp, just a bit too civilised in my opinion. Cruise control 2012 - 0, DVT - 8 It would be a 10 if it was not for the simple fact that you cannot set it until 31 mph!!!, come on, you are selling bikes in the UK, how hard would it have been to allow it to be set at 30 mph? different people will use this for different things, some people will say that it is not really for those sort of speeds but for me, sticking to 30mph speed limits is probably one of the things I would use it most for. Still, very easy to engage although clutch has to come in a fair way before it disengages, it would be nice to be able to touch the clutch and get the cruise to come off. Controls / Dash 2012 - 7, DVT - 9 DVT would have been a 10 if it had not been for such a reach to the indicators. It might only me a mm more than on the 2012 but it annoyed me. I like the fact that heated grips had their own button. more intuitive to flip through the rider modes with it have its own switch. Dash is great and very clear, I like the fact that there is more information displayed without having to thumb through screens, MPG, Time, Temp etc etc. DVT dash does seem to vibrate about quite a bit though which worries me a little for future problems. Wind protection 2012- 5, DVT - 7 Contrary to what I have read I actually believed that the screen on the new bike was quite a step forward on the old, less buffering even at higher speed and less movement in the screen. Also easier to adjust (mine is a single spark head not the later twin spark with the single handed adjustment). Still not great though and I think Ducati have missed a bit of a trick to make something class leading here but then would it have spoilt the looks of the bike if they had? Build Quality / Looks 2012 - 8, DVT - 8 Not a massive difference and highs and lows really. the DVT does away with the crappy panel gaps that earlier bikes suffer from, as already mentioned there seems less vibration in the screen area and the mirrors also seem to vibrate a little less. What I don't like so much is the cock pit plastics. horrible and cheap looking and gone is the little (very little) glove box on the right hand side. I don't like the red frame, I prefer the contrast of the earlier bike. A big thumbs up for the new bike though is the shaped right hand engine case. The earlier bike tended to get scuffed by your boot but they seem to have recognised this by chamfering the case in at the rear. Another disappointment on the new bike is the HUGE! exhaust shield, its like a dustbin lid and the the box for the carbon?? filter at the front left of the engine, surely they could have done a better job of hiding that away. Overall I prefer the build quality of the new bike but slightly prefer the looks of the old (just my personal preference of course). Ride / Handling 2012 - 7, DVT - 9 Ducati have made a great handling bike even better in my opinion, the main area of progress is the front end. I sometimes find the 2012 a little flighty and prone to push wide the DVT feels totally planted on the front but without loosing any of the fun or chuck ability, I also like the fact that there are no fork rattles that some of the earlier bike can suffer from. In the wet I had more confidence in the front end than the older bike. Did not notice a massive difference in ride at higher speed but there was a noticeable difference at lower speed but again, this may be a perception thing from the slightly rattly forks on the earlier bike Comfort 2012 - 9, DVT - 8 At last something that I think my earlier bike is better at . I don't like the seat, tends to throw you too far forward and I seemed to move forward and aft too much in it. Also don't think the saddle would be as comfortable on a long journey. I also felt my legs were more cramped, might be my imagination but I just did not feel as comfortable on the new bike. Not that the DVT is uncomfortable, I have a 1999 fire blade as a bit of a collectors item and I did 300 miles on it yesterday and I am still suffering today. Compared with the blade the DVT is like a comfy arm chair. Brakes 2012 - 5, DVT - 8 Having a back brake helps with the confidence in riding the bike no end, I had forgotten on how much I used to use the back brake to calm things down if I went a little hot into a bend. Also great for controlling the bike at low speed. Front brake did not really have any more power than the 2012 but there was more feel and less lever travel to implement that power. One thing I did not like about the new bike though was the vibrations in the front brake reservoir, I would not be surprised if that becomes a future fix from Ducati at some point in time Other things Like the fact that Ducati have put a power point up front (where it should be). Never got a chance to test the lights but I can image they are very impressive. Still possible for the centre stand to get in the way of your Left boot if you are riding on the balls of your boots. MPG started out poor but then seemed to get better and better. I would say it would likely be a small improvement over the old bike but only time (and Fuelly) will tell. There was no luggage on the bike I tested so cannot comment. Why oh why have they not made a wireless fuel filler cap standard...come on Ducati. All in all, anyone who has put a deposit down or already received the new bike will have a cracking piece of kit. For me, its just not better enough for me to stump up £6K to change, now if it was just a couple of grand to change then that might be a different matter all together,
The wireless filler cap was widely panned when introduced. From those who said its not necessary to those who were stuck at the filling station. It looked like they weren't going to carry on with it as it didn't make the accessories list initially. I told my dealer its a MUST-HAVE and thankfully it appeared a week later. Had mine transferred over from old bike. Love it.
Cracking write up Halflife! I've had only a short ride on the new DVT and absolutely agree with the vast majority your assessment, especially your views of the engine. I thought it felt soulless and almost Honda like in its lack of character. I've a CJS tuned 2012 S so the low down roughness is a thing of the past. It's great round town so the advantages of the DVT low down smoothness are less noticeable. I resolved to keep my money in my pocket for the time being until the early takers have revealed the teething problems and tried a decat and CJS tune.
I am heading out to try one soon. The ONLY reason is the seat height. My MY14 is perfectly good at everything I need otherwise. 6k for a lower seat?! Erm...
I noticed that black cube thingy, dangling in mid-air on the left hand side of the engine - horrible looking thing, what were they thinking? Perhaps someone will come up with a carbon/body coloured cover for it?
Can't it be removed? It's only there to help meet EU emission standards I agree it looks bloody awful!
Test riding a GS tomorrow, don't hold it against me I just want to see why they sell so many. Then booked a ride on the new r1200 rs. Should be interesting
Then try the S1000XR please I'll be in the market for a road bike soon and it will be the XR, GS or the Multi DVT. Keep us posted please.
Every manufacturer and every model have their design philosophies with their own compromises. They are all brilliant bikes in their own right. At the end of the day, its whether you can get on with it. Whether its seating position, engine character, type of riding you do etc. Even people of the same height and build may differ with the same bike. Some compromises can be dealt with easily. Eg the poor suspension of the otherwise MT-09 can be sorted out with aftermarket upgrades for less than £1k. Others you can't. Reading about them is one thing, most important ting is to understand the type of rider you are, and test till your hearts content.
