I'd agree that the electronic suspension is a luxury and probably not worth the money in my case, which is why i would go for a std ABS bike. Don't all the base models now have ABS as standard?
I have had 4 BMW1200 GS's, not a problem with any of them. I wanted a change and bought the Touring model 3 months ago, I am not a high mileage rider but the Multi is fantastic, much more enjoable to ride. Back brake OK, beautiful colour (red of course) not missed a beat.. Do not regret buying the Ducati one bit. Lighter and more managable than the GS.
Seems to me that the more Ducatis have come to rely on electronics, the more reliable they've become. Italian electrics are not the joke they used to be.
I love my Mutley, its a fantastic bike HOWEVER, and the same applies to ANY vehicle you choose to invest a lot of dosh in, its got to be right. There will always be problems with a new products that have to be ironed out and the reason for the relentless moaning is that lots of owners are finding the same "issues". Some, following a fix, are seeing a return of the problem. This is for the manufacturer to sort and its kind of nice to find out that when a problem crops up your not suffering alone, Just that at the moment the Mutley has a lot of irritatating little problems that owners are trying to get sorted before the end of the warranty period! Me, Ill go back to sitting and watching the chrome flaking off my Marazocchi front forks!
No. I live on the edge of the Lake District and the road quality varies a lot. Sport mode generally and smooth road in particular, Touring for well touring, Urban when travelling through towns to soften throttle response and Enduro when going over Hardknot and Honister :wink:.
The Ohlins are top notch and stepper motors are not expensive. There is risk in anything we do. The base Multistrada is, well, not really a Multistrada
I am new to the brand of Ducati and also have learnt to take these many reports of the many failures with the bike with a pinch of salt. As someone has stated earlier, there are thousands of MTS out there that run fine and have no problems at all, but the many forums that now exist and ease of which people can get a comment or message to the wider community is far easier and more instant, hence a few negative comments suddenly seem like an epidemic. Did I look at the threads about peoples woes and misfortune about their bikes? Yes, did it influence my decision to buy or not buy a Multistrada, not a f*cking chance!
I believe the ABS model has Ducati and Multistrada written on the bike, I therefore assume it is a Ducati Multistrada or am I missing something here?
I still say that for a few hundred pounds spent with a decent suspension specialist, you could get the base model suspension to work at least as well, if not better than the Ohlins stuff. Fortunately i know of just such a place.
But would it work best on smooth roads, touring, through towns or over Hardknott and Honister passes ??
If you are worried about the reliablity then I think the electronics and suspension should be the least of your worries really, because, they are, basically, not made by Ducati :biggrin: My biggest concern are the bits made by Ducati such as the gearbox. :wink: regarding base model versus the S, if you want to buy new today then dealers do not seem to be able to get supply of the base ABS model but S models are plentiful in supply.
Yes. Next! :biggrin: Which is ironic as when I bought mine (summer 2010) it was the other way round. It was about 4 months wait for a S model, or 2-3 weeks for the ABS.
Well if they want me to buy an S model they will have to knock £3k off the price. :biggrin: And yes well damped and well set up suspension should be able to tackle most tasks you ask of it on the road. I was shocked at how good the Showa forks are on my 748 once i had had them revalved and rebuilt. Better than the Ohlins i had on my Tuono Factory IMHO.
I agree that the base model is probably the better buy for 90% of the time. When I ordered in 2010, there was no sign of my base bike turning up, so I opted for an Sport S that the dealer had in stock. My Ohlins control unit failed a few months back and 5,000 miles later (luckily stuck in Sport mode), it is going in next Wednesday for repair, thankfully under extended warranty, as I understand the ECU costs £800! The point is, I have got used to not having the adjustment and frankly don't miss it. It just adds an extra nervousness about keeping the bike long term, which I intended to do (at least 9 years and 50-70k miles etc), after the 3rd year warranty runs out? Don't know if the above makes me a whiner or not - answers on a postcard please?
