Had a panigale two years the biggest pile of unreliable turd going. Put 10k miles on it and had numerous issues every 2-3 months, suspension failures front and back, new engine etc etc So I traded it in and purchased a RSV4, thing is my type of riding doesnt really suit sportsbikes to be honest and I am starting to find them uncomfortable and annoying. Also I want a bike that can happily take 25-30k miles on it over 5 years and not bat an eyelid rather than have dealers suck their teeth and hand over the KY So I test rode a KTM 1190 adventure and was really surprised how comfortable, fast it was and reckon this type of bike is the way to go for the riding I do. I need to test ride a Multi but am worried that my experience will be similar to before and will end up wanting to throw it off a cliff. For those that have Multi - did any of you try out alternative bikes and what did they think and I suppose any regrets going down the Ducati route? Cheers Kwack
What that man said! To be fair, they all have their problems. Keep your fingers crossed for a good un! I have an RSV4 and the more I ride the Mutley the more I think about selling the Ape. It can take me touring. Goes like stink when pinned open and is comfortable (ish). But it has the trip reset issue and fuel sender and silver panniers! I do miss a QS when gunning it.
Fingers Crossed is what is needed but it shouldnt have to be like that. It was extremely disappointing to have a dream bike "Ducati Panigale" be such a disaster hence my reluctance in buying another Ducati. Will test ride a Multi at some point and see what I think
Go ride them all, just remember though a test ride is never going to really tell you about a bike over the long term. I do think Ducat have improved with reliability, and service costings over the last few years. I Have done 12k Miles on my 63 plate touring S, great bike very comfortable, no issues bar a few very minor, never let me down, broke down nor could I never ride it. I have done nearly 4k Miles on my DVT S again better all round bike for touring, so far only had ECU updates, another great bike very different than the 63 Plate, more touring orientated, just got back from a ride in the Rain, very relaxed and smooth always feel in control with a huge variations of settings to adapt. I do think some people expect too much I know it is an expensive bike, (too expensive in my books) and we all look for different things, for me personally it is about the bike, handling, reliability, and cost to run, I do not really care too much over the looks, a few bolts coming loose and becoming furry looking, People who clean/touch their screens every 5 minutes and then complain about scratches etc. and so on. I have had extensive Rides on GS's and the Last one LC TE great bike and was so close to getting it over the MS, but its overall size put me off being short. (Being Short does restrict options which for me a DVT was a no brainer upgrade) There are some great touring / sports bikes out atm, and a few more on the horizon, it is a tough call now days
get the DVT 2016 model hopefully any issues will have been ironed out. i have 2014 multi done 5,000 mile touch wood nothings gone wrong at all ..and in sports mode it is special i have had a 06 blade and a first gen r1 this is easily as fast
I test rode a load of bikes before deciding on the Multistrada and the only one that was a real challenge for my hard earned was a KTM, not an Adventure, but a 1290 Superduke....such a good bike, but not as practical as the MS.
I did the same - I tried all sorts before settling on the Multistrada. The most reliable bike I've ever had was my Yamaha Super Tenere which I sold to get the Multistrada. Long legged, relaxed, super comfy, it just went and went. But it wasn't very exciting. The least reliable bike I've ever had was a BMW R1200GS. It had 2 gearboxes, a final drive, brake issues, new rear frame etc etc etc. Absolute garbage. I had a KTM 950 Adventure and a 950 Supermoto. Both excellent, minimal problems except the SM being tricky to start (carbs). My Aprilia RSV only needed a new slave cylinder. The 1290 Super Adventure is amazing, but doesn't handle as well as the Multistrada. It feels very big as well. If you want revving flat four style the BMW S1000XR is worth a try, as is the GS which is a bit asthmatic at high revs v the Multistrada, but don't get taken in by the image of BMW quality - they build their bikes down to the lowest possible cost IMHO. My pal has just had a new engine in his WC GS due to corrosion.
Deffo dont want an inline Four again - just so characterless. Tobers - the experience you had with the BMW is exactly what I had with the Panigale - new clocks, engine, forks, rear shock, exhausts all in 10k miles and two years ownership. That in anyones mind is pretty bad!! What is drawing me to the Ducati is the excellent dealers I used, customer service etc. Only thing is the trade in values I have been quoted on my RSV4 from a Ducati Dealer is at least 1500 less than a KTM dealer, so maybe thats my answer!!
My pal has just rejected his 13 GSA at 14k miles, due to 'really' noisy engine problems, which they wanted to tear down and experiment with this, that and t'other (but didn't know what was wrong with it) - got a brand new one off them at a heavily discounted price. Ducati no worse than others IMHO - the days of bullet proof (mostly Jap) bikes ended 10-15 years ago, I think?
Visordown published a bike brand 3yr reliability survey recently. Yamaha were the best with 11% failure rate; Ducati, Triumph and Harley were in the 20's range and BMW were at the bottom with 40%! I've had a Harley for 14yrs\40,000 miles with almost no problems but quite a few of my friends had had recent BMW GS bikes with loads of trouble. I've only done 5,000 on my Monster 1100evo in 1yr but no problems (considering a Diavel next). After 42yrs biking I've come to the conclusion that a reliable bike is mostly down to an informed choice, backed up by routine servicing and a big chunk of luck...
Hi Kwack Just wrecked my '14 KTM 1190 two weeks ago. Faulty Continental TKC-70 on the front. Long story. Wanted to write to tell you that I owned a Diavel for a few years then decided to go the big adventure bike route. Rode everything and decided on the 1190. As you said, fast and great electronics for the money. But I had more glitches on the KTM platform than I ever did on the Ducati. I regretted not getting a Multistrada. Now that I'm totaling the KTM, I'm headed back home to Ducati. Be aware that the KTM is not as stable and planted at high speeds. If reliability is your top priority, I agree with others here that you should look at BMW. If performance (especially above 100mph) is important, Ducati. If off road is the priority, consider KTM but be aware that you'll need to sink some $$ in to the bike right off the showroom floor to make it what you think it should be not just off road, but in general (air filter mod, steering damper upgrade, fuel filler filter, just to name a few). My opinion for you. Best, Zolo
My GS WC also looked like this because it had to have a new engine due to a porous crankcase, then I rejected it and returned the bag of shite for a refund, this was the second GS WC bike BMW had exchanged the first one tried to kill me [emoji35] 70% of BMW components now come from China ! Have a go on one of these, fooking brill, monster of an engine and the suspension is as good if not better then the skyhook.
