Morning all, well, a few weeks back me and my best mate went over to Italia Moto Lincoln for an afternoon of test rides, cutting a long story short we took out a Multi 1200 S & SF 848 for the afternoon. now I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed both bikes immensely and especially as I have a sportsbike for the track for next year I'm torn between a few Ducatis of the sit up variety. now I'm probably leaning more towards a SF or Hyper, the latter actually appealing to me more as I really do like the upright Moto position and I'm just waiting to see if this new 2013 variant looks any good before I take the plunge either way. Not too fussed about tank range as filling up isn't a chore to me and I just want a fun hooning bike for the road. however, my mate (and rightly so) is bowled over by the multi and nothing will change that, I've gotta admit I loved it too. BUT for somebody who doesn't commute and only does a couple of random tours a year I'm sitting here wondering if he's just being too 'Mr sensible' or does he have a point? dont get me wrong, 150bhp engine and here's me only looking at a bike with 100bhp max (hyper) but is the stigma attached to such touring bikes angled towards slightly older gents or are we hitting that stage already? I mean I'm 35.....he's 36, we still both like track days etc but me personally I just can't see my only other road bike being a multi........i dont mean to be ageist, I'm just struggling with the idea of being only 35 (36 in his case) and happily bombing around on the multi as your only road going steed. does this make sense? I guess I'm asking at what age do you reckon you can get away with only owning a multi without seeming too sensible.... I mean a bikes a bike right?
Im 40 and testrode a Multi & a 848 SF back in September? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold air is denser than warm air. A crude form of turbocharging, closer packed oxygen molecules mean more bang per boom, more wallop per throatful. Carbi Doocat gulped in huge mouthfuls of fresh morning air as it BOOMED its way across the Wiltshire plains, Bristol its goal with the promise of a free warehouse whorehouse of spankers new Doocats, dripping with technimizzle & semi-electric whipdown valves. Bring it. I turned up in good time, parked up - and walked over to sign in and on for the demo rides? Last time I was a Panigale's Bitch - hooting and giggling in an adrenaline-fused hypermist as the front wheel pitterpattered its way SURGING ever onwards! This time I wanted the Scarlet Mistress with the long legs, Ms.Multistrada... I had eyed her before, walked round, squeezed and twisted, got on top and dry-humped, getting a feel for what could only be a very perfect roadbike? Upright riding position, wide bars, tall screen, even a good pillion seat?? I showed both paper & card licences & a credit card and awaited lift-off... Bizarre keyless system? Key stays in your pocket? Saves you leaving it in the bike I suppose... I slung a leg over - a complicated knee injury meant a semi-awkward mount? The seat-height is good for me (can't touch the floor on the Hyper, am 5'10"??) but you have to conquer a high pillion seat to drop down into the "U" that is the riders seat? Hold the killswitch toggle cover down, the bike boots up. Wait for it to finish jibbling, then flip it back up and press the start button underneath... Burbled into life... the two exhausts are in the throttle side, behind your foot, sometimes the exhaust sounded distant, almost as if it was in another room?? The clutch is weird. Am used to a dry clutch - the Multi has what I can only describe as a motocross-bike clutch? VERY light, very short travel, very little feel? Got used to it in the end, but at the start I was "feeling" the clutch bite by feeling the bike move forward, not by any feedback through the lever? Footrests are short & rounded - admittedly had little rubber daps in the middle but could have done with feeling a little more planted footwise? Screen was NOISY at speed? Could have been cured by moving it around (two adjustment wheels either side), I refrained from doing this as: A) I had no idea how it would move adjustment-wise, and B) I didn't want the frickin' thing to fall off and cartwheel down the road, possibly taking out the 848 behind me? :biggrin: Brakes? Superb! Handling? Once you had got over the strangeness of being sat bolt-upright really quite good! Did feel like riding a horse with the elevated riding position... Buzzed through the throttle grip? Could maybe be cured with some heavy bar ends rather than the plastic standard ones? Held its own on the straights! Quite composed really? Not as "tight" as a sportsbike, but if thats what you want - buy a sportsbike! Got back and chatted, comparing bikes? The next lot were ready to go out? I was half-decided about the Diavel? Top looking bike, but the footrests are in a strange place? I recently took my mates Yamaha XV1200 Dragstar for its MOT recently, that had full-blown forward footrest's & I could'nt find them when I had moved off? Brapping along waving my legs in the air like some whore-esque Can-Can dancer?? Was there a bike spare I asked? Yes - the 848 Streetfighter... I had sat on it five minutes before & was curious as to how I would take to the straight bars etc? Quickly signed the form, got the keys and slung a leg over. Key in, flip the cover down, little LCD panel lit up, pressed the start button and: Nothing. In time-honoured electrickle confuzment fashion I turned it off and on again on the key. In the meantime eveybody else had started and moved down to the gate to leave?? Fkfkfk. One of the staff noticed my confuzment and came over? "Its not in neutral" "Ah!" *click* Bike starts, and I move off to catch the rest of them. TINY bike! Bizarre not having ANY fairing in front of you, just a little LCD pod? VERY sharp steering! LOVED it... turn in and it turns! Need a little more? Tip it in... Both my carby and the Multi have the typical slow, predictable cornering of a bike with a front-pot sat just behind the front wheel? The little streetfighter RAILED like my 400/4, a trait I approved of. Bad stuff? No fairing means you get windblast at speed - not too hectic today as the weather was PERFECT - not too hot, not too cold, dry roads, and blazing sunshine! The middle of January would see your knees, feet and chest soon get v.cold.com. This - is a bit of a pisser... I spent a lot of the rest of the rideout thinking if there was a niche for a half-faired Streetfighter, inbetween the 848 proper and the 'fighter? This in itself was an indicator of how easy the bike was to get on with? Midrange - was a bit of a letdown... to be fair I am used to the midrange armpull of my SS, which in itself is all midrange, with nowt near the redline? However... kept open the top-end on the 'Fighter was AWESOME! Just took off like an IL4? I have always preferred a good midrange for road use, a searing top-end will get you and your licence into trouble as in true speed-junkie fashion you keep it TAPPED through the rest of the gears, end up doing 100++ and then get caught. Got back and switched it off. A LOVELY bike! I'm not keen on the looks & would rather maybe they cleaned the engine up a little if it was going to be on show? But thats just me. Mi carbi: El Filthmiester Tricolore Pani: £25K! Bummed I didnt get pics of the stunning Alice Desmosedici that was on show when I turned up, but disappeared later? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quite liked both of them! If you want a weekend toy, get the SF, if you want to go touring or take a pillion, get the 1200.... I would recommend taking out the 1100 Monster as well?
Only 31 and totally in love with my Multi! Suffered several sports bikes over the last few years only to realize my 6ft4 frame would be much happier on something bigger. Tried a BMW Gs1200Adv, loved the size, comfort and go anywhere ability but couldn't deal with the image and lack of grunt. The multi ticks all the boxes. Looks amazing, massively fast on the road, able to hold its own on a track day, comfortable and great attention to detail.
For me the problem with small tank ranges isnt just the filling up but often needing to work out your next petrol point which if trying new routes can be an added distraction. Whats the range on a hyper, about 70 miles i coulnt be arsed 50 miles in having to plan my next fuel stop. If your mate gets a multi he can do the big euro tour with ease, it really is likely to increase his options over and above blatting round local a and b roads and he has an 1198 engine to do it all on. Once you have had a bike with a bigger tank range, you really do appreciate what a pain in the ass filling up all the time is. as i get a bit older i cant be bothered with the compromises of a sports bike and hassles planning fuel stops etc so thats why i have a multi. So on that basis maybe there is an age stigma if other people think like me, i am 41. The multi is still a proper sports bike you can add akrapovic, giles etc etc and wear your leathers and not look a tit, try doing that on a triumph explorer!
Perhaps that's why I enjoyed the multi (and love the hyper) as I'm 6ft 4 as well, I must say I wonder if your the youngest multi rider?? What have you gone for, the S ?
Again a good point, I didn't feel out of place on the multi in my sports gear, it defiantly has the legs to keep up with most on the road and I reckon after a while I'd of gotten used to the bulk and had it on its ear a little more. i think the hyper will get you more than 70mile though...... Just about although your right, given the task of a long range euro tour I'd take a multi without question, but other than that I'm just struggling with the concept of it being as much fun as a hyper for enjoyable 'play rides' / 'Sunday blasts'. I'm sure it is, I'm just having to try and recalculate my head that way.
Hehe:biggrin: No, 28 for real. I was actually 27 when i bought the bike. Have loved the MTS 1200 since I first saw it in late 2009. It`s not a cheap or very ordinary bike up here in Norway, so I vouldn`t call it a very sensible bike:tongue: A superbike is`t suitable on our roads, so a suberbike on stilts, is perfect for me
What stigma? I'm nearly 55 and have just bought my first Multi. I have owned Ducatis since 1998 and would never be without one. My son aged 23 would love to get his hands on my Multistrada but has to make do with a Yamaha R6!!
45.. Injury forced me off my 998s. The multistrada is not a compromise, but a serious bit of kit. May be something in the stigma thing as I resisted for a long time, then wished I had changed years before.
Well for me (40), I still enjoy embarrassing sports bike riders of all ages when I blow past and disappear in to the distance....they never get close enough to know my age !!!!:tongue: I've had my blades,R1s, gixxers etc and can't imagine ever getting one again.
Stigma ? Older gents are just at a different stage of the journey. And we tend to not give a damn what young whipersnappers think.
I think you should take the Diavel out for a spin. I have had spins on Multi, SF (the big one), Diavel and Hyper. I liked the Diavel best. Just a low stress bike that can seriously scratch if you have a mind too. The bit of the Multi that annoyed me was the windblast which seem to negate the whole point of the "stay in the saddle for days" idea. Made me think of the 906 Paso and how they solved the problem on the 907ie. Of course, you might think a Diavel looks like something my dog leaves for me in the kitchen on some mornings. I'm not bowled over by the looks, but to ride, it's just such a laugh. I found the SF overly rabid and skittish, and the Hyper just massively impractical. But as for stigma? I couldn't care less - and of course neither could anyone else. I could expect to buy a Multi one day though, as for real world biking it's probably great. But I just don't much like to be perched up on high; makes cornering very unnatural for me.
I don't understand all this stuff about windblast. It has not been a problem for me touring, trackdays or whatever on the Multi. People keep going on about it. Now my previous BMW GS, that had a real problem with windblast and buffeting.
But you're very tall, Pete. Sometimes these things are a matter of centimetres. I really noticed it when I test rode the Multi and it annoyed me. I looked to see if the screen could be fiddled with, which it could, but not having it for long, I couldn't be bothered to mess around with it. From what others have posted, it wouldn't have made much difference if I had.
The screen is very poor and i am 6 2, noisy and buffety , awful. but, aztec spacers were a real god send, no problems anymore.
