After a week running in an 1199, (it will be the Dealer Demo Bike) I am glad to get back on my Multi that has now been fixed (New Ohlins front fork seals after 23k miles on the Multi). The 1199 was an ABS Standard model - no fancy electronic suspension system but manually adjustable front and rear. It still does have the 3 modes, Wet 120HP with lots of DTC, Sport 195HP with less DTC, Race 195HP fast throttle and even lower DTC. For Wet mode read traffic mode! What would I want on the next Multi from the 1199. The front braking system which is amazing, great feel, very responsive and immense stopping power, Pirelli Super Corsa's help. Even the rear brake is pretty good for a Ducati. DQS and gearbox (Ducati Quick Shifter), the DGS is very good once you get the hang of holding the throttle in steady acceleration and then letting the DQS do the work for you. The Gearbox is more refined that the Multi feels very quick and not as "agricultural" as the Multi but will it last? Clutch is very light and has a very short action. The Stability and handling, the new "frame" makes it feels very stable at all speeds in all situations, you can even do slow riding perfectly on it. In corners it is a case of look where you want to go and the bike just tracks round with no problems at all. The coloured Dash is great. The front LED lights are terrific and cars / other vehicles do notice them. What I don't want. The suspension - It is not a comfortable long distance bike! It is track / race bike, the suspension is very hard and the poor road surfaces in the UK make for an uncomfortable ride, the bike stays stable but you get a very firm ride. Not a criticism as the bike is what it is - a Hyper Sports Bike. Saying that the riding position is pretty good and not at all uncomfortable on smooth roads. The engine - The Superquadro engine is a race engine, very responsive and a little jerky at low revs in traffic (it is not designed for that) but once above 50mph it is lovely, lots of power but less torque that the Multi at low rpm. It is best to use wet mode for any kind of traffic / urban riding then switch to sport once the road clears. The engine also runs very hot and will grill both legs if it is stationary for very long. Once it had done the 620miles then you get more revs and then the power and the noise is pure Ducati. If it was detuned then it could make it into the next Multi - but why? We have to wait and see what Ducati drag out of the parts bin whenever they update the Mutley!
Panigale calipers should be transferable, but won't be cheap. I've fitted a set of M4 monoblocks which made a big difference.
Hi Doodle, why the M4s? Did you look at others also? How big the difference and does it affect the ABS? I fancy some better brakes but am going to try pads first, but if they dont improve things then I may look for blocks. When I tried the 1098 before getting the Multi I was blown away by the brakes, awesome they were. But £600 is a lot to spend!! Cheers.
Combination of reasons really. Partly because they fell in my lap for £300, and also anything further up the Brembo range was really too much to justify. Plus they're still "off the shelf Ducati" so to speak, and I'd used them before on the Diavel.
My wish list (in no particular order): Waterproof integrated colour touch screen display (maybe based on an Android tablet) with built in sat nav with wifi, bluetooth and USB port for uploading music, routes, suspension settings etc. with user-customisable sensor/read out display (a la Nissan GTR). Shaft drive. I could live with a 10-15kg mass increase. A centre stand that doesn't get in the way when you put the balls of your feet on the pegs. We shouldn't have to modify a brand new bike. A pre-defined comfort suspension mode (a la BMW R1200RT's) for use on long rides. Much quicker 'long' presses to change modes. I'm sure I'd use modes more if they didn't take so long to activate. Perhaps even a speed-based auto selection choice or throttle acceleration sensor activated eg. you whack the throttle open and it applies Sport mode for you. You're doing 30mph for a little while and it applies Urban mode etc. More comfortable standard seating. It's not bad but I could hustle my RT even with its ultra-comfortable seat. A slightly bigger screen as standard, with electronic controls. A Buell-style mass-centralised exhaust. Slightly bigger hand guards to keep cold air off your hands better. Indicator repeaters built into the mirrors as standard. Hazard lights. A red line indicator. I still have no idea where the red line is. A lockable, water-tight cubby hole in the fairing big enough to put a phone and wallet in. Electronic fuel filler cap as standard (with emergency key release). An extra couple of power sockets for accessories. Make it totally road-biased and slightly less tall and do away with the Enduro mode. 2 or 4 litre bigger fuel tank. Do away with the awful OEM Pirellis and fit sport touring tyres as standard eg. PR3s, Road Smart 2s etc. and offer a zero cost choice of something sportier instead eg. Sport Smarts. Comfier and thicker bar grips as standard. Grip Puppies are on order. Slightly higher bars/slightly more towards the rider. An inch for both ought to do it. Tyre pressure sensors. Braided brake and clutch hoses and a much, much better back brake. Maybe monoblock brakes. RT brakes are insanely good (they need to be). A lower fairing to keep the road crap off and make cleaning easier, and also to keep some of the weather/wind strain off your legs. This is all from the perspective of a 12k+ miles a year, all weather UK commuter/tourer/occasional track day rider. I came from an RT and wasn't afraid to throw it around on the twisties (it's sooooo much better than it looks) - and while the Multi is a much 'better' bike (love the engine, handling and riding position), there's a lot of easy-to-change stuff I'm missing already from the BMW that could take the Multi from being 'fantastic' to 'phenomenal'.
Agree with much of what Jim (Mac) wrote as we have chatted about this topic. Not sure I'm concerned about needing shaft drive. Never had it before so don't miss it. I'd like the bike to cope better with a drop, the water hose / pump is a bit vulnerable. Also, being really honest, I reckon the 848 SF engine would be more than big enough, but I doubt that it would save a big pile of cash over the manufacturing costs of the 1200. Maybe a suspension drop button on the bars that could help me load a pillion. Getting them off isn't so bad as the suspension is compressed by their weight. Agree the UI on things like setting the clock are crap. Very unintuitive. A super economy mode / comfort mode designed for motorways, and an electronic screen adjustment would be nice too. And a trackday quiet guarantee mode would be good. Looks like the 1199 Pan could do with that too.
It will be interesting to see what the planned 848 Hypermotard Touring/Multistrada offspring looks like at the end of the year. It could just be the next bike for me.
Shaft drive? It would attract BMW owners, but the extra unsprung weight would dent one of Ducati's best selling points, the thoroughbred handling. I think they would have to produce two alternative versions, shaft and chain, and just see which one sells best.
Having just got home from a night time ride, I'd like auto dimming clocks, and auto or at least electric light beam adjustment.
Colour LCD like the Pani. Road tyres as std. A re-designed full Termi using that sweet stubby as an option. Oh, and self-cancelling indicators that work. Nothing else.
