2013 in Spain

A few comments on my 2013 MTS Touring after a 2000 mile trip to Spain.

On my way to the ferry, I nearly missed the holiday due to a leak from the left fork leg, but due to the excellent service by Steve at GT (http://ducatiforum.co.uk/f6/brilliant-service-plymouth-11150/) rebooked and caught the next one.

From then on the bike was brilliant, mainly ridden two up. Comfortable for 250 – 430 miles and averaged around 51mpg with mixed riding. (I used to get around 45mpg on my 2011 MTS in similar circumstances). The fuel consumption indicated by the computer now seems to be accurate to within 2mpg. However, I think the range is probably more than indicated – my colleague on a 2010 MTS did one refuel after 230 miles, and he doesn’t hang about. He had one mile in reserve when he found petrol and filled with 19.8 litres! I was normally filling up with around 15-16 litres after 160-170 miles.

Over the week the bike ran very well, suspension was excellent and the different modes were used on the different surfaces encountered in Spain. Mostly I was in Urban with the engine reset to 150bhp touring, or touring when motoring fast. Enduro for the bumpy roads worked very well.

My colleague on the 2010 started out with a partly worn Michelin PR3, which punctured with a small screw, but we were able to get this repaired by an excellent Yamaha mechanic after I lent him my rear wheel socket. The 55mm nut was stuck tight and the mechanic broke his ½ inch male socket trying to undo it. He eventually managed to turn the nut a little using a hammer and rod, after which the socket and extended lever worked with a lot of effort.
PR3s can be repaired due to their all rubber construction but the wheel needs removed to do this as the permanent plug is different to a temporary one and needs fitted from the inside. Interestingly last year I had a puncture with a small stone in a PR3, but the temporary plug got me home after another thousand miles (ahem).

His tyre went from fairly worn to finished within a few hundred miles, so useful to watch out for this when planning.
The clutch lever became a little soft over the trip and tonight I bled the nipple at the lever with around 5 pulls and removed some air bubbles, which returned the clutch to normal. The same happened to me with the 2011 bike, not sure why. Clutch was fine functionally though.

On any road the bike is brilliant – luggage works well, comfortable and when it comes to the twisties, of which there are many, it is just brilliant fun.

The major differences between the 2011 and the 2013? The engine is now smoother at low revs, which is good in town and the Airhook suspension better for 2 up compared with the original Ohlins spring. However the Ohlins set up is great too, as was the standard bike I tested. You make your choice, but in reality they all work well.

There were some engine vibrations that I was aware of through the right handlebar, mainly when chasing through the twisties and using gears 2, 3 and 4 repetitively. Never a problem, but noticeable on my bike under those settings.

Gearchange was very good, but if the lever was not pushed the full way, the odd false neutral can be encountered going down through the box. After I changed my technique a little, there was no problem.

Apart from my mate's bike, we didn’t see any other MTS on the ferry or in Spain, but wandering around the queues, I thought it looked a handsome machine compared to the others - but I guess I am biased!

Iain