A 2013 Multistrada PP in the wild. Second impressions are the same as the first. It is a different bike and boy have I made the right decision. You could waffle on about the subtle changes and electronics package on this bike forever but to me three changes make this an even better bike than its predecessors and worth trading up too. The engine is much smoother and makes riding through city traffic a doodle. You can hold 60kph in fourth gear, and accelerate smoothly away, gone is the constant changing between 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and 4[SUP]th[/SUP] to keep the revs up. This makes it much easier to stay on a constant speed and avoid speeding tickets. The rev counter no longer hunts up and down at slow speeds and I imagine all this will be even better when the bike is run in. A lot of time is spent doodling around towns even when on a trip. The suspension and brakes are totally non-intrusive, and work beautifully together to a point where you don’t have to think about the nose diving under heavy braking and juggling the front brake pressure against the old crap rear brake on any given surface or situation. It all just happens seamlessly and with all this you still have a good sense of the road surface under you. The finish on the bike is much improved. Everything fits precisely, the instrument panel doesn't shake itself to death in the cockpit, the tail light assembly is mounted correctly, the paint finish is brilliant and the wiring loom hidden and secured…good grief this could be a Honda. All in all this has to be the best sports touring bike on the planet. Go for a test ride, you will start saving immediately.
Very nice, but unfortunately (for me) they have persevered with that silly big nut on the back wheel and to a lesser extent, the chain drive. Both things take the shine off the "best sports touring bike on the planet" Moniker IMHO? Funnily enough the other issues you raised, such as lumpy engine, back brake, wiring, clocks, finish etc etc have never detracted from my enjoyment of the bike. Even my current issue of having "water soluble" cylinder heads hasn't ruined my relationship with my 2010. Notwithstanding any of the above, a depreciation of about 8 grand on mine in just over 2 years will also stop me from placing an order.
Hi Tripletrouble I am in the UK (Cheshire). I got £11000 for my bike (S with all the touring bits with 11000 miles on the clock) plus free 'on the road' charges plus free swap over of top box mounting, rad guards, scottoiler private plate and satnav mount. At 18000 miles (end of this year) my bike would have been worth £3500 less. I will hand over £4000 but against that also saved the cost of the 15000 mile service and chain + sprockets. I was happy with the deal.
Earliest delivery if ordered now - must be selling like hot cakes! At least that is the situation at Manchester. I have a TDM 900 to ride in the meantime, a pretty competent mini multi.
I pick up my 848 Evo Corse on 1st March.....its been sitting in the dealership since January.........can't wait!
I'm on the verge of buying the Monster 696 in white, dealer says he has on in stock that i can get on the road next week, test riding it on sunday.
Hi, for what its worth I was told that the 796 is a much better bike if you can run to it. The significant increase in power and torque comes in at much lower revs and the rear sprocket is 6 teeth smaller to give more relaxed cruising. Especially useful if you intend to go on motorways at all. Also the single sided swing arm of the 796 plus 5 spoke wheels looks the business. The 696 has the 'old fashioned' swing arm and three spokers. The 796 is just two kg heavier, has a wider rear tyre, different exhaust and the seat height 30mm higher. The rest is about the same on both bikes. I would test ride them both before deciding. No need to rush into it as there are plenty of each coming up for sale. Good luck. Whatever you decide they are both great bikes.
There's a Long Term Test Report on a 2013 Multi in MCN this week. Didn't get off to a good start with a misfire..... The KTM1190 Adventure is also tested but not in any detail. Could be the 1st serious challenger to the Mutley's crown?
Just been informed my PP is built and should be on its way soon. Possible arrival date the end of this month / early march!
I took my 2013 MTS up the freeway early this morning to test the new screen for turbulence and noise. I used a Neotec shoei helmet and had no ear plugs so I could assess the noise level. Firstly, I found no turbulence over the screen to bounce the head around and minimal pressure on the body. I ran my hand across the top of the screen and found at least 90 per cent of the air flow went off to the left and right of the screen and only 10 per cent over the centre of the screen. Felt around the cut outs on the bottom of screen, and found no great volume of air directed at your body. I was thinking this was pretty impressive when I hit a foggy stretch of the freeway, slowed down a little and watched as condensation formed on the outside of the screen. Coming out of the fog I watched the condensation disappear from the screen and it demonstrated clearly how the screen designers had shaped the new screen. Referring to the first and third pictures, the new surfaces at the top left and right of the screen and the new surfaces on the left and right side/bottom of the screen were the first to clear. The inverted V section in the centre of the screen was the last area to clear, and by a long way. Not believing what I was seeing I put my hand over the front of the screen to make sure the condensation had not formed on the inside of the screen, and wiped the remaining moisture away. I thought this was a perfect example showing how the air was flowing over the screen, explained the lack of turbulence over the top of the screen and validated what I had felt by passing my hand over the top of the screen. Referring to the second picture, it wasn’t until I got home and closely examined the front of the bike that I realise how Ducati had changed the airflow over the beak and through the cut outs at the bottom of the screen. Above each head light is a slot where a lot of the air that must have passed through the cut outs and over the top of the cockpit fairing on the earlier models is now trapped and passed via the slot to the vents in the cockpit. I thought, Jeez Ducati have put some effort in to resolving this issue. The third picture shows the new surfaces on the screen, particularly the inverted V bulge. Moving on to the noise levels associated with the screen. Firstly I expect to hear wind noise on a motorbike but not to be sent deaf by the pitch of the noise. Yes, there was wind noise which I found to be louder the higher the screen was set but of no concern over the two hours I was on the bike. I am six foot and preferred the screen at its lowest setting. Of course ear plugs would make it all much quieter. I could not use the standard screen on my old bike because the noise/turbulent mix caused an intolerable pain in my ears within minutes of getting out on the open road. I could easily tour with this screen. I think Ducati have thought long and hard about this issue and come up with a proper solution. The noise test turned into a test of my helmet. When I dipped my head I heard a whistling sound that I thought was coming from the screen. It turned out to be the vent on top of the helmet. The Neotec being a touring helmet has been designed to work best when it is level. If I lifted by chin or pulled the visor out one notch, the whistle disappeared. Unfortunately the visor slammed shut at 120klm so it was heads up from there on. With the improved low down performance, better fuelling and hugely improved screen you will never hear me whinging about my bike.
I just re read the post and wanted to clear up what might be confusing point. The point of the V was at the centre of the top of the screen when the condensation was clearing and the base half way down the screen showing the centre of the screen was getting the least airflow. The physical bulge in the screen is the other way round, the magic of aerodynamics.
Hi Mate Thanks for interesting post. Just a point on your helmet, I too have a Shoei Neotec which had the same problem with a whistle from the top vent. Early models still let in a small amount of air with the top vent fully shut, hence the whistle. Take it back to your local dealer who will fit a modded vent for free that cures the problem. Cheers
I was hoping to retrofit the 2013 screen to my 2012 S Touring but the vent in the frame (photo 2) does not look like it will be easy to retrofit, I wonder how important that part is to the improvements?
I dont think so, for starters, the old screen has three attachment points the new one 4 I would be interested to see how much effect the fairing slots have, some, I know, otherwise Ducati wouldn't have put them there, but exactly how much remains to be seen. If someone clever in engineering could design an adapter plate, that would be a possible starter for 10.
