It's been a VERY long time since I cocked my leg over one, but the order is in! Had an ST2 back in the day, a Monster and my last was a 749 which was written off after a non fault fall on the ferry. Went into the murky world of the GS and had a dozen variants, selling my last during 2021 in favour of a Tenere 700 for bimbling about locally. Now,I want to get back to touring, but with a little less weight and a degree of comfort, so the bike which seemed to tick all my current boxes is the Multistrada V2S and the order was placed today, with a potential delivery June/July. Went grey for a change and apart from heated grips and a navigation bracket, I'm determined to resist the farkling and try to enjoy a standard bike. Anything considered essential, assuming I'm comfy and the screen is fine etc - just 'must haves'?
I've got my MS V2s on the 2nd March & it's just had it's running in/oil service. I'm also resisting adding lots of aftermarket parts to this bike as I want to keep it close to standard as you are for touring. I've fitted Evo-Tec oil cooler, radiator & engine guards (fitted these to my last 5 bikes) I've also fitted the Evo-Tec sat nav mount for my Zumo XT which has been wired to the switched live under the left hand fairing panel. I've fitted a givi tank bag ring & Denali sound bomb horn & thats it. I might fit the Evo-Tec hand guards at some point in the future. Just want to put some miles on it now.
My current bike has sooooo many additions and I am going to try REALLY hard to resist. The Ducati nav bracket looks good (will need to buy another Zumo harness as it's going with the current bike) and heated grips are essential in the UK, so I got away with justifying them. Hoping my current tank/rear bag works, or will sell them. Touring will just strap my Mosko 30L bag on the back seat, as I don't ride with a pillion.
I ordered the travel pack with my V2s so have the heated grips. I find them not very warm. I suffer with cold fingers most days unless it's really sunny so I treated myself to some Keis G701s heated gloves. Used with the heated grips my fingers now stay warm. I'd say the oil cooler & rad guards are a must have. Evo-Tec sell them in a pack along with the engine guard so I ordered it and fitted them. If you do fit them you have to take the side panels off. I had a nightmare getting the right hand top black section of the fairing back on so be ready for a struggle with that!!
Thanks. I had a few Evotech bits on my GS, so will probably go that way. The travel pack is a good option if you want the panniers, as you get a centre stand and grips as you know. Are any/all the pannier fittings included and are they a simple on/off?
The panniers come complete and use the ignition key & are very easy to remove & refit. When i do my tour around the welsh coast line later in the year the panniers will be coming off and staying in the hotel rooms with me. Another option to consider is the fog lights. I had them fitted and have already noticed drivers seeing me sooner than they normally do. The fact that they can see 4 lights plus a white helmet does make them take more notice.
I wouldn’t bother with the spot lights. I’ve used them twice on my bike in two years, and it makes me cringe just thinking about using them. Get a loud exhaust instead.
That's me spending even more With LED these days, we do stand out more. I'm going to get the bike and see what's what.