Anyone seen this or had a read yet ? My mate sent me a pic of it. He's not had time to read it yet though. Going to try get a read of it tomorrow
Yep, just finished reading it. Good assessment done in two parts. First on road then at test station measuring both suspension types and comparing statistically. I reckon a must read for all interested in MTS.
Just read it myself decent right up but put little bit of doubt in my mind that I've made right choice in getting a s touring which I'm collecting tommorow
Have read a few reviews now, MTS v GS v Prilia v Trumpet. So far the MTS comes out on top in most road based, with the Prilia in one as its like a copy of he MTS but....rather have Ducati in my garage
I'm sure once I collect it I won't give a monkeys about the reviews and yes would def have a Ducati in th garage
Been round 5 local shops tonight n none have it :-( Looks like I need to go further afield to hunt a copy down.
Only subscribers will have received it so far, probably not in shops yet. To live with the bikes the MTS will be far far better buy than the Aprilia. Aprilia make great bikes but couldn't give a monkey's about them or their customer once they have sold it. Spares back up is still appalling.
Really annoying as I've got this as the August edition?!? No sign of the article. Are they really going to make me buy the paper edition?
Well I've hunted the bloody shops all day as my mates not back til the weeks n so can't steal his copy. So looks like its another hunt in the morning.
I think we need KTM to bring out an 1190 version of the SMT because that'll probably be very serious competition for the MTS. How many MTS owners have ever taken their bikes off road (I don't mean into a pub car park with gravel in it) and of those who have done, how many would do it again? I took mine up the Col du Sommellier and I wouldn't do it again because it was like a fish out of water and I spent the whole trip shitting myself in case I threw it down the hillside.
I agree about the off-road bit. A GS or KTM looks ok if a bit beaten up gives it cred whilst an MTS just looks maltreated IMHO.
Andy Did you get to the top? If so well done. Was all the snow gone? They were still clearing it when I was there a couple of weeks before the Stella? I agree with the fish out of water sentiment, when I took mine off road not long after I got it I also spent the time shitting it and riding very very cautiously. 17" front wheel with any type of tyre feels horrible off road, whereas no prob with my old KTM 950 Adv. KTM 1190 SMT would be fun. Oops did I say that on a Ducati forum!
On the other hand, Nick Plumb of Touratech (ex-Dakar racer) has made a DVD of off-roading and is doing some of it on an MTS - on road tyres!
There's a clue in the text "ex Dakar racer" plus it won't be his £15,000 worth of bike. I'm only an average trail rider but have done about 7 off road trips in the Sahara over the years. Also took an air cooled Multi to Morocco in 2004 but only went on gentle trails For serious off road or enduro lighter is better, for adventure travel off road give me a 650 single over any twin cyclinder bike any day unless of course you're seriously talented. If you do want to use a twin cyclinder bike for that sort of use KTM all the way. As somebody else mentioned earlier a battered GS or 950 Adventure has street cred, a battered Multi would just look abused. I've used a GS and a KTM 950 Adventure off road and strangley enough use a big single again. Sorry we're well of topic now about BIKE mag.
I went to where the guy who organises the Stella was flogging the badges and bailed out there :smile: I've been to the top before and it gets a bit gnarly near the end so put discretion before valour and opted out. The biggest problem was the limited choice of tyres so being stuck with Scorpions left me lacking in both confidence and grip and it's good that I did because a friend of mine threw his Tiger down the hill in a seriously nasty way and was lucky not to need a helicopter to get off the hill.
