I own a Multi 1000. I'm 28, and have owned the bike since I was 25. It's a comfy sportsbike that can tour or do trackdays. I don't own a car, I commute on it, and I need to be able to take a pillion over distance in comfort. My biking mates think I'm daft for buying a Ducati, not that it's an old man's bike!
Ok, if you don't mind I 'll throw my 2 cents worth in on this conversation from across the pond. I am 60 years old and have ridden pretty much nothing but heavyweight bikes all my life. My first bike, dating myself here, was a 1966 Triumph Bonneville. After that I switched to Harleys in 1974 and for a short while owned a 1975 Z1B. Had to sell the Z1B because it was way fast but no brakes or suspension. I owned/rode nothing but Harleys after that until 2005 when I bought a BMW LT. That was kind of a revelation for me in many respects. I now own a 2012 BMW GTL that will be sold shortly (I hope!). I was talked into going to a Ducati dealer in Denver, Colorado by a friend of mine just to look around. I happened to notice a red 2012 Multistrada and for lack of a better term, fell in love with it. When I returned home I went to our local Ducati dealer and took a Multi out for a test ride. I was blown away with how much fun I had on that test ride. I was taken back in time to my Z1B except the MTS was even faster, handled fantastically, had terrific brakes and the first truly comfortable suspension I have ever experienced on a motorcycle. I was hooked and will own one in the spring. So I guess for right now anyway I am the senior citizen of the group when it comes to interest in the Multistrada. Ride safe......Rick
Buy what you want in my mind people who buy multistrada are same people that buy a 1.6l minivan because they "want to". Read want to as wife told them so or touch filly type No pun intended.
I really don't look at the new multi being in the same category as the old multi, I don't know why , perhaps it's looks, engine or even tech. But whilst they kinda do the same thing my personal perception is that the newer multi bridges more gaps whilst the older multi is tour only. Remember that's just my personal perception so I don't wish to offend. another thing is I wonder how many took 2 up riding in to consideration when buying the newer multi? You see again that's something else I don't do.
You've not ridden one, obviously. I rate my old fuglystrada as one of the best B-road weapons I've ever ridden - It's a Ducati, it was made to go round corners.
I have ridden one actually but perhaps not for long enough granted, mind you I'd still not touch one based on the looks alone shallow but true
Had a Fazer 600 FZ6 and after 40 mins I suffered from severe num bum! Went on the Brighton burn up with a mate, he rode a CBR 600 and at the end of the day he was complaining about back pain! He's a fit army 28yr old, i was 43! Thus vowed my next bike would be comfortable ie BMW gs 1200, then I stumbled across the multi 1200 and never looked back! Is it an age thing... Perhaps, but at 1,86m or 6ft2 I like to think its a size thing....also I like the idea of being able to ride anywhere, tar or sand or dust or....not that I do, but it's nice to think I can go off road!
Had one on loan for a day when my ST was in for service. Although I was not keen on the looks I thought it was one of the best handling and easiest bikes I had ever ridden. A real everyday 'user'.
I was 33 when I got my Multi. I also love my trackdays and couldn't care less about the perception of other people. I bought the multi for me to ride and it's fantastic for that. You can cover big mileages in comfort, go brains out when you want and there aren't many sportsbikes that can get away from you if you are trying, especially on roads that are less than perfect or are more twisty than they are sweeping. I get the piss taken by mates as I also wear textiles, have a Schuberth lid and have it mic'd up, however, I couldn't give a monkeys. It's only because most of them are more than a bit jealous of the bike, but they are stuck with this stupid idea that your choice of bike has to be dictated by what others think, whereas I earnt the money to buy it, so I'm damned sure I'll buy what I want, not what others think I should have!
Iforb , we are kindred spirits, I thought you were describing me! Only difference being I'm 46 years young !
Well over 50 when I bought my Multi but the test ride just did it for me. i wanted something that would carry me to a few continental MotoGP's/WSB rounds in relative comfort BUT allow me to enjoy the twists and turns as well. I'd tried GS's, RT's, Explorers on test rides and they all seemed to fit the bill. However, when you gave the Multi its head it had that little bit of extra something i.e the capacity to scare you sh**less . So, on the basis that you should always try to do something every day that scares you, it had to be the Multi!
Well Majvs I think you kind of hit the nail on the head for me too. When I took the MTS out for a demo ride a few weeks ago I had to follow the salesman on his Ducati. I guess they do that so no one gets cranked. Anyway we are on the ride and I'm having all sorts of fun changing suspension modes and messing around with this, that and the other. We were coming out of a decent curve and I laid some throttle to the bike and my first thought was, "Boy this thing really gets skiddish coming out of a curve with some gas on". So we come up to another curve and I lay some throttle to it and I again get this funny, skittish feeling in the handlebars which kind of spooks me for a minute. After this happens twice I'm thinking maybe the tires are low or something isn't right suspension wise and the salesman in front of me stops at a stop sign and looks at me and says, "I guess you are enjoying the ride huh?" I asked him what he meant and he tells me that he was watching me in his mirrors coming out of a curve and that I had the front wheel in the air. I said your kidding me and he said no I am not. Well anyway, that was my "skiddish" feeling in the front end and at that point I had to re-evaluate how hard I was on the gas in Sport mode and how easily the MTS makes serious horsepower. I don't know if the salesman was pissed or not but I didn't want to tell him I pulled the same stunt twice. Crazy but super fun motorcycle. Rick
Well I'm officially an old fart bodily at the age of 54 (with the mental age of about 21 at times). Been a fan of sports bikes for years, from GPz900, Katana 1100, through to 996SPS, 996R and i just love the Multi and it's kinder on my knackered neck than a 996R. I wouldn't dream of buying a 1200GS (confession to make here, I did buy an earlier GS but couldn't sell it quick enough, boring, boring, boring) The Multi is certainly perfectly capable of spirited fast riding and holiganism if you so wish. I've let a few of my mates ride it and they've been stunned by the "jet propelled armchair" Image wise I don't care if it's not a sports bike, I'm happy witht the size of my penis. A couple of the fastest guys I've ever ridden with don't fit the stereotype of sports bike rider. One is just gone 60, grey haired, mild mannered but capable of keeping pace and sometimes beating ex TT winners (no names mentioned). The other guy is mid 30's has done the GSXR1000 type stuff, but can also run in the front half of track day fast groups on a KTM 950 Adventure on trail tyres!!!! He gets left for dead on the straights but goes round the corners completely sideways in supermoto fashion. I'm jealous of them both. Quite a few sports bike riders I've talked to have expressed a real interest in the Multi (or something like a KTM990 SMT or SM but defo not GS's) as a viable alternative, the biggest factor against is the price of them, though of course as more competively priced used examples are appearing now.
Couldn't have put it better myself Shaun. An excellent successor to the now gone but not forgotten Gentleman's Express.
What "Stigma"? Oh I get it - after the Multistrada, Diavel and Panigale what could be the next model name? Of course, the Ducati Stigma 1200.
