Within 6 months I will move from flat and crowded Holland to rural and hilly central Italy. Our fanatastic new home is at the end of a 3km long so called 'strada bianca'. An unpaved gravel road with some steep inclines. I noticed my Paso can cope but eventually the dust will kill it. Besides the strade bianche also the quality of the paved roads is not what I'm used to. Sometimes there are more holes than asphalt. Not a good environment for a (super)sport bike. To stay in the Ducati family I'm looking into two bikes really. A lucky explorer Cagiva Elefant or a first generation Multistrada (will be nice next to my Fiat Multipla!) I anyone living in a similar surrounding and has experience with bikes like this? What I do now is to use compressed air after every trip before I park it. Just blow most of the dust off and use an oily rag to clean the chain. I'm aware that both the Elefant or the Multistrada will suffer the same as a sports bike but as the Elefant was intended for the dessert and the Multi in Multistrada point towards more than paved roads they might do better than my Paso or 851. Does anyone care to comment on this?
Hi. Can’t help you with the suitability of a Fugly for off-road capabilities however, I lived near Napoli in 1990 for a couple of years - I can definitely confirm that a pristine RG500 Gamma was NOT the correct choice of bike for that part of the country - massive potholes, glassy smooth tarmac and summer heat over 40degC!
An early Multi will definitely fair better than your Paso or 851, but I think you knew this. With it's long-travel suspension you could almost call it an Elefant successor. Not on your topic, but I'm more interested in your handle to be honest.
I rode many km's of unpaved roads in the Alps with an MTS 1000, owned 2 BMS GS's before the Duc, riding the same roads, potholes, loose rocks and gravel. I find the MTS much more nimble than the GS Beemers under these conditions, all bikes were on normal road tires. I remember going up a road as you described in the Dolomites, with a BMW K100RS 16V, finding a hotel at night, fully packed with my wife as a pillion, even this bike managed without to much hassle, as long as you take it easy. So don't worry an MTS is definately up to the job. The kind of roads I mean:
Not done much in the way of unpaved roads on Multistrada's, they cope very well overall with the bumps etc. Only one issue I had was that the 1st gear was too tall, when following a GS I had to clip the clutch to keep the same speed or go faster . You may be able to sort that by changing to a smaller front sprocket.
Have ridden an early MTS 620 on potholed and rough Lincolnshire roads and it never felt less than confident and up to the task. I'd say the earlier aircooled Multi felt more suited to this task (Enduro notwithstanding).
Having owned an early 1000DS before my 1200, I'd avoid them nowadays if I'm honest. They're old bikes and can have some issues which aren't cheap to rectify. The clocks are renowned for leaking, replacements aren't cheap even if you can find a good used set, then they need programming to the ECU. The tanks are well known for swelling due to ethanol, making it difficult to remove/refit and causing the fuel pump to leak, valve guides issues on early models. As much as loved my 2003, I think there are better choices than the DS for the type of riding/roads you will be traveling on.
Choice of a bike is often down to budget, and these represent excellent value for money if you are not afraid to dig in and repair items. The water ingress problem (and dashboard) was common to ST3 and even early later model Multistradas suffered despite an improvement with a different design but I don't think many of those model owners would give up on them just because of this, it just means more caution is needed when storing or using with a chance of exposure to rain. All other problems can be repaired and "lived with" from this owners point of view. I've owned 3 myself, still own two and with spares put by in case of problems, i'm not in a hurry to sell either of them.
I agree with you on the budget, in the UK you'll pick up a rough DS for £1500 or a very good one for £3000, you'll soon be spending on the rough one though. They really are great bikes as long as you're handy with the spanners as they will go wrong. Nothing major ever happened to mine and whatever did happen I repaired myself, only ever left me stranded once in 20,000 miles, and that was only a £10 oil pressure switch. It coped with the odd rough road OK, wouldn't be my budget choice if I had to ride it on rough roads most of the time though.
Thanks for al the friendly and helpfull replies. As the former owner of a monoposto SC1000 I know about tank swelling. Luckilly I was able to save my tank before it went to far. Good to hear the MST could be a good alternative to both my Paso and regretfully my 851. Both bikes require frequent spannering so I'm used to that. I think the 620 might be a good choice considering the longest straight here is 300m. Lower geared and a bit more nimble due lower weight and skinnier tyres. I would say also less complex than the 1000DS so lower running costs. Agree? And yes the single sided swinger on the 1000 and 1100 models looks great and with a Zard exhaust the Cape Canaveral rear looks are improved too and the gold anodised Ohlins suspention on the S is stunning with glossey black bodywork but I know were that ends. A bike too beautifull and precious to get dirty. Might as well keep my 851! Regarding to my username: Guilty as charged. The proud owner of a '66 1200HF! Still undecided if I will put this beauty trough the dust test...
You could always look for a well maintained and pristine model like the recent one at the EMM meeting!
