Read the small print. Often third party extended warranties don't cover "wear and tear" and something like that would come under that probably? I had one with my first bike a ZXR400, camshaft failure, wasn't covered. I kicked up with the Kawasaki dealer I bought it from saying it wasn't worth the paper it was written on. Kawasaki UK supplied all the parts free and as good will and the dealer repaired it at cost. It was a good move on their part, (Kawasaki UK, not the dealer) I bought another 7 or 8 in the years to come
A no brainer , go for the 2012 , get a Mechtronic ECU for the Ohlins to make it semi active , and you will have an awesome bike . The 2010-2012 were the best of the bunch for raw exhilarating power , also these bikes feel smaller and lighter to ride then the later versions , don't worry about the corrosion head factor as this affected very few bikes overall and by 2012 they were putting in the correct antifreeze from the factory , this applied to most 2011's as well . If you want quikshifter up/down , cruise control and variable tuning options you can get the Tuneboy options which work very well if you decide to decatt.
I’m the same size height and leg length and felt happy on my 2011 & 2013. I sometimes used the urban mode to soften the suspension up for town riding and the bike became a bit lower. Otherwise no problems, but I often stop with one foot flat and the bike a little tilted, trying to remember to read the camber before stopping! Balls of feet down when both feet down. Two up - both feet were easily on the ground - but they are a bit undersprung, although the 13 was better. I also had an africa twin, but that seemed heavier and I wasn’t enjoying it anyway which made it worse! I had good service from GT motorcycles in Plymouth, who I found very helpful.
By far the first generation multi 1200 single spark is the most fun to ride, certainly is the most aggressive version with basic electronics. Ohlins first dip with crude semi active suspension, but shim stacks and valving was top quality ohlins stuff back then. Some years later ohlins developed the mechatronic SCU unit which was supposed to be ready for the launch of the bike became available through the Ducati network of dealers, by then though they had moved away from the costly ohlins units and were now using cheaper sachs stuff. The SCU enabled the suspension to cycle from it's standard 16 settings for rebound and compression to 32 on each plus a semi active setting, this was fairly good but was no game changer as other suspension manufacturers had much more sophisticated software and the game had moved on. Trying to gain access to the ECU that ohlins made was a dead end for me in my quest to get the suspension tuned the way i wanted it given the spring ratings for the front and rear were way off given the sportiness of the bike. Changing spring rates and shim stacks just got the system all confused and it never worked which is one of the reasons i sold mine. Later versions with twin spark set up were much more fuel efficient and didn't quite have the rawness of the first gen. Yes some did suffer from main bearing cages which broke up, and porous cylinder heads too but this should be all sorted given they are close to 10 years old now. Early versions also suffered from throttle cables chaffing through the upper part of the radiator, but again this was sorted early on. My favorite bike which i covered some 30K on.
That’s particularly useful to know. I have a 2017 Africa Twin and don’t find that too tall ... so if the single-spark Multi is similar then that’s good news. Thanks
It all depends on your budget and riding skill/style. K Tech would be on the top of my list, partly because it's better value for money than the Ohlins stuff which isn't anywhere as good as it was 8 years ago. WP would be next given the quality of their workmanship and materials they use. Perhaps Nitron given as it's a British company.... but their product lead time and development budgets lead to be desired.
According to the respective company web sites, neither K-Tech, Nitron or WP offer any upgrades for the first generation Multistrada 1200. Andreani offer a fork cartridge kit, https://www.andreanigroup.com/shop/motorcycle/105|D04E/?CARTUCCIA+DUCATI+MULTISTRADA+1200+-+. Guess that leaves trying to find a second hand set from a Pikes Peak. Andy
I found both Ducatis are easier than the AT. I liked the Ohlins suspension (more than the Skyhook) but the spring on the rear seemed to have been specified for the younger model types seen in the brochure. Normal weights (85 & 55kg) with moderate luggage totally overwhelmed it - feet were both flat on the ground for a change! The spring can be changed of course - so that would be my upgrade if I bought another 2011/12S. Basic model might be a better bet - not sure how than spring compares - the 2013 Skyhook was better two up but still lacked rear preload for me.
I thought that might be the case. Hence my question. I’ve never heard of anyone upgrading the suspension on these bikes. Could be an option if a bargain standard bike comes along, but I suspect just going for an S will be the better bet. I think that’d be a long search!
Don't underestimate Skyhook. No doubt you can tune the Ohlins or find a substitute set of suspension. But Skyhook has all bases covered. On the 2010 - 2012 bikes there's no Skyhook, and Ohlins on the S model with electronic preload. Get the 2013 Twin Spark S and you have Skyhook, which is like having a tuning guru riding along with you, adjusting damping and rebound on the go, in tune with your riding style. Go slower, it softens, go faster and it firms up. If you want stiffer suspension then put in in Sport mode. And it is totally adjustable electronically if you fancy your expertise is up to it. No doubt there are people out there with more refined backsides than mine, but I've been riding bikes since I was 16 and that's 58 years ago, and I've not found a more versatile suspension system to Skyhook.
Folks I’ve spoken to generally don’t have a bad word to say about Skyhook but I’m leaning towards a single-spark rather than a twin-spark or DVT because I prefer my Ducati engines on the raw-side rather than the refined-side
Do try the twin spark as it’s quite like an ST4 engine in character, feel, vibes, it is not Like a DVT which could be a Honda to me.
Over the last “years” (and coming from a GS) I have owned the original mono spark, twin spark and now the 1260. My rating - 1260/ twin spark top of the Multi pops. Probably a tie but 1260 might just edge it. The DVT, in my opinion, had lost character.
I’m going to wait till I can do some test rides of single, twin-spark and DVT but I reckon I’ll like the single spark best. When it comes to sports bikes I like an 888 or a 996 desmoquattro ... even the 998 testastretta is a bit too smooth for my taste.
I agree. Twin Spark is a very good motor, similar to the 2010 but not so rough below 3k rpm and punchy above. The Twin Spark is more efficient and economical than the single spark (as is the DVT) and side to side comparisons on many long tours shows those two using a litre less each fill up. The DVT is perhaps too refined/smooth for your tastes and whilst I love the mechanical efficiency of variable valve timing it lost a bit of zing. Still very fast but there's a flat spot in the middle of the rev range. I had a 1260 on an extended test ride and it reminded me very much of the Twin Spark's performance, Better than the DVT. Having said that not so much better that I want to drop £8k/£9k to change.
