(Another) demo ride on the new Multi...

[desert_rider]

First off, let me say that I am, by no means, a Ducati crackpot.  The maintenance, parts, fanboys with their Ducati shoes/man purses and ESPICALLY those M-F'ing dry clutches just make me go ewwwww...

So I get a call from fellow ST-N'er 1000lbs earlier in the week who arranged a demo on the new Multi for us this Saturday and I said to myself, "What the hell, there's worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon."  I really thought, from what I read, that it would be a pretty good bike but there is no way in hell that it would live up to the hype.  So... off to Newport Beach Ducati and let’s take a ride.

While 1000lbs is off on his ride I'm talking to a tech guy and a sales guy about some of the features on the Multi and I was starting to get impressed.

1.  Keyless fob that works within 6 feet of the bike.  Don't want to use it; don't have to.  Key an electronic combination into the computer.  When you get off the bike, turn the handlebars to left stop, wait 30 seconds and they will auto lock.  Come back, enter the combination and you’re off.  As I'm the guy who leaves keys in the ignition for days at a time, Ducati's taken care of my retardidness.

2.  You are not stuck to the factory preset suspension/engine tunes on this bike.  You want "Touring" suspension and "Sport" engine tune - have at it.  Along with setting all the suspension "clicks" to whatever engine mapping mode you want by pushing a button, neat.  Not only neat -- but fuckin' a cool.  You want "X" suspension, "Y" engine map and "Z" traction control, no problem.

Then 1000lbs comes in from his demo and I get to ride this crazy bastard:



(excuse the crappy cell pic)

First and foremost, switching the electronic suspension/engine mapping on the fly works intuitively and you are able to switch through all modes/menus and sub menus with ONE BUTTON while you are riding.  After two or three tries it seemed as if I had been doing it for thousands of miles.  Yes, there are major differences and you can feel them and they are effective.

When you get into Sport mode and crack that throttle open... well the only words that come to mind are "HOLY SHEE-IT!"  Warp speed comes real quick.  There is some serious muscle at work here.

Touring mode is the “Goldylock’s Zone” as it would be just about right for most S-T work. An example of electronically adjustable Touring mode sub-menus would be: one-up, one-up with luggage, two-up, two-up with luggage.  All switchable on the fly.  Enduro mode cuts the bike to ONLY 100hp but gives a lot of suspension travel.  Pot holes don’t exist.  You’ll be looking for the rough part of the road.

The seat and manually adjustably touring wind screen do an exceptional job of creating a comfortable riding environment while the whole bike is very narrow, light and responsive.  After a few minutes I felt like I had been riding it for several thousands of miles.  Riding fast and comfortably come real quick.

Now for the (very minor) cons.  There was a little first gear hesitation off idle as well as some grabby front brakes at parking lot speeds.  Neither of these were bad, as it would be very easy to compensate for them, but they were evident.  This is really nit-picking but noticeable as I was pulling out of the parking lot.

Bottom line:  This is the most intuitive bike I’ve ever ridden.  After 10-15 minutes it felt like I had it for several thousand miles.  It felt at home and I didn’t think that I was on a demo; I was ready to put some miles on.

So... two questions:
1.  Where do I get my man purse?
2.  Any ST-N’ers wanna donate $23,000 (OTD price for a Touring model) to desert_rider?  

[st2sam]

  Another positive report!
I'm thinking a demo ride for me at the end of this riding season. New bike in 2011??? We'll wait and see one year for reliability reports, any major problems, ect...
PLUS I've got two more years of warranty left on my C14.

[Mr Sunshine]

Should have never demoed it.  


I did notice the first gear snatchyness off idle but I figured I won't be spending much time there.

[Espada]

I did not mention it in my write up, but did not notice any snatch rolling off from idle.  The bike wound out beautifully.

[1000lbs]

You forgot to mention hitting the speed bumps @25mph in enduro mode  .  I normally wouldn't do that on a demo, but it was the tech's suggestion.  That would have been a crippling (for me) hit on my Speed Triple. Instead it was a well damped and controled rise in the road on the Strada in that setting.

[Espada]

You forgot to mention hitting the speed bumps @25mph in enduro mode  .  I normally wouldn't do that on a demo, but it was the tech's suggestion.  That would have been a crippling (for me) hit on my Speed Triple. Instead it was a well damped and controled rise in the road on the Strada in that setting.

In my demo group it was a lead on an 1198S, a guy demo-ing a Monster 1100, a sweeper on another 1198S, and myself on the Multi12.  I kept thinking that if I wanted to steal the bike, I would put it on Enduro Mode, and go for the first off road section I came across.

[desert_rider]

Hell, I could of stole the bike.  They just gave us the bike and a route, no group, no leader, just have at it!

[falcofred]

I demo'd the 1200 MTS at Touring Sport BMW-Ducati-Aprilia in Greensville, SC on Saturday.
It was difficult to judge the bike because the demo route was in downtown Greensville. We did get to ride quickly in two short sections, but very brief.
It does have power, lots, for sure.
The only negative for me is at 6'3" the windshield makes a lot of turbulence and noise around my helmet.
If I slouched down and forward it was very nice and quiet. I'll need a taller screen or maybe a Laminar Lip.
I haven't bought a new ride since my 99 SV650, preferring to purchase used after some one takes the hit and adds some farkles, but I don't think I can wait that long this time.

[GTS_Rider]

...The only negative for me is at 6'3" the windshield makes a lot of turbulence and noise around my helmet.
If I slouched down and forward it was very nice and quiet. I'll need a taller screen or maybe a Laminar Lip.
I haven't bought a new ride since my 99 SV650, preferring to purchase used after some one takes the hit and adds some farkles, but I don't think I can wait that long this time.

My demo model had the 'touring screen', set in the low position. Took it up to about a-buck-20 on the freeway section of the test loop, no complaints from me about turbulence. I'm about 6' even for reference....

 

[Mr Sunshine]

The only negative for me is at 6'3" the windshield makes a lot of turbulence and noise around my helmet.

On the other demo unit I saw a taller upsweeped windscreen that Ducati offers.  Maybe that'd help.  For what its worth at 5'9" with a 29" inseam I never had buffeting issues.

[falcofred]

The model I rode was a Sport model, I was not aware that the touring model had a different screen or that a touring screen is available.

[Mr Sunshine]

The model I rode was a Sport model, I was not aware that the touring model had a different screen or that a touring screen is available.

The touring model has the same screen but there is a touring screen available.   In fact I see it in the first photo in this thread.

[desert_rider]

The touring screen is about 4" taller, 2" wider with a curved lip and is smoke colored.  I'm 5'11" and had just a hint of buffetting with it in it's lowest position.

[Mr Sunshine]

I think what I want is just a smoked screen of the same size and shape as the OEM screen.