New respect for the Multistrada
Rattlehead:
So, I went with a friend who was picking up the Ducati Monster he just bought. Of course, I'm nosing around the showroom while he's doing whatever with the salesman. There was PLENTY of eye candy in there but for whatever reason I kept being drawn to a Multistrada 1200 sitting there and I starting checking it out. I've always felt they were one of the ugliest bikes ever to crawl off the end of an assembly line but for some reason I was compelled to look more closely at it and really take a good look/feel. Well, I no more than threw a leg over and sat my butt down and I began thinking, WOW, I kinda like this. The seating position was quite comfortable. It felt light and well balanced, and everything just felt "right". It's one of those things that hard to explain but I think I was falling in love with the ugly Duc (pun intended). :rolleyes:
Well, the store owner saw me checking out some bikes and walked up and began talking to me. Very friendly older guy with lots of "road stories" to tell. He begins showing me the Diavel and we talk about it for a bit. He then asks if I'd like to demo it or another bike. I kinda hem-haw around knowing full well I'd like to ride everything in there but I can't afford any of them. Well, he ends up excusing himself to go help a guy who had some questions and I start thinking; Why not. But instead of going for a Diavel I asked to demo the Multistrada I had been checking out earlier. I was beyond intrigued by that bike for some reason and I just HAD to take one for a spin.
Well, I ask for a demo and the sales guy happily agreed. He gets me a jacket and some gloves (required for test rides there) and I slap on the helmet I brought with me (I figured there was a chance I'd try out something :lol:). He gears up and hops on a Monster and we're off. I didn't get a 1/2mi before I started REALLY liking that ugly ol' Multi. The thing was amazingly light on its feet and that engine was singing the perfect tune through it's Termignomi pipe. :inlove: Crap, I was falling for this thing in a BIG way.
Well we ride on and this guy has the absolute best curves in the area mapped out for his demo route. That Multistrada was pulling ALL of my heart strings now. The engine was torquey and had a WIDE powerband. The chassis was uber confidence inspiring and the thing just handled beautifully. At one point he stops and tells me that the next section of road has a few hard 90deg turns and that he would wait on me at the next stop sign. He tears off and I stay right behind him up until the 1st corner. I planned on taking it easy and letting him ride his own pace but quickly found that I had NO trouble matching him stride for stride. After the first corner I quickly found that I needed to be toes-up on the pegs as I clipped my shoe on the pavement. :crazy: The competence of that bike and the confidence it was inspiring in me was amazing. I get up on the pegs more and I follow him through that section of road; the grin just kept getting bigger and bigger. That pretty much settled it, I was in full blown lust for this thing. :inlove:
We finish up the ride and head back to the dealership. I got off and thanked him for the ride. We got back in my friends truck (where the new Monster was in tow) and head towards home. I've been thinking longingly about that bike ever since.
I'm seriously in love with the bike I used to think was the ugliest 2 wheeled monstrosity I'd ever seen. Now I look at it and it's like that movie "Shallow Hal" where everyone else see's these ugly chicks but all he sees is knockouts. That bike is pure beauty in my eyes now. :thumbsup: I'm thinking the next few years will be spent saving and working towards a Multistrada "touring" with the hard bags. :inlove:
UFO:
Pretty good review. It's not the most beautiful bike out there, but it's supremely capable/adaptable to about everything you throw at it. Eh, it's pretty in its own way. :lol: Definitely unique. I've yet to see another 2nd gen Multi on the road (at Ducati dealerships doesn't count).
Come to the dark side. :D
SummerLove:
None of the local dealerships can keep them in stock. They fly off the show room floor.
I lust after one hard! It's my attainable dream bike. Gonna be riding it's older sister for a few years before I will in a position to think about buying a used one. Still love the S Touring in Pearl White.
:inlove:
Kraz:
Nice story - a few bikes I don't think are that good looking are an absolute dream to ride - and vice versa - although I don't know that the newer multi is that ugly (especially compared to a 'busa). :lol:
I rode an older gen multi and thought it was cool... now THERE was an ugly bike. What keeps me away from the new multi is the initial cost, and then the service cost (which, admittedly, is only every 15k now, iirc).
GTS_Rider:
Did you see this? http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,70892.0.html
The price is still steep, but still about 6 grand less than I paid to get one of the first ones a couple years ago, including tax and freight and bullshit setup fees that I had no option to decline if I still wanted it. And Oh Yeah!, I wanted it, and still no regrets... best bike I've ever owned and I've owned a few.
Seems like a sweet deal from my perspective with all the add-ons. Especially if it's had its first major service ($1000 bucks generally)...
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