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Thread: Ducati 950 Multistrada

  1. #1
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    Ducati 950 Multistrada

    Hi All

    I've arranged the hire of a 950 Multistrada this coming Sat from Beatniks in Blenheim. I've been curious about these for some time, the last time I rode a Multi being an 1100 air-cooled jobbie some 5-6 years ago.

    Anyone ridden one of these before? What can I expect?

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    ...rain, from the look of the forecast...

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    Look forward to your report!....
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    Thanks - My thinking is that the 'Mid' sized Adventure bike market is where it's at right now. Guzzi's V85TT, the Tiger 800, Suzuki VStroms (Both 650 and 1000) as well as the 950 Multistrada are really the best option for someone looking for a real-world bike fit for 95% of NZ's riding conditions.

    Enough power to interesting but without the huge price tag of the 'Full' sized machines. Plus they seem to have most of the useful modern technology (Such as ABS and TC) fitted to them so that you don't seem to be missing out any by going for the better value models.

    My plan is to ride this, then take the V85 and VStrom 1000 for test rides over the coming weeks and then have a think as to what I may wish to get my hands on.

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    I went italian but really miss the day to day reliability of the jappas. V strom 1000- mts 1200. But I just love the big v twins and the multi is sooo nice to ride. Not so many smiles with all the bullshit niggly hassles that go along with it...
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laava View Post
    I went italian but really miss the day to day reliability of the jappas. V strom 1000- mts 1200. But I just love the big v twins and the multi is sooo nice to ride. Not so many smiles with all the bullshit niggly hassles that go along with it...
    I'd interested to hear your thoughts about the VStrom 1000. I owned the 650 a year or two back and really learned to love it though it was a little bland. I've a feeling that the 1000 may be the same but perhaps a little more capable. What are your thoughts?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Navy Boy View Post
    Thanks - My thinking is that the 'Mid' sized Adventure bike market is where it's at right now. Guzzi's V85TT, the Tiger 800, Suzuki VStroms (Both 650 and 1000) as well as the 950 Multistrada are really the best option for someone looking for a real-world bike fit for 95% of NZ's riding conditions.

    Enough power to interesting but without the huge price tag of the 'Full' sized machines. Plus they seem to have most of the useful modern technology (Such as ABS and TC) fitted to them so that you don't seem to be missing out any by going for the better value models.

    My plan is to ride this, then take the V85 and VStrom 1000 for test rides over the coming weeks and then have a think as to what I may wish to get my hands on.
    Interesting. I guess it comes down to your definition of "adventure".

    I wouldn't class the Multistrada as "mid sized" based on its weight and power.
    It barely qualifies as an adv bike based on the wheel sizes (and all the ones I've seen have alloy wheels, not spoked).
    Having ridden them, I would class the 1000cc Strom or the Tiger as "adventure-ish" for much the same reasons.

    You also seem to have missed the hot seller in the mid sized adv market, the KTM 790R. which has all the stuff yer after, at the same price as the duc.
    In addition, the 1090r has almost the same weight & price (but more power) than the duc.
    There is also a new Tenere coming, which looks jolly interesting.

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    I did 85,000km on my first, 07 DL1000 and about 55,000km on my second, 2014 DL and I did a trade with some guy for the multi. I did a test ride on the multi of about 100km of fairly aggressive windy road riding, no gravel, and when I swapped back onto my DL it was noticeably lacking in power, handling and comfort. Not on the seat tho, the Duc suspension is amazing.
    Which says more about the Multi than the DL as I still rate the DL as a great bike. I put an adrenalinR muffler on mine and it sounded awesome! In 20/20 hindsight, I would have stayed with the DL.
    Oscar makes a great point tho, these are big heavy "adventurish" bikes. Great for two up anywhere in NZ but not scorching up Nevis Pass. Don't pass up a test ride on the KTM790r adventure...
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laava View Post
    I did 85,000km on my first, 07 DL1000 and about 55,000km on my second, 2014 DL and I did a trade with some guy for the multi. I did a test ride on the multi of about 100km of fairly aggressive windy road riding, no gravel, and when I swapped back onto my DL it was noticeably lacking in power, handling and comfort. Not on the seat tho, the Duc suspension is amazing.
    Which says more about the Multi than the DL as I still rate the DL as a great bike. I put an adrenalinR muffler on mine and it sounded awesome! In 20/20 hindsight, I would have stayed with the DL.
    Oscar makes a great point tho, these are big heavy "adventurish" bikes. Great for two up anywhere in NZ but not scorching up Nevis Pass. Don't pass up a test ride on the KTM790r adventure...
    Thanks - All good points made above. My thinking about them being 'Mid' sized stems more from the fact that there are larger/More powerful versions available (Except for the VStrom of course - Though it's very competitive with the other Mid models price-wise). I'm personally not keen on KTMs and there is no dealer anywhere near where I live. This is also true for the Duc and Moto Guzzi of course but KTMs just don't really float my boat. Each to their own and I know plenty who love them - They're just not really 'Me'. The Tiger 800 is an interesting option too and would probably be my first choice were I to pick one without actually riding any beforehand. This is based purely on my love of Triumphs and triples of which I owned a number in the past.

    So - The idea here is that I want to try and update my thoughts on the other, non-Triumph, machines to see what I'm missing out on.

    I'll write more once I've ridden it this weekend.

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    So - Here it is. A rather lovely red Multistrada 950 which I did over 350Kms on today in and around the Marlborough Sounds area.

    To say that I liked it would be something of an understatement!

    Engine

    Quite simply this is the best mannered Ducati engine I've ever used. It's not the fastest but it's quick enough for those of us who aren't track fiends and the fuelling was really good. It even managed to pull from under 3000Rpm without too much protesting too. That wasn't the case on the last 848 I rode. I realise that this is the 11 degree valve overlap engine which is almost certainly the main reason behind this good behaviour but it still managed to accumulate velocity rather rapidly in that unique Ducati manner.

    Interestingly too the gearing was more realistic than Ducatis I've ridden in the past. 100Km/hr was 4k revs with 5k revs being 120Km/hr. In other words you can easily use top gear out on the open road without having to worry too much about the cops and their hairdryers.

    Chassis

    The 950 has normal, manually adjustable suspension with a Sachs rear shock. This has a handy remote preload adjuster which I used to up the preload somewhat in order to get the bike's slightly resistant to turn feeling banished. It worked and soon I had a lot of confidence to point it into a turn and go. The ride quality was pleasant to say the least with the only real blemish being fork dive when you use the front stoppers in anger. This isn't surprising given that they are fairly long travel units (Relative to other pure road bikes only I realise) and is something you could learn to live with me thinks.

    Would I buy one?

    In short - I need to ride the Guzzi V85 and VStrom 1000 first before making a decision on that one. The electronics were easy to use and the bike felt like an older Duc and VStrom mashed together. Some of the smoothness and civility of the VStrom but still with the Duc sound and feel.

    I liked it a lot - More impressions to follow once I get a ride on those two.

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    That is a good test ride then, 350km!
    There is a 950s as well, but not sure if available in nz? But it has the full tft screen and the electronic suspension which does a significant amount towards anti dive. I would have been surprised if you didn't love it, I love mine as well but I also rated my ’14 v strom as well. The Multi is definitely nicer to ride but the seat had to be sorted on mine and an aftermarket screen is a must, because the factory one is a bit buffetty as is the v strom screen.
    They both sound the same as far as I can tell, both 90 degree vee twins, the sound seems more dependent on the exhaust system. The Multi will have a cat box whereas the v strom didn't. Don't know if they have now tho?
    I put an aftermarket pipe on my v strom and it sounded unreal! I put one on my Multi and it caused me problems so I took it off again.
    Another thing about the more common models, is the availability of extras. This is a consideration because you just know you are going to add stuff...
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laava View Post
    That is a good test ride then, 350km!
    There is a 950s as well, but not sure if available in nz? But it has the full tft screen and the electronic suspension which does a significant amount towards anti dive. I would have been surprised if you didn't love it, I love mine as well but I also rated my ’14 v strom as well. The Multi is definitely nicer to ride but the seat had to be sorted on mine and an aftermarket screen is a must, because the factory one is a bit buffetty as is the v strom screen.
    They both sound the same as far as I can tell, both 90 degree vee twins, the sound seems more dependent on the exhaust system. The Multi will have a cat box whereas the v strom didn't. Don't know if they have now tho?
    I put an aftermarket pipe on my v strom and it sounded unreal! I put one on my Multi and it caused me problems so I took it off again.
    Another thing about the more common models, is the availability of extras. This is a consideration because you just know you are going to add stuff...
    Yep - I too saw the 950S version in the press but even if it comes to NZ the price will be too salty for me. The standard 950 is as much as I'd want to pay if I'm honest - Still worth it though I reckon.

    I generally leave my bikes' exhausts standard as I find louder machines quite tiring on a long ride. Plus it simply hacks other people off too I find and as a group of road users we need to keep our own house in order me thinks (Other opinions are available on this I know). I reckon that the Multi sounds lovely with the standard system fitted anyway with a lovely induction noise at higher revs too. In fact I think that the newer Euro 4 compliant machines actually sound better thanks to the lower levels of actual engine noise they make. In other words you can notice the exhaust noise more nowadays and it's in this area where the Multi scores over my 2016 model VStrom 650 I owned. I know that the 1000 has an exhaust valve fitted which I'm hoping will provide similar levels of aural stimulation. We'll see what the test ride shows up.

    The more I ponder on it the more I'm liking the 950. The V85TT needs to be good to sway me away from this one I reckon.

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    I will be surprised if the guzzi is even comparable to the DL and the multi. Way less power and prob same size physically.
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  14. #14
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    I bought one!

    This thread quite old but I thought I'd update it as I've now bought myself a 950 Multistrada, a 2018 model with some 16500Km on it.

    The bike became available through Mike Gilbert, he of the Dead Man Riding fame, who sadly is terminally ill. Mike and his family are genuinely good people and although I have owned my V85TT for just over 2 years now I wanted to purchase the Multi off him - It seemed to be the right thing to do in the circumstances.

    Mike's looked after the bike well and it's fitted with oilcooler and radiaotor guards, crash bars and barkbuster guards too. It even came with a set of spoked wheels so I'm well and truly sorted.

    So - The question is whether the bike is a worthy replacement for the V85. I guess trying to say which of these two is the better bike is a little like trying to compare favourite cars and such like. In other words there's no really wrong answer.

    My V85 has cruise control as standard as well heated grips and a centre stand whereas the Ducati has none of these things. However the Duke has more grunt and sounds slightly better (Both bikes have the standard exhaust systems fitted).

    Surprisingly the Ducati's ride and handling are, if anything, better than the Guzzi though both bikes hold the road well and give you plenty of confidence when in the twisties. They are both really enjoyable when the bendy bits arrive and I couldn't really pick a winner between them.

    Fuel economy seems to be fairly even so the rest is down to looks and how much emphasis you place on having shaft drive over a chain set up.

    I shall almost certainly keep hold of the Multistrada and sell the V85 at some point in the near future. With its backstory this particular bike of mine needs to be used for something worthwhile - I feel sure that that is what Mike will want for it and for me that's important. Plus it continues to be, for me at least, the best road going Ducati engine I've used in terms of its power and civility. No it isn't the fastest ADV bike out there but for me and my riding it'll do just nicely I reckon.

    Plus it's in Ducati red - What more can you say?

    If you haven't tried one or are thinking of getting the all bells and whistles V4 version I'd suggest giving the 950 (Now known as the V2) a try - I reckon you'l be pleasantly surprised.

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