[deepfreak15]

My Usage: A motorcycle to me is purely for recreational purposes. I am a fair weather rider and clearly not the type who would venture out on a motorcycle if it was raining or too hot outside etc. That said, I get borderline clinical depression if I don’t have a two- wheeler in my garage. My previous ride – Duke 390 was an impulsive buy. I was looking for an exciting ride with a decent pillion seat and the KTM failed on the latter count. My experience with that bike can be found here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post4216648 (My KTM 390 Duke. EDIT: Now sold). For city riding I have an NTORQ so I was looking for a “highway only” motorcycle. This time round I decided not to compromise on the pillion seat comfort, that’s when I realised “Fun to ride” and “Pillion comfort” do not go well together on a motorcycle and options are almost non existent. If there is one segment of motorcycles I cannot relate too it is the ADV segment. I have no intention of riding off road and the only bike I rode in that segment was the Triumph Tiger and that was enough to completely put me off that category for good.

Disclaimer: Everything I say in this thread is only my opinion and can completely vary from most people.

Bikes considered: I had a very limited budget of around 10 lakhs and I knew there weren’t any exciting middle weight bikes. Also having been spoilt by the power to weight ratio, performance and handling of the KTM I knew if I bought a 650cc bike I would be bored pretty quickly except for maybe the Ninja ZX6R but again I needed a pillion seat.
I do not enjoy taking test rides as I find there is very little you can evaluate in a 5 -10 km ride within the city and I do not like using big bike rentals either. So after reading up and watching multiple youtube reviews I decided to try out the following bikes
Triumph – If you remove the pillion from the equation there is absolutely no reason to look any further than the Street Triple RS. That did not stop me from sneaking a test ride on it with the Mrs to evaluate pillion comfort and without her saying a word I could sense she was really uncomfortable and miserable. Keerthi Triumph has a policy of allowing you to test ride two motorcycles in tandem so the other option I chose to try out was the Speed Twin. What a bike! Ticked all the right boxes. Looks good, sounds gorgeous and pulls like a locomotive. The Mrs and I both fell in love with the bike. Now this is the time of BSIV closeout discounts and I found it a bit off-putting that there was not a single rupee discount on this, though the dealer was willing to give substantial discounts on the Street Triple RS. I took my time to think about it and in that period Keerthi sold the only Speed Twin they had in stock and the next one according to them would come only 8 months later.
BMW- Tusker motors had some really good discounts on their ADV range starting from the 750GS but somehow reading the spec sheet I did not feel like taking a test ride and a recent fiasco of fixing someone's front brake incorrectly made me give them a wide berth.
Kawasaki– Visited Rideventure with the hope of checking out the Z900 pillion rear seat , but one look at it the Mrs rejected it outright and that was that. Most of you might be thinking why not the Ninja 1000, I knew it would be a compromise on the handling front, though it had enough power and a good pillion seat, also the Mrs refused it without giving any reason.
Wild Card- Having been spoilt by KTMs savage performance I decided to utilize a pre launch preview of the D790 to check out the bike with the Mrs. One look at the position of the silencer it was a firm “No” from the both of us.

All the big bike dealers I visited were really accommodating and made an effort to sell or at least convince me to take a test ride except for the Suzuki showroom in Domlur- they just couldn’t care less.

Ducati VST motors – Test ride and Purchase experience.
Expensive, unreliable , high maintenance costs are some of the words associated with the brand. However, by this time I had absolutely no option to consider and decided to check out the Hypermotard. I love the naked segment and I love bikes that have that hooligan streak, it’s a different story that I won’t be able to even scratch 5% of its limits. Some motorcycles come with a certain reputation and no other bike screams "bad boy" image better than the Hypermotard. Looking at pictures the rear seat looked like it could keep a pillion happy for a short while, though no one I repeat no one mentioned anything about the pillion in any review! So as a last ditch attempt, decided to try it out purely to test the pillion seat in the city for a short ride. I wanted the Mrs to gauge the hip, knee, foot angle and that’s all. I knew the bike had more than enough power and could handle like a proper hooligan without even riding it.
Through a fellow Tbhpian (ethanhunt123) got introduced to Praveen from VST Bengaluru. Praveen is an exceptional salesperson. They did not have a test ride vehicle but still managed to convince their management to let me try the bike in a short 5 km loop , though at the same time he offered me a proper highway test ride of the Multistrada to evaluate the bike. If you were to ask me to describe the Multistrada in one word (even today) I would say “Ugly”. I made it very clear what I thought of that bike and Praveen made it a point not to bring up that bike in any of our discussions about a test ride. Eventually he managed to get a hold of a Hypermotard and called to arrange a test ride. I had decided that if the Mrs was reasonably ok with the pillion seat I was going to buy the bike, period! I was in no mood to test ride a 950cc bike in Bangalore traffic and asked for an early morning test ride. To my surprise Praveen agreed to time when most people would still be asleep in bed! Arrived very early in the morning at VST for a test ride half expecting Praveen to arrive late and groggy , to his credit he arrived on the dot and looked more excited than me.
Now by this time I had read and watched everything there was to about all the big bikes sold in India. What really stood out was apart from the usual suspects (Street triple RS etc) no one had anything negative to say about the Multistrada. So at the last minute I caught Praveen by surprise when I decided to take a leaf out of Keerthi Triumph’s test ride book. I asked him to follow me and the Mrs on a Multistrada 950 and midway we will swap the bikes (I really wanted to see what the hype was about this bike). I did not want to put off the Mrs by being jerky or accidentally lifting the front wheel in the air so I put the Hyper in rain mode. When you test ride a bike like the Street Triple or the Hypermotard you have to keep reminding yourself to be cautious and not do anything stupid. Reached the midway point of the test ride and stopped to switch to the Multistrada 950.
Immediate reaction as I pulled away “Well hello there! Where have you been all this while?” The bike felt ridiculously easy, comfortable and fun to ride! It felt like I had been riding this bike for years and I was having way too much fun for a test ride. As we reached the dealership I kept thinking of how I would react to the Mrs saying Hyper was not the bike for us because by then the people involved in my bike search, including the Mrs knew I had my heart set on the Hyper.
Praveen and I got the first shock when the Mrs said she preferred the Hyper over the Multi. I did not see that coming and I decided to return the favour by saying “Screw the Hyper, I want the Multi, when can I get one!” And that was that, my big bike search was over, I found exactly what I was looking for.
Ducati by virtue of not being a brand that sells in high volume and the BSIV deadline looming closer I was able to get an incredible discount , I’m sure if I waited for a couple of months more I would have got an even better deal but I was in no mood to wait. I have an address in TN and in KA so the moment Praveen said the bike would land in their Chennai branch first I asked him to register it there to not waste time. I was targeting a Christmas day delivery. Unfortunately due to some issues they were not able to meet that deadline but made amends for it with a substantial compensation. During this process Praveen was honest about the delivery situation and did not make up any stories or excuses. Even when the entire sales team was going on a year end vacation he let me know in advance. Also by virtue of having an existing loan with VW finance I got a good deal on my loan and it was sanctioned in less that 4 hours from when I enquired!
As promised, the bike arrived at the dealership at the revised delivery date and I was told I could take delivery that evening. I was in absolutely no mood to ride a new bike home in peak Bangalore weekday traffic so I rolled the dice and asked for an early morning pre business hours slot the next day. To my surprise and to his credit, Praveen readily agreed to a time that was even earlier than the test ride! So the next day early morning the Mrs and I rode back home on our new bike. Long before I had decided to buy a Ducati let alone a Multistrada, Ethanhunt123 had promised he would be there to witness the delivery, was deeply humbled and touched that he actually lived up to his words and was there to share in a very happy moment in my life.

Note: I have no affiliation with VST Ducati apart from the fact that I am an extremely satisfied customer and Praveen deserves all the credit for ensuring the entire process was smooth and pleasant.

Now about the bike

No matter how you slice it or dice it ADVs are not designed to look beautiful or gorgeous, they might look menacing and imposing but not pretty. As one fellow Bhpian said, All ADVs look like large flightless birds. Tall and ungainly.






Though its on the centre stand this still should give you an idea of the size. I have to climb on the bike and when I sit it feels like I'm sitting in the bike rather than on it.


No, I cannot flat foot it. Might sound cliched but Ducati has worked some sorcery with this bike, the moment you start moving it feels as nimble as a Duke390





The view from my perch, the handle bar is nice and wide which helps when you have to tip the bike into corners. Though have to be careful as the handguards house the indicators and are expensive to replace.



Comes with a coded key, though there is an option to set a pin in case you have to use a non coded key in an emergency. Not sure why they have given the option of parking lights when you turn the key completely anti clockwise. I was warned by the dealer not to use this option as it might drain the battery.


Exceptional quality all around. The hazard light switch for me in not very intuitive to use. I use this switch if I encounter a sudden danger on the road and when decelerating its pretty easy to slide the switch, the issue is when I try to switch it off. For some reason when I try to slide it back I inadvertently end up twisting the throttle too. A simple push button like cancel indicators would have been easier. Also do note the dark line around the brake reservoir, more on that in another section.



Left hand controls include the toggles for the display to select and customize various settings.



There are four different rider modes with factory pre-sets that can be customized.
8 Levels of traction control where 1 is the least intrusive and 8 is ultra nanny mode
3 Levels of ABS where 1 is off and 3 is for wet roads
3 Engine maps : High , Medium, Low (75hp)


This is where all the action is , the "L" configuration ensures the centre of gravity is relatively low there by making the bike handle in a way it beggars belief. 937cc with 113 horses and 96NM of twist. I don't think we need to discuss performance figures because IMHO the Duke390 is all the power you would ever need for our Indian roads


Looks slim and tiny for a bike this large but it does full justice to the engine when on song. It is loud.


Think of it as James Hetfield on full growl. Does not sound melodious but makes every hair stand on its end, you keep wanting for more and is highly addictive. Takes every bit of self control to maintain running-in RPMs.


I think this is bogus. After Euro4, most bikes silencers became obnoxiously large and sound lame. In this bike its the opposite so I'll take that claim with a pinch of salt.


Brembo all around. Have no issues with the braking performance, though the brakes and tyres are still breaking in. Only time will tell




Fully adjustable suspension all around. Clear markings on the adjustors make it easy for me to act like I know what I'm doing while I mess up the suspension. No more "Righty-Tighty", "Lefty-Loosey" to remember which way does what.

Compression damping


Rebound damping


Rear is also fully adjustable




Decided to ride the bike for a bit before playing around with the suspension but the front was set up too soft. Would dip even under light braking so decided to follow what most journos say of adding 3 more clicks of compression, this seems to have done the trick as the feel was much better in my next ride.


Headlights are just namesake, though I have no intention of being on the highway at night so I can live with these.

High beam


Low beam


Parking lights




Rear lights look fancy.

[deepfreak15]

Gear shifts are pretty slick


Pirellli Scorpions are still breaking in but have only heard good stuff about them. 19" up front and 17" in the back


Under seat storage is pretty decent with enough room for a phone and a few documents.


Not a very comprehensive toolkit.


Three electric outlets, of which two are under the seat.



Fuse box under the front seat, you have to remove the seat to access it.


Big and heavy bikes require robust guards where ever applicable. Picked these up from Bigbadbikes, their warehouse is pretty close to where I live so had the pleasure of meeting Sean. He knows his stuff and was helpful in explaining what I would need and what I don't.





Other protection kit that I need
- Evotech radiator and oil guard (currently stuck in customs)
- Barkbuster hand guards (the handle bar is wide and the indicators do get knocked a bit and are expensive to replace)
- Fork sliders
- Better tool kit
- Puncture repair kit
- A convertor so I can use my car tyre inflator on the bike (I need suggestions on this please)

Centre stand is an OEM accessory from Ducati and is a must for this bike. The engine guard is stock but made of plastic. No plans of going offroad so not looking at any alternatives.


2300/- For a simple tank bag flange, just because it came in a box with the Ducati logo. Man these accessories are nose bleeding expensive


ethanhunt123 was kind enough to sell me his sparingly used tank bag. Its deceptively spacious




There was a time when I used to think Panniers were uncool. Now I feel it adds substance to the bike and I really like them (I must be growing old). Got a good deal on them from VST.

Couple of pictures to serve as a reference. They can swallow a lot of stuff.




Heat shield under the right pannier to accommodate the silencer. Does its job.


I solemnly swear to abide by this warning.


70 years old and still rides an RE Classic 500 everyday. Don't let the smile fool you, the only comment he had was the bike was too big and ugly and I could have done better. Sigh! There is just no pleasing some people


How is the bike to ride?

On the highway: Its fast, its comfortable and the suspension works really well. It does not tip in like a 17" front wheel would but just have to add a wee bit effort countersteering and the bike complies. Braking is on point and will only get better once they have bedded in properly. On my first ride I got a bit of numb bum which vanished when I increased the firmness of the rear suspension by one notch. But I still think the seat is a tad too soft (My bum must be used to the plank that KTM has fitted).

In the city: Returning from a ride I decided to brave Saturday traffic through Bangalore city. This was a true revelation. Its as nimble as the D390 and can filter really easily. I was pleasantly surprised, though have to be really careful with the panniers as its the widest point of the bike and its behind me. Where it wins over the D390 is the throttle response, its smooth and not jerky, I was more relaxed than I would have been on the D390 but I will not be using this as a city commuter. Also don't have to be constantly shifting through the gears.


Things I don't like/Niggles/Or in Ducati speak "Character"

1000kms in two weeks has given me some time to get an initial feel of the bike. (It took me a year to reach that milestone on the D390). Will get some of the below character traits addressed in my first service which is due now.

- The front brake reservoir was overfilled as I saw a few drops squirting out on my first ride
- Right hand rear view mirror vibrates like crazy at all rpms
- Hazard light switch is not very easy to operate when switching it off
- On my first highway ride the horn stopped working and magically started working again after I reached home. Though I compensated for that by rev bombing everywhere I went, felt irresponsible but fun at the same time. What can I say, I blame Ducati!
- The gear indicator developed a mind on its own when I went for another ride and magically fixed itself when I returned. It would show 3rd gear when I was in 6th and it refused to show 1st and neutral!
- OEM panniers should have come with rear lights or reflectors in the least
- "Must have" accessories are heartbreakingly expensive!
- I don't understand why the front tyre has an angled valve and the rear has a straight valve (pictures below)




Two weeks and 1000kms later is too early to make a correct assessment of any bike. So I will follow the advice an Auto Journo ,whose opinion I highly value, gave me when I told him of my purchase "Ride Hard and Far!". Ill do just that and take whatever comes my way.


To wrap up posting a few pictures of my last ride with some amazing Bhpians

ethanhunt123 with his 160hp Daddy multistrada1260


KarthiKK joins us on his N1000



IronH4WK trying the Multistrada for size. Go for it sir, it suits you!




CrAzY dRiVeR has an uncanny knack of making the Versys look really composed and fast on twisty roads!




Morning Coffee never looked so gorgeous.



P.S Many hours were wasted in discussing, dissing each others bikes/manufacturers and generally having a good time trying to find the next bike for me. You all know who you are and I cant thank you enough for the time spent on this topic (It was close to 6 months). Even things said in jest helped me to reach my final decision but the tipping point was ethanhunt123's perseverance in making me try out the Multistrada. For that I cant thank him enough! I know there are some of you like me who think the Multistrada looks ugly as hell (I still feel its got the looks only a mother could love) and don't even want to consider it, for those people I say , don't do yourself a disservice , go try out the bike .. you never know you just might like it!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Superbikes Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your Ducati is shortly going to our homepage .

[Dr.AD]

Congratulations Deepfreak15 on this awesome machine! And a great review too. And of course, it goes without saying that your review would have such nice photographs! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your review.

My knowledge in bikes is very limited, but from what I could understand, you seem to have found the perfect bike for your needs. Wish you many thousands of happy miles on this!

By the way, one naive question. What is that "clip" on the instrument panel, around the gear position indicator? I mean in your picture of the LCD panel, I can see a clip kind of structure around that letter N? What does it do and what is the purpose? I am sorry if this is a very noob question, but I had to ask it since I could not figure it out.

Looking forward to seeing your bike soon in one of the drives. A photoshoot of the A3 and the bike next to each other should be next I guess :-)

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congratulations once again Deepak!

You got the bike at the right time with a very nice deal! Very much impressed with the bike and the way you were riding it. Honestly - Ducati riders should be banned from mentioning the run-in period.

I somehow feel the 950 looks more substantial than the 1260 - and as we were discussing - I guess its either due to the 19-inch front wheel or the white colour! It also looks more imposing in the rear-view mirror, due to that menacing looking headlamp compared to the small projector units on the 1260 - just need to get rid of those halogens though!

It was a pleasure to watch you throw it around the fast winding sections of Thoppur ghat. Can't wait to see what happens once you get a proper hang of the bike.

[AtheK]

Congrats deepak, finally the search come to an end, wish you many happy miles on the bike. Though not my cup of tea, multi is a very capable bike indeed.

Bigger question - Did @ethanhunt123 finally get a Ducati t-shirt from VST

@crazy_driver It's your turn next, get ready Ethan sir is coming for you

[Red Liner]

Great and concise review man. How much did you get the bike for finally?

The lock to hazard light is provided in case you need to lock the bike, disable everything else apart from the hazard lights and park out on the highway. Even the Versys comes with this option, but the hazard switch has to be triggered separately.

About the angled valve for the front, since there is a main stand for the rear, its easy to turn the wheel to get at the valve. Whereas the front needs to be moved by physically pushing the bike to get to the valve. An angled valve is hence easier to get to without turning the front wheel. Atleast that is what i think. Cant really come up with any other reason without looking up Google. It can't be an off road thing, angled valves are more dangerous in case you snag something and it gets ripped off.

Congrats to both Ethan and you lol.

[2000rpm]

Can you please share the pricing of the models you considered?

Would help someone looking for a bike in this segment to evaluate options better.

[Axe77]

What a lovely gang of riders you have in Bangalore. Would have loved to live there for the outdoorsy stuff.

Enjoy your beast and safe riding. Speaking of sorcery, amazing how the big daddy 1260 MTS is even easier to ride than the 950 (mostly because of its shorter height and the 17" front wheel).

[anshumandun]

Congrats Deepak on the amazing bike!

I think the Multi is the most beautiful ADV bike. Even if you call it a tall flightless bird, the Italians have managed to make the Multi as beautiful as it can be.

It almost never happens that a Ducati is sold in Bangalore and Ethanhunt is not involved

So congrats to him too to add another Ducatist to Tbhp bikers!

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Congratulations …..
By the way, one naive question. What is that "clip" on the instrument panel, around the gear position indicator? .... A photoshoot of the A3 and the bike next to each other should be next I guess :-)

Thanks a lot Dr. About the clip I think its an Italian thing to add some flair to what might be a plain slab of display. Ill look around and see if it has any other function, but I think its just an aesthetic thing.
Already thinking of a Red BMW and White Ducati photo-op.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Honestly - Ducati riders should be banned from mentioning the run-in period......It was a pleasure to watch you throw it around the fast winding sections of Thoppur ghat

Thanks for the kind words! Its the bike you see. Not me.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I somehow feel the 950 looks more substantial than the 1260 -

also this built on the Enduro frame, so is definitely taller

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

just need to get rid of those halogens though!

Has someone we know hacked your phone?

Originally Posted by AtheK

Congrats Deepak....

Bigger question - Did @ethanhunt123 finally get a Ducati t-shirt ...

Thank you for your kind words. Yes he finally did get his t-shirt, I documented that as a deal breaker with VST when finalising my deal. I feel a wind of change towards some riders perception of the Multi now and Im looking forward to seeing many more. Lets catch up still haven't had the pleasure of your company on a ride.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Great and concise review man. How much did you get the bike for finally?

Thank you for your wishes. All in all I paid a smidgen over 12lakhs including the centre stand and panniers. From an OTR of 16 lakhs a few months ago I think its a bargain.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

The lock to hazard light is provided ...

Was talking about the lock parking lights. A small bulb lights up in the headlight and taillight section.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

About the angled valve for the front, ….

Congrats to both Ethan and you lol.

Yeah couldn't find any reason for that anomaly. Could just be an Italian thing. I think he was prouder and happier than me and the sales guy put together.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

Can you please share the pricing of the models you considered?

Honestly this is not the time to go by past pricing (I did my search in October 2019) This is the time to identify a bike(s), check if the dealer is sitting with that in their inventory and drive a hard bargain. Prices are tumbling down now. But if it helps, the only prices I remember
Speed Twin -12.30
Hypermotard - 13~

Originally Posted by Axe77

Would have loved to live there for the outdoorsy stuff.

Thank you for your kind words and based on your recent trip to Hampi I get the feeling Pune and Bangalore is not too far apart for us and chances are very high of our paths crossing.

Originally Posted by Axe77

Speaking of sorcery, amazing how the big daddy 1260 MTS is even easier to ride than the 950 (mostly because of its shorter height and the 17" front wheel).

I dare not think that thought because a certain member of our forum will come full force with his brainwashing tactics and I am very gullible. The same guy dumped his Z900 in 6 months for the 1260. The only thing protecting me is that you can buy two 950s for the price of one 1260

[vikrantj]

Congratulations for the MS950. It is really a mile muncher. Once you take it on a long ride of over 300kms you will appreciate it even furthur. The calm composure and an occasional hooliganism is what describes this bike. I have a MS950 which I bought in 2017 and loving every bit of it.

[neil.jericho]

Congratulations deepfreak15, it isnt very often that a Ducati is a logical choice but in your case, all things considered it does look to be the perfect bike for you. The white Multi does look a lot better than the red colour option, I doubt Ducati could come out with a better colour scheme for this big bike. With the panniers and center stand, you certainly got yourself a great deal in the end. I feel that you will very easily end up clocking a lot more kilometers on this bike than with the Duke 390. This thread will be of big help to others looking to jump into the world of big bikes but who stay away from super premium brands like Ducati, often due to a lack of information and details regarding spares and service.

Any plans to upgrade the halogens? Would the usual Osram Night Breakers help? The two different valves is puzzling indeed, Ive never seen that on any bike. The malfunctioning gear indicator is definitely something worth checking before the first service I guess, the rest of it is plain old Italian character.

Also, congratulations to ethanhunt123 on helping bring another member into the Ducati family and on finally getting the t-shirt for his own bike as well

P.S - I have my doubts on the thread title but for now let me not say more!

[tilt]

Great review and photographs, Deepak - as usual I always enjoy reading your posts.


Congratulations on the bike. Keep the shiny side up.



Cheers

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

..A motorcycle to me is purely for recreational purposes. I am a fair weather rider and clearly not the type who would venture out on a motorcycle if it was raining or too hot outside etc. That said, I get borderline clinical depression if I don’t have a two- wheeler in my garage.

Congratulation Sir.

Lovely machine. I found myself agreeing with almost every one of the points you have made about your riding profile. Also, your assessment of the design language of Adv bikes is spot on. At best, the lines on these bikes are an acquired taste.

Incidentally, I didn't even know that the Multi came in white. I have Ducati red fatigue and Kawasaki green fatigue. At times, I feel that the manufacturers take the whole brand colour thing way too far.

The other thing that surprised me was the massive amount of space under the seat. Seriously, I can pack all my stuff in that space for my day rides. No need to carry a bag at all.

One question though, and forgive me if you have already answered it in your write-up. What's the engine heat like in city and on the highway? I am asking because the Ducati showroom guys themselves told me once that their high compression engines will put out quite a bit of heat. It may not be a deal breaker for you in Bangalore. But, Mumbai summers are brutal and it could be a real factor here. Just in case you are wondering, I am cautiously scanning the horizon for my next motorcycle. But, so far, nothing is really grabbing me by the scruff of my neck. And if it is going to be a purely rational decision making process (as opposed to an emotional one), then I am having a hard time finding a confluence of appeal, price, and value amongst the bike offerings out there.

P.S.

Great pictures. Thanks for taking the time.

Cheers