[v12]

Congratulations Deepak on the Multistrada. It's really a beautiful machine once you fall in love with it. I agree, I always found ADV motorcycles very ugly. But one ride on the Tiger and Versys changed my entire perception.

I am happy you went with the white colour. It's probably the best color to go on any adventure motorcycle. I like the red too - but I believe that suits the Monster or the Panigale more.

Have thousands of safe and happy miles ahead Deepak! Looking forward to some ride pics and updates in the coming months.

Ride Safe!

[deepfreak15]

What better way to get to know your bike than to ride it and also carry out a few DIYs.
After a month of being stuck at customs, my Evotech-Performance Oil cooler and Radiator guard arrived and had to cough up Rs,3660/- . Amazon and Swiggy have spoilt me and I don't think ill be ordering anything else via this route again. The long wait with no way to check the current status is not my cup of tea. Though on the other spectrum, to complete my protection accessories made a quick stop at Bigbadbikes warehouse and bought the Barkbusters hand-guards.


Easiest option would be to take the stuff to the service center during my first service (appointment already scheduled) but I wanted to take the opportunity to get acquainted with my bike




Armed with a PDF of the installation guide, started with the Oil cooler guard. If its only screws, nuts and bolts its pretty straightforward. But in this case its those plus plastic clips that interlock with the panels. I had to remove quite a few outer panels and remove the nose section. Managed to fit the guard and put everything back together. It is time consuming also I did not want to break any clip in the process.



Having completed the Oil cooler guard I started removing the crash bar when I took a peek at the PDF for the Radiator guard installation. First step was to remove two big panels on either side by pulling upwards, sideways and every other way. I chickened out and tightened the crash bar back again. I was not going to risk it and decided to move on to the hand guards.


The existing hand guards house the indicators and protrude outside. I have already knocked them twice and was not willing to wait for the third time.

Carrying the guards they felt heavy and I wasnt sure how this would impact the handle bar feel. But when I removed the existing bar end weights (The one on the right) it weighed more than the Hand-guard and new bar weight combined. So I'm guessing it wont make a difference.




Fitting these were relatively stress free as I didnt have to worry too much about breaking anything delicate but had to still proceed with caution and it is a bit fiddly.



Wanted to make sure the clear plastic did not rest on the guard or end up being obscured by the metal frame (last thing I wanted to do was hide the indicators) but there wasnt much clearance to play around with. Forgot to check lock to lock turns and see if it hit any body panels. Will check this tomorrow


I think mission accomplished



Didn't realize when I clicked this picture that I captured all the DIYs so far. The number plate had to be stuck with industrial 3M tape and is a solid fit



I have a new found appreciation for the folks at the service center, as what seemed to be a simple task was not really that simple. Hopefully the guys at VST know what they are doing. Only time will tell.

Originally Posted by v12

It's really a beautiful machine once you fall in love with it. .....Ride Safe!

Thank you very much for the kind wishes. Oh I'm already smitten and have reconciled myself with the looks. People are very friendly when I stop at a signal or standing in traffic. Since I'm always wearing my helmet visor down I'm pretty sure its not my good looks but the bike's

[deepfreak15]

First Service:
1000kms came up really quick but since this is Ducati you cant just drop your bike off for service. You have to call in advance and book an appointment and I had to wait for a week to get my slot. Since I had no plans on riding that weekend I was ok to wait.
Things that I wanted to check

• Gear Indicator malfunction
• Brake reservoir overflow
• Horn intermittently cutting out
• Fit Radiator guard

The service advisor (Sunil) corroborated everything I had read on Ducati forums about the gear indicator acting up. One option was to try to "teach" it the correct gears. It would have to be brought up to a certain temperature and forced to learn each gear. The other option was to replace the sensor under warranty. He told me he would try to teach it first and if it didn't work would replace the sensor but that would mean the bike would be in the service center an additional day and I was completely fine with that. For the horn intermittently cutting out he blamed it on the proximity to a hot engine and said if I wanted too the Denalli sound bomb mini was a direct replacement. However by now I am so used to resorting to rev bombing that I decided to not replace the horn.
Sadly my bike takes after its owner and could not be "taught" anything about which gear is which so the sensor had to be replaced. Though post service I think the gear shifts are a bit more on the notchy side, lets see. Also post service the initial clutch release seems a bit more over eager, not sure if they adjusted the clutch cable and I didn't ask either. Overall I am happy with the service and the way they were transparent with what was going on and keeping me informed.


4 litres of engine oil additional charge. Ignore the odo reading, that's a typo



Observations during run-in period

Two round trips to Salem and one small city ride completely validated my decision in picking this over the Hypermotard. Though there was one small niggling issue. After the second trip and a local city breakfast run I noticed the next day morning my lower back was really stiff and I literally had to roll out of the bed. What was weird was I did not have this issue after the first highway ride and chalked that down to the new bike excitement but I knew something was not right. Decided to pay close attention when riding the bike to the service centre and I'm glad I was able to figure it out. The only common factor with the second highway ride, city breakfast run and the ride to the service centre was "Bangalore" traffic.
That's when it hit me , I was doing two things wrong. I was not gripping the tank with my knees (although anyone riding in this city's traffic will tell you that's impossible) and even though I was filtering through traffic with ease my upper body and lower body were relaxed , I was somehow tensing up my lower back subconsciously. For those of you who lift weights , imagine you are about to squat or deadlift a heavy weight, now think of how you tense your body before initiating the movement and now hold that pose for 30 minutes. Of course your back will lock up the next day, dead stiff and that's what was happening . Phew dodged a bullet, for a couple of days I was dreading the fact I had made a 12 lakh mistake. Once I figured it out it was pretty simple, warm up before ride, stretch after ride and during the ride make a conscious effort not to lock my lower back and grip the tank with my knees.

Apart from that one scare I am completely happy with the bike and it serves my purpose beautifully. A fast highway tourer with enough "character" to keep the rider happy and a comfortable pillion seat to keep the pillion happy.
I have reconciled myself with the looks of the bike and from some angles I'm starting to think it looks good after all

[deepfreak15]

Post the first service wanted to stretch the bikes legs and also check the ergonomics on a longish trip. So planned a quick weekend getaway , a round trip of 530 kms to Chikmagalur with a few BHPians.
http://http://coffeevalleyhomestay.com/ was the homestay selected.

I am glad to have met Ethanhunt123, its very rare to find someone willing to ride early in the morning for a good non vegetarian breakfast and not settle for just idli and dosa. So while KarthikK and CrAzY dRiVeR decided to stop for breakfast at Halli Mane and have lentil sprouts, Ethanhunt123 and I decided to stop at The Gateway in Chikmagalur for a hearty breakfast.
This is the first time I was venturing on the Hassan highway and man what a road , smooth, fast and with some nice curves thrown in. Courtesy of an early morning start rode through a lovely mist all the way to the breakfast point. After doing full justice to the breakfast spread went to the homestay to catch up with the other two.

The homestay is just perfect, large and clean rooms with spacious bathrooms, very secure parking space , amazing food and a lovely host to boot. There is no mobile network apart for BSNL so might be a boon or an issue, depends on your preference. The food was to die for and would put any star hotel to shame. All together a very very pleasant and relaxing stay.

Possibly the first time I have seen Ethanhunt123 and CrAzY dRiVeR without riding gear and holding a steering wheel instead of a handle bar.
On the left is CDs immaculately maintained Punto and Ethan's gorgeous 3 series




This is how it starts, a glance



Cant resist!



Convinced! Just need to wait for the delivery date now.




Ethanhunt123s nemesis, trying to see what the fuss is about.



KarthikK asked me to try to make the N1K look gorgeous, challenge accepted!












Ethanhunt123 decided to head back to Bangalore before lunch. All of us were content to just sit on the lawn and do nothing till dinner.

Pre-dinner ritual







After a long time felt refreshing going for an early morning walk through some of the best nature has to offer






Two uncles strolling along






Pretty dense foliage



Chilling before a heavy breakfast




Lady on the extreme right is the hostess and went to great lengths to make us feel at home and succeeded.



All set to head back home.













From L-R
Mrs Deepfreak15, Ethanhunt123, yours truly, Mrs KarthikK, Mrs and Mr CrAzYdRiVeR, KarthikK.



Had a very pleasant ride back except for the few inconsiderate car drivers who hogged the extreme left lane and blocked two wheeler traffic passing through tolls. Glad to find out my theory on my riding ergonomics were right and felt no discomfort the Monday after. Also I am a Homestay convert now.

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

For the horn intermittently cutting out he blamed it on the proximity to a hot engine and said if I wanted too the Denalli sound bomb mini was a direct replacement. However by now I am so used to resorting to rev bombing that I decided to not replace the horn.

Deepak, I'm not sure what type of horn the Multistrada has, but I had a similar issue on both the Z800 and the MG (which came with trumpet horns). The MG mechanic told me that the stock horns were susceptible to heat and to swap them with any decent Bosch or Hella diaphragm horns. So a quick order on Amazon and no more issues with the horn. The same thing worked on the Z.

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

its very rare to find someone willing to ride early in the morning for a good non vegetarian breakfast and not settle for just idli and dosa.

Call us, always ready to join for a good non-vegetarian meal.

[Hells_Fury]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

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.

Congratulations on your 950 deepfreak15. That's an amazing deal. If I had got that offer last year I would have seriously considered getting the 950 over the Ninja 1000. Wish you many happy miles on your new ride.

[deepfreak15]

Full disclosure : This is only a first impression, I havent even worn the gear and sat on the bike yet.
We desperately needed to upgrade the Mrs riding gear. I am a firm believer in "Buy the best gear you can afford" and "You get what you pay for". So had decided to buy a Klim jacket and pants. These things are very expensive if sourced locally and while waiting for an opportunity to source them from abroad we realised the lure of the bike was just too much to resist and I'm ashamed to admit we rode around for a while with her using substandard gear. Decided to put a full stop to that and pick up the stuff locally. In case you are wondering Bigbadbikes are an authorized Klim dealer. A jacket alone was around Rs 50,000/- and I would also have to upgrade the armour if I needed CE level II.
On a whim we decided to visit 6kiom just to see if they had any standalone armour or Level II armour we could use in her current jacket. Sadly they didn't , but that's when I noticed the current Rynox collection. The Storm Evo in particular. It looked good and well made but the kicker was the price and it had CE level II armour. The moment the Mrs saw the price her eyes lit up and she said "His&Her" gear. No arguing with that . Went home and after checking their entire collection decided on the Stealth Evo 3 - grey.Now we have matching jackets and riding pants.

First impressions: On paper these look like they can go head to head with the big guns like Dainese and Klim. I can already see the pitchforks and torches coming out but let me explain. In all likelihood they all share the same factory and source material from the same vendors. Where the big guns hold an edge over Rynox (my opinion only) is years of research on crash data and how their products react to different scenarios. In fact Klim goes the extra mile by replacing any of your crashed gear and hanging on to them for R&D. Sadly I could not find any post crash reviews or any data for Rynox gears- If such data/research/testimonials exist kindly point me in that direction. Because on paper the gear looks really good, feels good and the features look well thought out, but I am in no mood to experience or test their crash worthiness and pray no one ever has too.


The resemblance of this jacket to a certain Ducati jacket is uncanny. Orange inserts are the vents.


Features like this make you appreciate how well thought out the product is. They could have just done with a non adjustable button but instead the amount of adjustability thrown in is impressive.


Case in point the chest area around the vent, there is button to keep the vent open (left) which is hidden when the vent is closed (right)







This feature looks like a gimmick but weirdly makes sense. Note the position of the zip on the sleeve. In this position, its purely for venting.


In this position its for sleeve expansion and venting. Two zips on the same runner looks weird and needs some getting used too visually.


While we are on the topic of weird features, this is a lumbar support. This is the first time I have seen a jacket with that feature. Its nothing but a thin wrap around strap with Velcro to adjust it. To be worn like belt. The only logical explanation I think makes sense is this acts like a weight lifting belt. It is a support for your core muscles to push against to keep them engaged. I know that is kinder on the back but I have no clue how it works on a motorcycle jacket or if it actually does work. Only one way to find out!




This is the part I was not too thrilled about. When I checked the specs on the website the only reference to armour was Knox and they called out the chest protector was LevelI and was their own brand. I did not see Powertector on their website and was disappointed to find out the back protector was this brand. Not cool!






Also there are zipped pockets behind the flaps that are hidden but definitely not fleece lined, more like the soft material found in some door pockets in cars and also its only on one side of the pocket.




Thankfully no other surprises with the rest of the armour.



The pants are LevelI but I knew that and was ok with it. I have a full set of standalone CEII forcefield armour that I wear and over the years have accumulated Knox LevelII inserts so all our armour is now LevelII



Another well thought out feature is the "Adjustable knee protectors" If you look at the picture below there is a full Velcro strip running down the length of the insert and a thick patch on the pant. So finding the right fight is no problem at all. In comparison the picture below that is the Mrs Revit pants that boldly claim their inserts are adjustable but they only have two positions packed close to each other and the strips aren't very strong either, with slight pressure the insert will slide down to the stitching.




The buying experience At 6kiom we were attended by Bhushen and Im happy with the interaction. Once I decided on the product he assured me he would get them shipped asap from Mumbai and was ok with the condition I pay for them only after confirming the fit and finish. So overall the transaction was smooth. Only bummer was they packed the gear and forgot to include the rain cover for both pants. He has offered to courier them , though I am having to pay for the courier charges when they should have included everything when packing in the first place. Also 0 discounts which I was not too thrilled about.

Most of our well meaning friends who care about our safety are frowning on my decision to move to a relatively un tested brand and Ill be honest at the back of my mind there is this niggling doubt if I have compromised on my wife's and my safety. I only pray we never have to find out how they perform in the event of a crash. But at the same time for all the tech and the perceivable quality I got

-Stealth Evo 3 Jacket -XL
-Stealth Evo 3 Pants -XL
-Stealth Evo 3 Jacket -S
-Stealth Evo 3 Pants -S
-Expedition Trail bag 2 -Stormproof
-Expedition Dry bag 2 -Stormproof

All the above for a princely sum of Rs 45,600/- only! If it keeps us both safe and comfortable that's an absolute steal. Luckily we have a short ride coming up so we can test the comfort part and hope never to test the crashworthiness.

[srikanthpotluri]

Congratulations on the Super looking purchase, I am sure you and your Mrs. will have a great time with her. Enjoy and happy riding, please do post updates.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

[b]….....we have a short ride coming up so we can test the comfort part and hope never to test the crashworthiness.

Last weekend rode to Goa and back with fellow Bhpian Tilt and his Jetta. My Mrs complained the knee guards were chafing and caused some discomfort (I have heard this from other Rynox users as well). I have a complete inner set of standalone forcefield armor top and bottom so since the pants were only L1 I removed the inner armor and wore my forcefields instead and experienced no such discomfort. Apart for that one aspect the gear was very comfortable.
The other anomaly I noticed was the main zips. In the "S" size there are two main zips and in the "XL" only one. I raised a case with Rynox and was told this was a "feature". Then why the inconsistency?

Note for XL only one zip up top.



For S there is a zip up top and one down below. As per Rynox that is a feature for a long jacket so if it restrictive at the bottom you can open it up a bit so it flares out.


I did some googling on fashion websites (never thought I would ever end up doing this ) and found out this is indeed a feature for long jackets especially for the fairer sex . So inadvertently the "S" size of this jacket is customized for women. Still this is an inconsistency since its missing on "XL"

[deepfreak15]

No use buying a highway tourer and not using it, so decided on a short holiday to Goa. Leave Bangalore on Friday and back by Sunday or Monday morning. Spoke to fellow Bhpians Tilt and Dr.AD and fixed the dates though unfortunately Dr.AD had to pull out due to a once in a lifetime opportunity. That said, in reality he organized the entire trip for us.
Route decided was Nelmangala Toll - Turn off at Kittur - Chorla ghat and then Vagator (Shalai - Cliff resort). Based on the road conditions we would decide our return route.


All loaded up. The top box is mainly for pillion comfort because if its loaded with more than 5kgs the front gets really light as speeds increase. As a back rest its just sublime, that's what she says.




I owe Mrs and MrTilt and their Jetta a lifetime of gratitude. Ever since I have started going on Tbhp drives/rides he has been my escort all along. When I had my polo the headlights were horrible and he always was my pilot car. He is the most consistent and predictable driver I have ever come across (but by no means a slouch). When we are on our motorcycle he is the perfect sweep and makes sure other vehicles don't get too close and at the same time makes sure he isn't hassling me to go faster than I can.



The roads were ok with a few bad patches. Between Kittur and Chorla ghat there was a section of 50kms that was ok on a bike but cars would struggle. But the worst was on the section from Nelmanagala to Kittur. Road work deviations consistently kept throwing us off rhythm and my phone fell victim to these unpredictable road conditions. It flew off at a really high speed just after Davengere. Though somehow still managed to show the route till we reached Vagator and then conked off for good.



The mount is a GS navigation mount converted for use on the Multistrada courtesy Ali Express. I share part of the blame as my phone was really thin and I should have secured it with a silicon cover.



The other accessory I am extremely happy with are the Denalli D4s. Makes early morning starts pleasant. Just have to fine tune the throw now.




Since most of the day was spent riding, this trip I had no mood to take pictures but I could not resist taking a picture of the view from the balcony suite. Literally a view to die for. The resort is literally on top of a hill overlooking a cliff. The rooms are chic and the breakfast was really good , very courteous staff, apart from that nothing much to speak off.



The highlight of the trip for me was the Royal Enfield Garage Café. This is a motorcycle showroom with a Café and Museum attached. The food was lovely and the beer on tap was one of the best I have ever had.



The showroom





Museum entrance that houses some of their best custom work

















Their event support vehicle I guess. They were loading it with Barbeque paraphernalia



Now if only I can find that extra parking space back home.



Since we started late from the resort, almost Sunday afternoon we had a stopover at Davengere and resumed the trip at 4:50am Monday morning. Reached home at around 8am and was back at work.
The more I ride the bike the more I get the feeling that this was the right choice for the both of us. Perfect mix of fun and comfort. On this trip the brakes were a revelation for me. There was one section of Chorla ghat where I went in too hot and realized I overcooked it (I forgot I was not riding a D390, instead was on a 235 kg bike that had a pillion + panniers +top box). I pulled the front brake lever till it almost touched the throttle grip and the bike just stopped. No drama and no getting out of shape it just stopped as though I had willed it too. Now that is confidence inspiring.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

The other anomaly I noticed was the main zips. In the "S" size there are two main zips and in the "XL" only one.

Update on Riding Gear I had started an email discussion with Rynox on the difference with the zips on two different sizes of the same jacket model, initially it looked like they were trying to brush it off and I decided to close the the discussion stating my dissatisfaction. Credit to them they offered to alter any one jacket to my preference (either single or double zip). Since there was no functionality impacted I decided to let it go but at least they are a customer oriented bunch and its good to know that they value customer feedback.

That said, today I decided to wash the gear and for the first time removed all the armor from the Mrs and my jacket. I was removing the armor from the Mrs jacket for the first time and was shocked to notice the elbow armor in hers (both left and right) had some weird discoloration (looked like fungus) and was really floppy (like holding up a wet tissue, extremely soft) whereas the elbow armor in my jacket had no such discoloration and was really firm.
The one on the left is from the Mrs jacket and the one on the right is mine


Will send them and email and see whats what. I own multiple Knox armor and have not seen anything this floppy.

Updates on the Bike

Two months and 4100 kms later (I did 4000 kms in 2 years on the D390) I am extremely happy with my purchase. Everywhere I go people come up and strike up a conversation and Im 100% sure my good looks and amicable personality has nothing to do with it (or it could be my hairstyle). Though the only thing I absolutely hate about the bike is the false neutral between 5th and 6th gear. Imagine this, on the highway you string a couple of neat overtakes on multiple vehicles and just when its time to settle into a cruising rhythm you up shift and you hear krrrrrrrk or the revs shoot up... I'm pretty sure most drivers I just overtook must be sniggering "amateur"

Now that its summer I am finding it a bit difficult to ride on our highways. Case in point only yesterday I was returning from Salem and made the mistake of starting at 3pm, till 4pm I had a tough time finding the right rhythm because the heat was so oppresive, so I guess till the onset of monsoon the bike will be relegated to the garage, in a way thats a good thing because I almost forgot I own a car too


Signing off for now with a picture from a week ago with two Bhpians , Ebmrajesh on his Ninja and KarthikK on his Interceptor

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Two months and 4100 kms later (I did 4000 kms in 2 years on the D390)

Seems you've finally landed on the one that moves your soul, high mileage enthusiasts are always the best kind! Do keep clocking miles and don't forget to keep us posted!

Though the only thing I absolutely hate about the bike is the false neutral between 5th and 6th gear.

A premature oil change is the way to go, at least the peace of mind helps.

This "issue" will mostly disappear post 10k kms on the odo and only rarely reappear when your oil starts getting grumpy or when you shift up un-enthusiastically.

Cheers,
A.P.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Though the only thing I absolutely hate about the bike is the false neutral between 5th and 6th gear. Imagine this, on the highway you string a couple of neat overtakes on multiple vehicles and just when its time to settle into a cruising rhythm you up shift and you hear krrrrrrrk or the revs shoot up... I'm pretty sure most drivers I just overtook must be sniggering "amateur"

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

A premature oil change is the way to go, at least the peace of mind helps.

This "issue" will mostly disappear post 10k kms on the odo and only rarely reappear when your oil starts getting grumpy or when you shift up un-enthusiastically.

Tried that, been there. Don't know whether premature oil change would help here.

My Multi has done almost 19K in one year, but still this issue exists. I intially thought it was my issue, but seems it is present in other bikes too.

I also use Z800 and has never found this issue in it.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Tried that, been there. Don't know whether premature oil change would help here.

My Multi has done almost 19K in one year, but still this issue exists. I intially thought it was my issue, but seems it is present in other bikes too.

With the rear wheel off the ground and the engine running, hand shift from 1 to 6 and back, don't bother about the clutch as its not necessary. If the engagement and disengagement are spot-on then there's no reason to worry.

Your concern in all probability lies with yourself, the shifter height setting or the engine oil used.

It not unheard of to hit false neutral on new motorcycles, my P220 would slip out of 5th gear under hard acceleration all the way until I crossed 10k on the odo, concern simply vanished after that, now I only hit false neutral if the oil is worn out or I'm too lazy to properly engage the gears.

P.S. On some oils I can literally feel the cog disengaging and engaging due to presence of multiple click feedback on the lever. These are the oils that usually result in false neutrals for me, namely on the P220, the most obvious example is the Motul 7100.

Cheers,
A.P.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

It not unheard of to hit false neutral on new motorcycles...
A.P.

Vasuki is right. This is an inherent trait of the MS950 and has been reported across multiple global forums. Up shifting and downshifting between first and second gear is relatively clunkier but from 3rd to 6th and vice versa the action is butter smooth, so my theory is user input is not as firm as it should be sometimes. I eventually might end up spending some money on a quick shifter and see if that removes the user factor, call me stupid. Anyway I knew this "flaw" before booking the bike and apart for a slightly bruised ego when that happens I see no other issue and can live with it.