[abhi_tjet]

One year ownership update

My Multistrada V2 completed one year yesterday and there are quite a few things to share except riding updates.

There was not much riding in last one month due to some other plans and commitments.

The go to coffee place to break the urge of reaching home quickly after almost completing ride when coming from Mumbai direction.


Odometer reading is at 6100 kms today after reaching home.



Below are few points with no specific order.

• Got the insurance renewed with zero dep rider at around ₹ 11k from United India. Online portal like policybazaar don’t accept BH number for insurance and hence options were slightly less.
• Got the PUC done. RSA will expire on August 1st week. I am in words with dealership to get it renewed again for ₹8k. As per dealer, we can’t get it for 2 years.
• Got the annual service done which was mostly check up apart from bike wash, chain lube and slack adjust. Total bill came out to be ₹3.7k. Ducati recommends oil change at 15k kms or 24 months.
• Regarding ownership, it’s wonderful till now. The points made by me in opening posts of this thread still hold true.
  
• This bike can’t be ignored. Most people just can’t resist and start conversation.
  
• This isn’t a beginner bike. It demands respect.
  
• The ride quality and seat cushion is sublime and becomes much better with 2 onboard. It’s fun to ride in dirt roads standing on foot pegs. This is new for me and I am loving it.
  
• Electronics are working as expected and I will iterate again that this bike is very fuel efficient.
  
• Tyres are holding good and fortunately no puncture yet.
  
• The weight is definitely felt. I mostly ride solo and sometimes if you park bike at not so flat location, it’s a task to walk the bike till you reach a relatively safer spot to hop back and resume.
  
• My riding frequency is reduced a bit due to office and other stuff. Accordingly, the getting used to curve is definitely more than what it was in Triple. Throw in extra weight and taller seat, it’s safe to say that I try to be much careful in Multistrada.
  
• The traffic is also drastically increased in most metros and Pune is no different. So, if I oversleep by mistake, I generally skip the ride nowadays, this wasn’t the case during my Triple ownership. Man, I loved the empty roads of Pune during 2021,2022.
  

Bike all ready after service


All dirty again due to rain


After a cleaning session





Below are some pics of beautiful machines which I ogled shamelessly while my bike was getting serviced.

The prodigal sons?


A Panigale deserves a second look


Okay.. more than 2 looks definitely! I sat on this to check the seating position and man I have never missed ₹25 lacs so badly in my life and my bank account.


The gorgeous single sided swingarm


The beautiful Ohlins



Beautiful Streetfighter V4


Desertx


The keyhole of DesertX looked awkward/naked to me


The Hypermotard Rve


BigDaddies- Multi V4S and DesertX


Latest Scramblers


This color looked nice


If not smitten by bikes already, these furry friends never disappoints.


Thanks for reading guys. Hope to be back soon with riding updates.

[mugen_pinaki27]

Loved your posts abhi_tjet! She looks lovely in that gorgeous red color. On another note, you'd be surprised to know that upon getting my bike back from its service, a Suzuki Gixxer 155cc, its bill was 3.4k, very close to what you paid for your V2. Call it wild coincidence.

Thanks once more for sharing those lovely pics of the Streetfighter and DesertX. The latter is on my potential bucket list.

[abhi_tjet]

Ride updates

Riding in rain is beautiful. It’s just that you have to spend a couple of hours more to clean up all the mess bike has brought with it before you can call it a day.

Did couple of rides recently without getting soaked, thanks to all the rain gears.

Towards Bhimashankar






Some beautiful landscapes




A quaint village enroute


A foggy path


And a helipad






From today’s ride towards Karjat






Sometimes, while exploring new route, whenever I had to return in between, it’s due to either road being completely closed or it being a private area with no trespassing allowed. Multistrada is capable of handling almost everything which I have thrown at it with my limited abilities.


Thanks for reading guys!

[MileCruncher]

A very well documented and beautifully written ownership thread. The Multistrada is definitely a looker. I had very very briefly ridden a Multi1200 of a fellow bhpian when it was up for sale, but realised that it would too much of an upgrade from 400 cc class.

However, I'm quite curious to understand how come you have not added luggage panniers / top box and aux lighting to transform it into a pure cross country tourer.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

A very well documented and beautifully written ownership thread. .............
not added luggage panniers / top box and aux lighting to transform it into a pure cross country tourer.

Thanks for the compliments and wishes MileCruncher.

I haven't added any storage and lighting yet since I haven't done any overnighter or multi day touring yet. Office and other commitments haven't provided any bandwidth to embark on one. I will get the required accessories added once the need comes up.
Moreover, I have seen too many big bikes with lots of accessories only for a ride till Lonavla and back, I just don't want to end up like that

Meanwhile, the Tiger you got is an awesome bike which can cover any terrain being reliable and sound lovely with those Arrows. Congratulations to you too for the same buddy!

[abhi_tjet]

Some riding updates after a while.

Not much riding though due to relatives visits and Ganpati Bappa celebrations. I rode once before welcoming and once last Sunday after Visarjan.

Bike is running fantastic! Sharing some pictures.

Took me more than 4 months to reach here from 5555 :( Hoping to get more saddle time this riding season


Beautiful weather at Tamhini, from last Sunday


Somewhere after Bhatghar dam backwaters. Don’t miss the national flag.


Views one gets after moving slightly away from civilisation.




spot the peahen.




I have a click of my prior Street Triple at the same location.




On other note, my Form 26AS wasn’t updated with the entry of TCS which was collected by Legacy guys during bike purchase and hence I wasn’t able to claim the same. I am following up with them and will update as things progresses.

Ride Safe guys!

[abhi_tjet]

Another weekend another ride

I am trying to make for the lost ground of missing rides during summers and monsoon. While doing so, got the below milestone on the console:

7000 kms up


The view was beautiful..


However, despite the temperature in high 20s, heat was absolutely scorching!


With the ancients! I absolutely love these canopies


The natural canopies


Did Lonavla-Pawna circuit for the first time


Beautiful roads..


and views




I am fiddling with rear suspension to get the best combination of ground clearance, ability to tip toe and comfort for two up as well as solo riding. The default factory setting is for solo rider which is comfort based.

I am trying various preload and compression(harder) settings. Once satisfied with these, will make changes accordingly to rebound. I will update if and when I got a good set up.

Safe ride guys!

[abhi_tjet]

300 kms ride


I was desperate to do a longer ride on multi which was getting eluded in recent past due to one or other commitments.

So, this Sunday, I thought, come whatever may, I will finish a longer route. And sure, I was met with rains, traffic blockage during onwards and return leg, fog at multiple places and afternoon heat, all in one ride.

I started a while after 6:30 to explore a new route and was back at quarter to 2 pm. There was a trailer broken down in Khambatki ghat which screwed traffic during onwards as well return leg. Police diverted traffic to use the tunnel for movement towards Bangalore. The ongoing bridge construction didn’t helped and cooked bikers nicely on a sunny afternoon during return.

One thing which stood out was quality of country roads. I found good ones at each turn and then some more.

Below are some road pics -













Roads like these make exploring new routes worth it.










Just look at the road width. A big daddy GS will create traffic here!


Windmills in cloud






The valley view marked in Gmap as Baghdad point


That’s Koyna backwaters




Ducati gets its admirers at every place



Not sure what I was trying here


The curious pup. His sibling was more interested in biscuits


One more Koyna view point


Above was the place where range anxiety kicked hard and I started on my way back to get 95 RON petrol before the tank runs dry in nowhere. Trip meter showed total distance as 293 kms after reaching home.

That’s it for now guys. Ride safe!

[abhi_tjet]

Some riding updates after a while. Due to one or the other things, I am not able to undertake rides as much as I want or for as long as I want.

Still, 8000 kms up for the Multistrada in around 16.5 months

This came a while ago - 7500 kms


The real deal, got this figure while returning from my maiden Alibaug ride this Sunday


The recent ride to Panshet. I rode till I reached the Lavasa entry gate from Panshet side and came back from there.


Varasgaon dam back water view


And the beautiful Mutha river




Passed through quite a few landslides section once I reached closer to Lavasa. The roads are makeshift till now


Entire road caved in!


I rode to Alibaug this Sunday and chose Khopoli - Pen for onwards and Roha - Tamhini for backward journey. Total distance was 300 plus kms which helped me to achieve milestone.

Roads were good at some places, bad and horrible at some other places. I enjoyed multi to the core.

These routes are riddled with speed breakers and with multi one need not to slow down as much as in street naked or supersports or even worry about scraping. Overtaking in dual carriageways is bliss.

Even the bad sections were just dusted by Multistrada like a pro. I am loving it.

Alibaug chowpatty/seaface.


Multi was only able to see the Kingfisher though- This was a no vehicle access beach.


So, we went to the other side of Alibaug - Varsoli beach. Here, the view was clear. However, entry area was dirty.


Just clicked some pictures and started for return


Tank spotting!


Came back via Tamhini for this.


Enjoyed it thoroughly. Despite the sun being at top with no cloud, heat was forgiving. Tamhini was 27 deg C at even 1 PM.


A relatively old pic after a cleaning session. Bike is dirty again though and needs a proper chain clean, slack adjust and a thorough wash now.


The final odo shot


Ride safe guys!

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Still, 8000 kms up for the Multistrada in around 16.5 months

Great going Abhi, lovely reading your updates! 8000 kilometres

Did your bike come with the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 tyres as well? How do you find your tyres?

Cheers

[Alphard]

Hello abhi_tjet,
Thank you for sharing your travelogue. I too would like to seek your opinion about the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 tires. I am looking to replace the OEM Dunlop tires on my ride (CB500x) and am evaluating various options.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best Regards.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Alphard

I too would like to seek your opinion about the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 tires.
Best Regards.

One of the best road tyres I have come across, both dry and wet grip are exceptional and dual compound gives decent life on powerful bikes. Can manage basic off-road trails too, little pricey in India. Ensure you get tyres that are 3-6 months old since they are pricey.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Great going Abhi, lovely reading your updates!

Thank you buddy.

Did your bike come with the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 tyres as well?

Yes, these are standard on V2.

How do you find your tyres?

Originally Posted by Alphard

I too would like to seek your opinion about the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 tires. I am looking to replace the OEM Dunlop tires on my ride (CB500x) and am evaluating various options.

These are very good road tires. They behave quite similar on dry/wet roads and provide nice grip. For touring purpose, I suppose they are A-one. However, every once in a while, you get that rear fish tailing if not careful with right hand.

I haven't done any off-roading, but it also handles bad roads with aplomb. As I am writing this, the bike's rear tire is losing pressure, so the bad roads between Alibaug and Roha did the trick of causing puncture for the first time in 8k kms.

For CB500X, it will be awesome since Honda is quite light in its segment.

Durability wise, I assume, it will last till 15K kms as per my riding style.

[abhi_tjet]

Last riding update of calendar year 2024

Did couple of rides after fixing the nasty puncture from Alibaug ride.

The puncture


And the culprit


I rode towards Lohgad fort and completed the Karla - Lohgad - Pawna - Pune circuit. Roads are good for the most part but the curves are very steep. One need to be cautious for other’s mistake as well since then you also will loose your momentum and might not get a stable footing during mid curve . Best of luck if someone is tailing you too close.

I saw an A6 struggling at one of the steep curve where the road was less than perfect while coming down towards Dudhiware Khind.

Waiting at Malvali crossing.


Enroute Lohgad after completing the hair pin curves


Lohgad fort mountain as the backdrop




Last weekend started for Rajmachi hoping to conquer it till the base location. However, chickened out after completing around 4 km of trail. Total I suppose is around 10 kms.

I was alone and the fear of fall/what if finally overshadowed my courage. I tried this in Triple earlier but went back after hardly half or 1 kms.

Multistrada is capable and only because of it, I dared to complete 35 or 40 percent of trail. However, the fear of not able to find solid ground if needed during mid curve full of loose stone finally forced me to retreat.

I need to find time to enroll myself in light dirt/loose rock course to be more confident in handling such scenarios specially considering my humble frame of 168 cms.

Enroute Rajmachi


Multi aiming for twin peaks of Rajmachi namely, Shrivardhan and Manaranjan


Point where reality checked hard




Stopped at this machi while return, thinking of it as a consolation for lesser mortals like me..


And enjoyed the view of twin peaks from here.


Wind was absolutely chilly here which brought the 100 degree coolant temperature to below sixty under 10-15 mts.






Was even able to spot a train passing from Monkey hill cabin



Happy New Calendar Year guys and always ride safe!

[ent!ty]

Thanks for penning down your journey so far with the Multi. It truly is a work of art and your pictures absolutely do justice to it.

The head really is a hard guy to convince plunging boat loads of moolah but OH BOY! HOW THE MULTI TUGS YOUR HEART to flush down the greens. It seems your thread is not going bode well for my pockets .