Hello to all the current MTS owners and those looking to purchase. I would like to share my experience and thoughts on the 2014 std model and what I believe has made a positive change to some aspects of its performance and usability. I had searched through many threads about the bike and some of its perceived problems prior to buying the bike and some information was spot on whereas some was certainly misguided. I have only covered 4000km in the 3 months that I have owned it and this riding has been mixed with both two up and solo commuting, day long country rides of 400km and some spirited rides through our local hills area. I have been lucky enough to have come across a number of very helpful, very professional and surprisingly very reasonably priced suppliers in our local Perth city. If anyone wants there contact details I am happy to pass them on. The bike was purchased as a run out model and the standard model that I purchased was as a direct comparison in price to one of the new Yamaha Tracers that I had test ridden. The Tracer has a sensational 3 cylinder motor but there was no real thought put into what to buy when the price was compared. One thing I must say is that I was disappointed in how well or should I say poorly the MTS ran in city traffic speeds compared to the Yamaha Tracer which I had ridden just a few hours earlier and was one of the main things I wanted to improve. The Tracer would carry 5th gear with ease in city traffic whereas the MTS would surge and hunt in 4th gear at the same speed, running around the city in 3rd gear to keep it smooth was not what I expected from a modern bike. MOTOR I will start with what I changed to improve this and the result to date has been fantastic. The first thing to go was the stock exhaust and CAT, replaced with a SC Project racing oval system. Awesome price and sound and surprisingly good quality to boot. The system is probably to loud for most countries and 90% of the cities in the world but here in the lucky country where Harleys are common with open exhausts we can get away with a bit more. I believe the use of the standard SC Projects system would give very similar results without the excess noise. The Flapper motor issue was temporarily fixed with a $1 spring from local car spares retailer. The immediate difference was noticeable, I could carry a gear higher at city speeds I was carrying 4th easily without lurching or hunting at signposted suburb speeds. The plan was always to install the Tuneboy software and get it mapped on the dyno at a quality local Ducati specialist, bike now has Tuneboy installed but currently running the maps supplied. The Tuneboy program was very straight forward and easy to install, a lot has been said on many forums about the system some correct and some way of the mark. My advise is read the documentation not just once or at the install read it and understand it prior to starting, take notes as you go of the serial numbers etc. If you are semi computer literate or above it is a breeze, if not then get someone who is. I have tried all the Trim maps supplied with Tuneboy and settled on two that is hard to distinguish between, these will do until it is dyno'd in the next few months. The result was also immediate with the bike now able to carry 5th gear at city speeds and is much smoother with less popping on overrun. it is now running the way I expect a modern motorcycle of this calibre to run. The flapper motor was removed once Tuneboy was installed. Cruise Control is worth it on its own and should have always been standard fitment on any sports tourer in this day and age. That was the motor sorted and the result was better and easier to acheive than I expected and I am sure will be even better when the system is mapped on the dyno to my bike and exhaust system in a few months. REST OF THE BIKE The screen is a joke and everything said about it is correct, the noise is terrible no matter which helmet I tried at all speeds. If I put my hand at the top of the screen it was quiet but unfortunately the bike can't be ridden like that all the time. Eagle Screens a local manufacturer supplied there short screen which is so so much quieter but doesn't protect the upper body on longer rides. This will always be a compromise but I intend to try and get Eagle Screens to work with me to come up with a better compromised solution. This will always be a individual solution depending on each riders stature or lack there off. Levers & suspension adjusters, the adjustable levers just make it so much easier to make them fit to hand and where a locally supplied Chinese import. the suspension adjusters also make it easier to change things without tools something MTS S riders don't have to worry about. I am old school and do like having the manual adjustment, not that once I find a happy point I change it much. I prefer a stiff set up and that makes it easier when the missus is on the back as I don't have to bother changing it. This is one area that the Yamaha Tracer really was woeful and where most of the money was saved in the manufacture. Genuine Ducati radiator guard was cheaper than any half decent accessories on eBay so was an easy choice. The Ducati tail tidy was purchased as I was told it came with the smaller LED indicators, thought it was reasonable at only $100 bucks more than just the indicators. When I got it home I found that the parts serviceperson was wrong and no indicators where part of the kit F$%^& not such a bargain after all, but alas the friendly parts person supplied them free of charge as he new I had only wanted the indicators initially. Service like this makes you go back and support them and they have certainly benefited with me decking out the missus with riding gear due to this show of decency. The lower guards where painted black due to personal preference and the bike has been washed and polished with Swissvax products. This product is amazing and even though it is expensive initially it is well worth the money. When applied correctly the bike stays remarkably clean and dirt just doesn't stick and what does just washes off with such ease. There is a reason why the prestige car manufacturers use this and I am certainly converted, again another local supplier who is a Motorcycle detailer that loves his job and is happy to pass on his extensive knowledge and experience. I am more than happy with the result and more than happy with the way the bike runs and handles once it is set up. I admit to running in Urban mode around town 90% of the time for two reasons 1) It is jus to damn fast in Sport mode when dealing with traffic, anyone who thinks that 150HP in this environment is the only way to go is a temporary citizen, 2) It is surprisingly much quieter in 100HP mode, 150HP mode gives a much louder bark when the throttle is cracked. I had read someone post that the throttle to twist grip relationship is all thats adjusted between modes, this is completely incorrect and confirmed by the local Ducati specialist. Trust me I tried twisting the grip faster and could never get it to bark so crisply in 100HP mode. The other distinct advantage to not using Sports mode all the time is the nice surprise and the extra wide grin you get when it is used, its all relative and to much of a good thing is never good for you in the long term. My wife finds the pillion seat good for 400km rides but wouldn't want to do to much more in one day. That suits us as the wine growing areas of our state are 350km away, enough for a small detour on the way The bike was purchased with the top box and it just makes so much sense, going to the shops we just throw in two helmets and then put our shopping in on the way home. It suits the bike and is simple to install or remove. Also is a perfect size for a blanket & one of those bottles of wine in a cooler bag for a relaxing sunset on the beach in our great south west. Having always owned and craved sports bikes in the past the decision to go with a sports tourer was a smart one, performance with everyday versatility really make this bike practical not just a single focussed impractical fun bike. I hope this review helps would be buyers and current owners looking at the MTS to decide what is worth doing to there own bikes.
