Multistrada... Do I Keep It Or Move On?

Get an ST - that's a proper Ducati 'holiday bike' none of this hipster, adventure pants

PS. I'm biased, you may have spotted - and share your feelings towards Audi's

Mutley riders and Audi drivers were not meant to be offended by this advice - well certainly not Mutley riders, Audi drivers are a bunch of snowflakes...…

 

@Fire3500 Last year I bought a 2012 Multi as like you I had read so many rave reviews that I thought they must be something special. I dont really like short test rides and was confident that if I bought a bike 5 or 6 years old I could sell it on without losing much if I didnt enjoy it. Anyway, I kept it 6 or 8 weeks or so and covered maybe 1500 miles and also like you I just did not gel with it. No doubting its competence but just not my cup of tea. At the time I also had an S4R monster and I found that was the bike I wanted to ride every time and had to force myself to use the Multi and that applied to 3 figure distance trips as much as to the popping out for a coffee type of rides.
I was delighted to see it go and shortly after picked up a 3 year old 1200 monster which I find more fun, more involving, more comfortable and always a pleasure to use.
I suppose the multi would have been better for a 2 up , fully loaded long distance tour but if and when I next do that I`ll pick up something like a Guzzi Norge specifically for the trip and then sell it after.
Horses for courses and all that .

 

Sometimes it's easy to over analyze but honestly, if it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't.

The multi seems to sit in that halfway place between the bmw gs range and the XR range from bmw too.

 

I'm considering trading mine in after nearly 4 years and 22k miles. I'm sorely tempted by KTM Super Duke R or GT.

 

One of the problems for me with KTM’s is their so bloody ugly.

 

Ugly but (not butt ugly) in an attractive way

 

Fail to see how you could fall for a GS and not fall for the Multi, don’t get me wrong the GS comes across as an efficient bike and I must admit I am jealous of the shaft drive but that’s all. And before you accuse me of bias, I have an 1150 RT I use in the winter because I don’t mind it being eaten alive with roadsalt which I wouldn’t dream of doing that to my pride and joy.

 

I felt the exact same way about monster 821 I traded in against the multi, great bike, looked great, fun, rideable but fter a few miles I just didn't gel with it. Test rode the 2017 1200s dvt and was smitten, I'm over the moon with it, done more miles on it in the first month than I did in a year on the 821! Horses for courses mate, it's your hard earned so spend it on whatever makes you happy!

 

It's the DVT engine, was a little tame compared to gen 1 and 2, the new 1260 is supposed to be much better. Mine is like a crazy horse, fun but dosile when needed and compared to the dvt engine it's miles apart

 

If you fancy a GS , why don’t you go totally left field and try a Guzzi Stelvio ??

 

I feel your pain. We need an Agony Aunt Column on here

 

What add ons have you got? Any you could sell separately?

 

Hi Fire3500

Feel your anguish here !! Probably going to incur the wrath of many here, but after 8 years of Multistrada ownership (original 2010 and then a 2015 DVT) I switched to a 2018 GSA just over a year ago. The Multistrada was, and is, a great ‘ 1 bike does everything’ type of bike and I loved it, but... I found it a bit too ‘top heavy’ for me, especially when loaded up for touring, or when 2 up etc. I was lucky enough to be in a position where I could have 2 bikes - at least for a while, so I bought the GSA as a tourer and gen purpose bike, and a Monster 1200 as my ‘fun’ out for a blat, rideout, odd trackday type of bike. That way I could also keep my ‘Ducati’ fix - having owned one for the last 12 years. The Monster is the ‘looker’ of the 2 in the garage !

I was well aware of the ‘image’ thing of owning a GS, but there’s a reason why there are so many of them on the road. They are bloody good. The weight is down low, the luggage is better, they are smooth, comfortable and easy to ride, Satnav is built in etc etc. Gotta say, I love it.... the day I have to go back to a 1 bike scenario, will be a time of a difficult decision for sure.

As others have said, go with your gut feel....if you haven’t gelled with the Multi by now, I don’t think you will by holding onto it or riding it more. After all, biking is so much about how it makes you feel huh !! As a ‘newbie’ to the German mark, I gotta say I’ve been impressed. There’s nothing in my 16 months of ownership so far, to whinge about. Don’t ‘spose’ this has helped much....other than showing you that you are not alone in your feelings !! Good luck whichever way you go....

 

If you don't like it then sell it.

Personal choice is a wonderful thing.

I see some on here saying the Monster 1200 is an easier bike to gel with but compared to my DVT, i have found them quiet and just a little dull. Good bikes but a bit meh.

And my DVT is a far better bike than the 2013 Multi i had before. But again that's my view, others may be different.

Just goes to show that we all like different things.

 

If it helps, my 2015 DVT was the S model, with some bling & extras. Autumn 2017 and at just over 2 yrs old with approx 9000 miles on the clock, I was offered circa £9500 trade in. Sold it privately shortly after, but for only a few hundred more...and sold some of the extras separately. At that time, the impending release of the 1260 affected the price I believe. Pitching it at circa 10k sounds ok....with the extras - but be prepared to take a drop I would suggest.