Good morning (well, it is in Wales anyway!), After a pretty awful RTA in October involving two lots of surgery and the loss of my beautiful '00 ST4 I am faced with the possibility of never having the full range of movement in my right knee joint. I won't bore you with the specifics/extent of my injuries but if my legs refuse to comply with my wishes I may not be able to ride another sport/sport tourer again. I was hoping to get another ST4 as I became addicted to that engine and found the ergonomics spot on, apart from the bar height/angle which would have been easy enough to sort out had I ever stopped riding it long enough to bother... If I'm stuck with <90° bend, what do you guys think I may get away with riding that isn't an adventure bike or raked-out hog? I've used cycle-ergo a lot and I also know the only definitive way to check is to physically try bikes out, but still...My budget won't be huge, something like up to £4/4.5k. Dropping the pegs on an ST may work but the kits I've seen so far only go down 0.5", which won't open the knee out that much. Do you guys and gals have any Ducati suggestions that from personal experience are easy on the knees? The only thing I've seen that may be interesting is the Multistrada 1000/1100, but how will that 2v air-cooled lump compare to my old 916? Thanks for taking the the time to read!
Ridden both the ST4 and a Hypermotard 1100 (same engine as the later Multi). I'd wanted a Hyper since the first pics and in 2008 managed to justify the purchase as a 'sensible' post op. bike - 'leccy start, nice upright riding position, light enough to move around the garage easily. Damaged knee, but nowhere near the restriction of yours and now much improved. Still got the Hyper tho'... The 2v engine in standard form is nowhere near as smooth as the 4v. Much lumpier at the bottom end - but get a decent remap and it's a different beast. PCV plus Autotune on mine made it much more tractable and way smoother. I wouldn't have a 2v 1000/1100 without it. A bit breathless at the top end compared to the 4v, but maybe has a bit more midrange torque. Doesn't feel as turbine like. Finish on the engine nowhere near as good as the ST4. Never ridden a 2v Multi but riding position looks v similar to the Hyper, which is very upright. Good ergonomics for me but windblast can be a bit of a pain on extended rides - that shouldn't be an issue with the fairing on the Multi. ST4 more canted forward, more weight on your arms (too much for some) so I'd guess better for higher speed touring? Certainly worth a punt. A lot of owners really rate them, despite the, erm, challenging looks (and those can be improved - see http://strada-avventurosa.com/ ). Maybe a helpful Multi owner on here would let you have a play? Good luck
If you are going for an older strada (a choice i would recommend) then I would go for the 1100 over the 1000. The 1100 had most of the gremlins sorted from the 1000, fuel tank/gauge, sidestand, seat etc and if you can get the S model with Ohlins then you will not be dissapointed but the standard 1100 is peachy too As to touring with one, there is a little difference but not noticeable till above 85mph but screen choice can help here. Beyond those few personal issues (fuel gauge being the worst for the 1000) it is a bike absolutely suited to a more upright and relaxed position
Thank you both for your replies. I did enjoy having the plush fully adjustable suspension on the ST4, took me a few weeks of fiddling to get it just right and I was chuffed when it was perfect. I don't know about power and torque output curves and their real world implications but on paper the 1100 doesn't seem far shy of the 916 in terms of grunt, probably having a better low to mid range pull. For the amount of times I actually used the full rev range in every gear on the ST4 I supposed that is more important in the 'real world' right? Good shout on the power commander, that will be something for me to bear in mind when I am in a position to test ride. You're right about that 4v being like a turbine though... As for the 'mk 1' Multistrada's looks I actually quite like them...from the side and from behind they look amazing, and although the front is a bit awkward looking it's quirky rather than bleurgh! One thing I would say for Ducati for most of their models; you wouldn't mistake them for another marque, and personally I think that's a good thing! I'm hoping my knee will improve. After the first operation I got it to 110°, enough (just) to squeeze back on a sport bike. But there were complications, more surgery and more metalwork so it's back to square one only worse...fingers crossed, but if I can get back on something fun and Ducati shaped I'll be happy!
As much as I'd like a go on one I think I'll struggle to find one for </= £4000! Thanks for the suggestion though!
As to the 1000 and 1100 looks, yeah from the front some consider them fugly but, it wasn't the first time I've ridden something from behind to avoid looking at the boat race Personally I find them much more appealing than the later 1200's, they have character
I smashed my leg and knee up years ago on a katana and spent a year in hospital strapped to a cpm(constant passive movement ) machine this machine has a knob to adjust the angle of degrees that the knee will bend to,I constantly upped the angle against my surgeons advice(because I wanted the knee fit for riding a tz) after another year of crutches,cycling and walking I was good to go! With nearly full joint movement(much to the surgeons suprise) I still cycle 80+miles a week and regularly run 5 miles, So push your body,get fit and strong and pick the bike you want!
That's awesome, sounds like you fought back from what must have been pretty horrific injuries. I pushed really hard after the first operation, but because one of the fractures opened back up and the metalwork failed I'm a little more cautious after surgery no.2...You are right though, there's no good in procrastinating. A good positive outlook will go along way along with hard work. The more I look at M1100's the more I want one. Hopefully I'll be in the position where I'll fit on a sport bike again, but I have a feeling the M1100 would be a keeper regardless... The bonus of 2v versus 4v come maintenance time isn't to be sniffed at either. I know it's not hard, but it is time consuming for a 'home mechanic' like me!
Your own enforced painful physio like my own neck physio movements. Will loosen or give you better movment & less painful existance in the future. Never allow yourself in the first year to give up & succumb to living with painkillers.
This I can relate to, it's all to easy to neck a few more to try and block out the pain but it's counterproductive. The stuff I'm taking doesn't even numb the pain sufficiently anyway. I'm typing this from a hospital bed (In was admitted two days ago for faintness/shortness of breath) and I've just had x-rays done. It was a happy coincidence that I had an orthopaedic appointment already booked in the same hospital I've been admitted into. The x-rays show how robust the metalwork in my legs is, and how there is no interference between each piece around the knee joint. This has given me the confidence to push harder, feel the pain and get the bend back. Thank you for the replies!
