Rode London to Port Dover today / Multistrada test run

[Zwartie]

Took today off and went for a ride with a buddy/colleague of mine who has an '11 or '12 Multistrada. The weather report was a bit iffy but we made it to Port Dover and back (about 270 km round trip) without hitting any rain. Anyway, on the way back he pulled over and asked if I wanted to ride the Multi for a bit - hell ya! Now, I've ridden with my buddies before and done the bike swap where I've ridden a VFR800, Sprint ST, ST1300, K1200RS and so on and have enjoyed all those bikes for what they are but was never thoroughly impressed with the power or torque and never thought that the FJ lacked in any way...until now. When we rode to Port Dover on our own bikes and whenever I was leading and "poured it on" he was always right there behind me and when he led, well I had to really wind it out to keep up. When I hopped on the Multi and twisted the throttle for the first time, I could not believe the torque! Not only that, it delivered at the bottom, middle and top end. Two words to best describe the experience were "Holy Shit!". It really is an amazing machine! Now, that being said, I'm not about to run to my local Duck store and buy one. Pros: Power and Torque Galore, Great Ergonomics and comfort. Cons: Just a bit too tall making it feel like you are way on top of the bike, twitchy handling at the front end made it a bit unnerving, fuel economy not as good as the FJ - 16.3L for my ride, 19.3L for his ride - that torque and power comes at a price (which just may be worth it!). Overall, we had a great day, rode at a very "spirited" pace along the lakeshore and enjoyed some perch for lunch.

[Firehawk068]

Where's the pictures?

[Dan Filetti]

I had a similar impression about torque and brakes on a Ducati 1100 EVO I rode recently.  VERY strong, where it needed to be -the twins have this in spades, and the brakes were remarkably good.

I would worry about owning such a thing though -maintenance is apparently expensive and not to be skipped!  Whereas there are plenty of Japanese bikes out there that have had the routine valve adjustments skipped once or twice (or more!), I'm told that this is a really bad idea for the Duc, as in lose your engine bad.

I'm not sure I want that much responsibility.

Dan

[Zwartie]

Where's the pictures?

Sorry, done that ride so many times I didn't even think to take the camera along or shoot any pictures with my smartphone. Next time, next time. If anyone ever wants to check out a freak show, come to Port Dover on any Friday the 13th. http://www.pd13.com/

Zwartie