Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: BBurton on April 08, 2005, 01:41:28 AM
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I got new tires on the B12 earlier this week and the dealer also carries Triumph and Ducati. I sat on a Multistrata and basically slobbered all over it. I could see myself owning one of these fine italian machines. One of the sales reps said that he has ridden gixxers, r1's, Tigers Vstroms etc... and the Duc is by far the most fun bike that he has ever ridden. I think that they are beautiful and it would be sweet to own a bike that isn't a cookie cutter bike that everyone has. :grin: And man does a Duc sound good!! :motorsmile:
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Seems the styling on the Multistrada is a love it or hate it affair. I'm one who loves it. The press raves about what a great bike the MS is - except for the standard seat. The '05 is supposed to have a better seat though.
Desmodromic Ducs are notorious for valves that are a PIA to adjust, especially the 4-valve headed ones. The MS has the dualspark, 2-valve headed motor though, so it's the easiest to deal with. Like the B12, their valve check intervals are fairly short (IIRC, Ducs are @ 6K miles).
They do have a certain (http://www.sport-touring.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/drool.gif) factor that anything else in a similar class just doesn't have - with the possible exception of MV Agusta.
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I love the "Duc-ness" of it - beautiful exposed frame and single-sided swingarm.
(http://www.phmotorcycles.co.uk/images/Ducati/2004Images/Multistrada.jpg)
My apologies to V-strom fans but from the front, it reminds me too much of a DL1000. :annoy: I know the lights are different but the shape of that fairing just doesn't do it for me. It's too tall and skinny or something.
(http://www.hrkaufmann.ch/Ducati/images_duc/Multistrada_nera.jpg)
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Fun, but the seat is terrible for longer rides and it's not very fast. But it sounds and feels great.
I like it.
I'd much rather have the KTM 950 Adventure
(http://www.motorsports-network.com/ktm/KTM04/Adven950/scadv950b.jpg)
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I kind of like the Multistrada, but heard scheduled maintenance costs are high with DUCS. (Assuming you can't perform it yourself...)
They look better in person, than in a picture. I sat on one at a bikeshow.......
How about a Triumph Tiger? Almost as obscure, pretty decent bike.
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True about the maintenace. Most non-Duc shops don't/can't work on desmo valve trains. The ones that do, charge a little more for labor. They are actually fairly easy to check and adjust once you know how.
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I think the duc looks like its missing some stuff, thats just my 2 pennies. but id take a 998
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I think the duc looks like its missing some stuff,
The swingarm, maybe?? It's suposed to look like that :stickpoke: :wink:
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Since the KTM was mentioned, what's their rep? Are they reliable? PIA to maintain?
I drool over the Duke. Beautiful bike.
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Fun, but the seat is terrible for longer rides and it's not very fast. But it sounds and feels great.
I like it.
I'd much rather have the KTM 950 Adventure
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I don't think that 130 mph is anything to say that is slow,"I'll never go that fast" and as far as a hard seat goes.... nothing is harder than a KTM seat. :lol: Ducati fixed the hard seat for the 05 year. The Strada is one of the best bikes you can buy for tearing up the road. Valve adjustments are around the 6200 mile range, the dealer said that the strada's are very dependable bikes. I thought that the Bandits valve adjustments were around the 15k to 16k range :?: As far as the Triumph tiger goes, I like it but it is a really heavy big bike.
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I love that bike. I have a buddy who rides a Monster and it spends alot of time in the garage for repairs. I find that the black is the finest.
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I'd much rather have the KTM 950 Adventure
Now there's a bike that was beat with an ugly stick, IMHO.
I think the 950 Supermoto looks much better!
(http://www.tenerside.it/tecnica/950_supermoto/950_sm_orange.jpg)
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I thought that the Bandits valve adjustments were around the 15k to 16k range :?:
Suzuki recommends 7500 mile checks.
After the 600 & 7500 miles ones, you can probably get away with stretching them out longer.
I do mine anually now, which amounts to ~10K.
Haven't had to adjust anything since the 7500 mile mark though.
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(http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2005models/2005-Ducati-Monster-S2B-small.jpg)
Now thats what I'm talkin 'bout. Gotta love the naked bikes! Hmm... I guess I can see where people confuse the GSF400 with a Ducati on first glance.
I can see one of these in my garage someday. :grin: [/img]
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I think the duc looks like its missing some stuff, thats just my 2 pennies. but id take a 998
:duh: NO I think the robot from lost in space looks put together better :stickpoke:
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I agree with Paul - you either love or hate it, personally I hate it.
It looks like it was put together using bits from the parts bin, the seat and seating position is just plain crap, and the mirrors give you a great view of either you elbows or armpits, the fact that the 'Fairing' moves with the 'bars is disconcerting to say the least and unless you do something with the stock exhaust it sounds crap. About the only thing it's got going for it is the name on the tank.
IMHO the Aprilia Caponord is a much better proposition. It does everything the Ducati does and more. The seat is one of the best standard seats I've sat on, the mirrors actually allow you to see what's behind you, and it's not butt ugly. The only complaint I had with it, apart from the fact I can't afford one, is that at 200km it gets a nasty little 'shimmy' in the front end when cornering - but I could live with that because it's not everyday I try to chase down RSV Mille's.
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I figured out what its missing,me in the saddle :motorsmile:
I always loved the Ducs,but above my $ range. I'd want something I could take to the track.I asked a neighbor that took Fasttrack's race school if he was scuffing his Knee pucs. he quoted" Its a little harder leaning down a bike that far when you paid $22,000. for it."
I got a chuckle out of that. I can only hope to see him on the track so I can pass him with my $6,000. Bandit :banana:
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Well, Mick, for '05 they not only improved the seat, but made the mirrors stick out further. Just read the test in the current issue of Cycle World and they give the Multistrada 1000S-DS (with the Ohlins goodies) a good shakedown. Says it's improved several of the shortcomings they complained of on thier '04 long termer.
They did complain about the digital display saying it was out of gas when the tank was still half-full.
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I'll have go down to the local Duc dealer and see if they've got a demo. That's one thing I really miss since my wife got out of the trade - test riding new bikes.