Well, still smiling, love that engine..... have been doing the brake in Motorman style. That Yamaha has exactly what In was looking for, just a fantastic bike. I got a Triumph Rocket 3 and a Boss Hoss 502 which are 2 great bikes that really blow me away but the lightness and flexibility after the other bikes is really hitting the beat ...... I traded a Ducati multi 1100 s in for the Yam and I must say I had some reservations but they were not needed......
Just got back from second ride...
- Thread starter bill
- Start date
Stripy
New member
Bill, welcome and congratulations.
I traded my Multi 1200 for this wonderful badboy of a bike.
What a joy!
I traded my Multi 1200 for this wonderful badboy of a bike.
What a joy!
flydnb
New member
how does the multistrada compare to the mt ?
Flydnb, Even though I loved winding the Ducati twin out I kind of like the doing the same to the Yam more. I was looking for quick Jap power instead of waiting a bit for the Ducati to come on with it's fantastic thumping power. If you know what I mean. Handling I like the Yam a lot more, and I must say I like the power button choice, maybe a novelty factor as I have only been out twice on her. Two great bikes but I like the Yam quite a bit more. I never thought any one would hear me saying that. SUPERMOTOBOY can you give us a rundown between the 1200 and the Yam as I always admired the 1200 and thought I would buy one ?
Stripy
New member
It doesn't really compare, IMHO.
The MS is made for long stretch of road, going down to Stelvio pass. I've tried Hard Knott pass in The Lakes on it - getting there was easy peasy, but get the bike up over the pass on tiny twisty bumpy road wasn't.
One mega plus though, and that is the cooooomfy seat, that was made for a £13k bike.
Build quality is something else. It doesn't keep up to the socks of the MT, and don't even start on reliability.... Too many buttons, not enough weather protection in them. So many fault - expensive faults, so if it weren't for the warranty, I'd be bankrupt.
Town riding is no go on the Multi. You will have a damn fight with either riding in 1st or 2nd, and both proves to be annoying. Slow speed drains any fuel left - it needs at least 50mph under the wings before it's good for anything.
It's tall. It's f*cking tall. Unless you are 190cm high, you're not able to get both feets flat down on the ground. I'm only 175, so I could only manage to get toes down in one side
The standard windscreen needs to be taken off. It makes the wind buffeting around your head like crazy. You can adjust it, so the wind hit you just under the helmet or on the chin. It is not nice on a 2k miles tour through Europe.
The display is like an iPad Mini - but no games available. At night, the light emission blinds you from the display.
Rubbish brakes. Known failure on rear brake, the air pockets would gather in the ABS block, and make it very spongy, and very hard to bleed out. It's not easy to adjust chain your self, but doable. Because of single sided swing arm, you can't use any paddock stand to lift it up, so even lubrication becomes a nightmare when out and about.
Suspension wise, I had my front bottoming out several times, especial if you hit the front brake hard. Known problem with incorrect shimming out, but some was just impossible to fix.
You will scratch the tank. Your left foot will wear on the swing arm, your right foot will wear on the black shield on the exhaust, unless you ride with the heels on the pegs.
Your rear light will become milky after 3 years. The front light you can't adjust enough for pillion riding, so will blind car drivers and they'll then flash you.
I've never had a go on the Hyperstrada, but if I had just waited a few weeks and ordered that instead, I think I'd been more happy. But for sure, the brand it self and the quality of the Multi have indeed scared me off from buying anything Italian again. I'm so glad being in the fold of Yamaha, I feel secure and taken care of, and most important, I've had, for the first time ever in UK, a superb dealer experience, that continues after the purchase.
The fun factor? On a scale from 1-100, I'd give it 10. I expected much more from that engine.
In France, riding with a top box, I managed to get it to 138mph on the display (which is heavily overpriced with 15%), and then it was just sold out. Nothing more on the power shelf. No more wetabix left.
The MT-09's fun factor on same scale is at least 200. You get 2 MT-09's for the same price, so end result must be 400
Well, maybe not. But it gives you the idea, as I said, the Multi will take you anywhere far away, as long it's on a long road you can ride fast. I guess that alone makes it actually a bit more boring.
In my opinion, the bikes are so different, it's hard to compare.
flydnb
New member
I haven't ridden a multistrada and all those quality control issues would piss me off , I only buy old Japanese cars because I know they work no matter what, ducatis look nice but you do hear horror stories.
SuperMotoBoy - That was very nice reading. I think you summed it all up very well. I only had my Ducati a few years so I wasn't plagued by failures or did I see to much bad workmanship. But I still think your old model the 1200 is a very cool looking bike. As I am so happy with my MT I had a policy of parking her in my house hall, all well and good. Until last Sunday, I was in a hurry so I quickly rode up my step onto the persian carpet in my hall ummm I had touched the sump pan on the way in, yes an oil leak what a mess. One thing I know, spare parts, any way sump pans are well stocked in Holland, two days later I was back in action at a cost of 450.00 euro. Strange thing was I was thinking of doing an early oil change (200 klm) only hadn't figured I,d do the sump pan at the same time !