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Forum index -   Wanna buy: Speed Triple Vs Multistrada
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speedtriple
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 5
Location: Isle of Skye,Scotland

PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 5:06 pm Reply with quote

I have just returned from Glasgow,a six hour bus trip each way to try the Multistrada,rewarded with a beautiful sunny day and very friendly staff in the big city.
i had arranged a test ride,Andy set me up with a demo red Multi,the only colour i would consider,and a very beautiful/ugly bike,in a very similar way that the Triumph is either hated or loved for that wierdo look.I had come down to see what all the fuss is about,four years into the Speed triple and i am having a Mid Bike Crisis,the need for another experience,something that will hopefully fill me up with that passion again,the butterfly feelings of the new.
The Triple has a lot in its favour,just how much was something i have come to re-apraise over the last few days,a blistering strong engine,a fruity howling exhaust note,good (not great) sporty handling,superb brakes,quality finish,very comfortable ride position (yes,its true) and sexy brutal looks.However,if the papers were anything to go by the Ducati had a new edge,something else that might put my wandering eyes to the test.
OK,so i have to be straight here,i really wanted to love the Multi,i really really did,and i am not here to put the bike down,merely to give my opinion in relationship to what it is that i want from a bike.
It looks great,and then Andy starts it up,oh......the bottom of my stomach has just sunk a little,where is the sound i had in my head all the way down here?that beautiful Ducati rumble?all i can hear is a very noisy mechanical sound and opening the throttle only disturbs me more,it is like a VFR with two cyliners,the pick up off the throttle is impressive,and i am trying to focus on that as i ease away.
great in traffic,nimble,like a trailie,but the clutch is begining to annoy me by the time i get out of town,luckily they have fitted a gel seat to this bike otherwise it might be uncomfortable too..oh,it is...i am wedged forward into the tank with enough room for an anorexic supermodel to squeeze in behind me,on my seat,maybe this will be a good answer to the third world family carrying trail bikes?but i am not digging this much.
the position is similar to the triumph,a wee bit higher up maybe,and a little less steady at slow speeds,but the first few bends show the Duke for the fine handling machine that it is,i find the brakes work very well,if progressively as oppossed to the Triumphs solid gripping feel.
I am having fun here,a lovely set of bends out to loch lomond are gracefully carved through,overtaking the lazy traffic is no problem at all,plenty of confidence in this machine,cheeky isnt it?
but i have to keep reminding myself that this is a Ducati,the engine noise is getting even more annoying as i go along,a manic sewing machine on wheels,acceleration again is strong,but it just doesnt feel like it,if i was on the Trumpet i would be howling by now,getting down and dirty,feeling like a bad ass instead of slightly awkward with the new girlfriend.
I follow a GSXR back into town,he has one hand on his hip cruising in at 70,i am nipping in and out behind him,catch him at the lights and we exchange places out front,he hags back to take a look at this machine then flicks the wrist a litlle and hes gone,nice can Gixer man!thats a good sound...and i am disconsolate again,in the traffic,the multi getting snatchy again,lurching between gears,and twenty minutes ago i was giving it some beans and made the foolish attempt at clutchless upshifts,thats no dark art,but she dont like it..no sir she dont.
I returned to the shop and got the grilling from the guys there,at that time i hadnt got the whole package sorted out in my head yet,so my answers were vague,uninformed.But it comes down to a few things,Ducati use the word Anima in their literature,that is SOUL,in this case female Soul as opsed to Animus,the male counterpart,and that is a very fitting way to describe the difference between two bikes,the Multistrada has a feminine beauty and feel,a lightness and grace against the brutal testosterone filled Triumph,Frank Bruno versus Melinda Messenger maybe,its an unfair match.
If my missus had been there she may have swung it to the Duke,but i showed her the pic...its red,lovely,but she loves the triple,we have toured around in comfort,my arse gets sore after 200 miles,but thats nothing to moan about,the Speed triple has a serious rush when you push it hard,all that is missing for it to trounce the Multi is the handling,and you know,for under five hundred quid my mates Daytona has been transformed.You do the Math,i bought new four years ago for eight grand,now its worth five at most.so i either find another three grand to buy a bike that i would have to spend a lot more on,or is tart up my first love and take her back out onto the dance floor in a new black dress,so what the hell was i thinking of.?........
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Hans Wurst
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 31 Oct 2003
Posts: 574
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 6:15 pm Reply with quote

!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you a lot for these impressions!
I'm just a strange guy who shares your passion for bikes and words, I don't even speak english very well..
But I love your description and I think I got your point. I really love that one: "a manic sewing machine on wheels" Laughing

Good, I never drove the speed triple, just had a few years on the old bonneville; the multistrada definitely beats that one in every single aspect. So i can be happy with my little red Duc..

cheers from the continental europe,
GS
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russmu66
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 17 Mar 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Qld, Australia

PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2004 7:47 pm Reply with quote

Hi, some valid points made. I have owned Ducatis for the last 15 years or so. When I look at buying another Ducati every few years, I don't look at a bike and think "yeh... that's good or bad". I tend to look at a bike and think about what I am going to do with this and that. It's hard to put into words but I guess I look at the potential... and in the Multistrada I see so much potential. I get a thrill out of owning a bike that is supposedly a bit "pedestrian" and then turning it into a fire-breather. This excites me because I know that when I go anywhere on my Multistrada, there won't be another bike like it there. Listen to my sound file

http://www.multistrada.net/modules/mx_download/download.php?id=80

and then try and tell me it's feminine.

I'm looking forward to stalking many of your "triple" brethren through the tight stuff. Laughing
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Martin H
MTS: 2004 1000 DS (Black)

   

Joined: 07 Mar 2004
Posts: 248
Location: Nelson, Lancs

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 12:02 am Reply with quote

That sounds bloody gorgeous!

It reminds me somehow of a racing Porsche 911 I experienced a number of years ago. Which is weird one being a flat 6 and the other a v twin.
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gbenner
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 09 Oct 2003
Posts: 236
Location: Glendale, california

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 2:30 am Reply with quote

I looked at the Triple very seriously before getting the multi. It is a great machine with a lot going for it. In the the end, I liked the looks and nimbleness of the multi. I recently purchased a new Tuono, which, like the triple, has lots more power. I love it also.

Still, for me, the multi is my favorite.

Thank goodness there are so many really nice alternatives Laughing
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VMan
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 3:38 am Reply with quote

I have a Speed Triple and the Multi. I will add some additional thoughts to this tomorrow.......
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daytona
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 39
Location: Southampton

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 6:24 am Reply with quote

I have a T595 daytona as well as the Multistrada. The multistrada is a much better road bike and is better for covering long distances. I do around 36,000 miles a year. The build quality on the new Triumph's is crap now and the styling is going down the japanese lookalike road. If you have an older Triumph keep old of it, as for any of the new ones the Multistrada beats them hands down on performance, build quality and factory support.
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speedtriple
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 5
Location: Isle of Skye,Scotland

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 6:26 am Reply with quote

Russ has put a lovely sounding set of pipes on to his bike,that is what we all want to hear,but it sounds like you had to work bloody hard to get that,me,i bought a triumph crabon can,one bolt and a spring,had the engine tune remapped and it is fruity as a bolivian greengrocers.
Dont worry mate,i can see the Multi beating me on the twisties no problem,but i will get closer to it when i have some Ohlins work,and i will travel further,faster and in more comfort on a pretty standard bike.
a footnote,i asked the guys to tell me that i can get a pillion onto a 749,they wouldnt even entertain the idea,damn damn damn.
I have always been a Marque-d man,i had the misfortune of owning a Harley for ten years,prevous to that some old British iron and a couple of early CB Hondas,what i love about Ducati is that involvement in the product,they market a sense of belonging i suppose,the sun drenched back streets of Bologna and the twisty alpine roads with busty.Italian porn godesses waving from every doorway,i can dig that.
Harley is a sad kind of born to be mild buy in,with a slightly more dog eared old bag hanging of the back of yer Hawg (well machined bikes,very strong lump) and Triumph,well,its a bit more fish and chips and a blast to the seaside on a Bank Holiday with yer mates,a woman that is a warm friend on the back.I've gotta get to work now,but its good to talk with you guys,you are obviously passionate about your machines and that counts for a lot
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russmu66
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 17 Mar 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Qld, Australia

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 7:48 am Reply with quote

Thanks for the entertaining thoughts speedtriple. I guess too that our environments would account for a lot of the difference in bike choice... you being in Scotland and me in Australia. I enjoyed your contributions and of all the triumphs... the speedtriple would be my choice too.
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Stuart
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 76

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 8:37 am Reply with quote

Different strokes for different folks as they say.
For me I had a couple of CBR600's for the last 3 and half years to ease me back into biking after a 10 year gap. I use mine soley for the trip to work and back covering cicra 10,000 miles a year. The CBR was excellent however did not have great road presence on the M25 and I never really got to use it to its full potential.
I was looking for a bike that inspired confidence in the twisty's, comfy on long journeys, good fuel consumption, quick enough to out pace most cars on the motorways, good vision.
The multistrada exceeded all my expectations, obviously the exhaust note is a bit pants, however that is to be rectified this Monday with a set of Termis.

Stuart
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speedtriple
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 5
Location: Isle of Skye,Scotland

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2004 4:34 pm Reply with quote

hey Daytona,
i agree about the new Triumphs,i have the 509 style,the newer stuff is a bit too japanese for my taste too.
also thought about a Touno,but seeing it in the flesh it is a little bit messy looking,all quality items bolted on a bit haphazardly,but it must be a stonker.However,my take was to find a bike that gives satisfaction over a range of scenarios,i am very lucky to have a huge biking playground where i live,single track and double,open sweepers and no traffic,beautiful scenery and some good surfaces,
as i may have mentioned,i also have a VFR which i keep with my brother in Oxford,that has taken us everywhere,but i just clean it and put it away,i dont get all gooey over it,and that is the crux.
I still think the Multistrada is a great bike,if they replaced the two giant pepper mils at the back end with some decnt kit and hauled a 916 lump into the frame i would not be pussying around like this,of course that will probably be inevitable,so i reckon you will hear from me again,safe riding chaps,and keep on grinning Laughing Laughing Laughing
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