[Rick Cua]

My last bikes were a Triumph Trophy and a BSA Victor - it's been a while... I love the Multistrada 620 but the BMW 650 gs seems pretty capable too. Whatdaya think? Rick

[BikerRN]

The BMW is more dirt worthy, but unless things have changed, you are comparing a single thumper to a twin.

For me, hands down, I like twins. That's why my wife is a twin. J/K, you will see a difference in performance between the two. If you want to go down dirt roads the BMW is better.

Both are equal for city commuting. Where the "Babystrada" shines is in the corners. It is also, to me, more comfortable. The Multi will be more comfortable for touring as well, unless you are on dirt.

The BMW is a good bike, but the Babystrada is the cat's meow. All of this is subjective of course. PM me if I can be of further help.

Biker

[mats620]

I know two guys, one has a KLR650 and the other has a GS650 Dakar. Neither one is that great on the highway, but the GS is a little better. The KLR is vastly superior off pavement, it's 50lbs lighter, and also costs $3000 less. The GS650 is more refiened. I seriously considered both of these bikes before getting the MTS620. I realized that I'd spend 99% of the time on pavement so the MTS was the best of the three for that. BTW, when the KLR is running near it's top end, the MTS still has plenty of power to pass it

It really depends on what you want to do.

-mats

[Chairguy]

I would go with the multi.. I had a friend who had the 650gs beemer & didn;t like it at all on the HW.. Its a single ? right.. sHe couldn"t believe the differnce when she rode my 620.. Mo pow pow..

MU

[peter_furlong]

I pretty much agree with the above. I had an Aprilia Pegaso which was built on the same line as the earlier GS's but with a 19" wheel. Loved it- until revs went over 5000, when it turned into a jackhammer. In fact the first time it happened I stopped to check things over as I figured something had worked loose. Still a great bike at slow to medium speeds, and with a better suspension than Babystrada (in my view). But they're not really very similar bkes- the Multi has quicker steering, more and smoother power, better tyres, a relatively more focused riding position and more 'presence' on the road. But it's not as versatile. Both good bikes- but different.

[davidk]

It's the old single v twin war, but more than that, I had a Beemer, and I think the biggest diffrence is how light and nimble the multi feels when compared to the Beemer.

[Rick Cua]

Thanks to everyone who has replied - this has been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it! Rick

[BikerRN]

Rick, if you are going to get a Multistrada 620, get it now. Ducati is no longer importing them to North America.

Getting spares is easy, but the bike is gone here in NA, as of '06.

[lotus54]

One of my co-workers fairly recently bought a new 650 GS Dakar. He also looked at the Multi 620, but I don't think he rode one.
He wanted to do a fair amount of off road stuff, so the Dakar made more sense. Although it is sort of heavy for very rough stuff, it will certainly do off road better than the Multi.

I have not ridden either, but my guess:
On the road, you will wish you bought the Multi.
Off the road, you will wish you bought the Dakar.

Mark

[Kerry]

i have an aprilia pegaso(almost twin brother to the bmw650), it does ok up to about 90 mph,a little heavy and tall for actual off roading, it has a completely different feel to it than the multistrada, the multi is alot more powerful, feels tighter(solid), a little lower seat position, slightly more agressive riding position,(but still comfortable for long rides and riding with a passenger), and seems to do as well on gravel roads as the pegaso,and it's a ducati, which is why im going to sell my pegaso, i've only ridden it once since i got the multi and i would never go back to it for my main bike, but like others have said it depends on what kind of riding youll do, if all you'll do is an ocassional dirt road get the multi, a few days ago i took my brother on a ride,(canyon carving) he rode the pegaso on the way there and the multi on the way back, he wont go back to the peg.(i keep an extra bike so friends can go on rides with me, if they have to ride the pegaso they feel like they are getting the short end of the stick, thats partially why im selling it), good luck, kerry

[dcarchitect]

Rented the 650gs for a day ride north of san fran, two up with 107lb girlfriend. it asolutely sucked. paid for a full day but returned the damm thing by noon.
Rode the multi from vigrinia to chicago and chicago to san diego, both trips with same girl.
Girlfriend abosolutely thinks bmw suck after her experience. I need to rent her an 1100 for her to get over the nightmare, damm 650gs thing wuld not do over 75 uphill two up, and i'm only about 185 myself.
Not only power, the suspension is a complete letdown, especially compared to a ducati with upside down fork and a more forward riding position.
The gs650/ aprilia pegaso/ Rotax bike marketed to both aprilia and bmw is a learner bike, commuter bke for someone who is afraid to admit they really are only skilled enough to ride a scooter.
want a fun smallish city only bike?, get that motard suzuki drz-m400, it has the gs 650 power and weighs 100lbs less and better suspension and riding position. need and all purpose bike?, Multistrada, or mabye the Honda 919, but dont even get me started on the Vstrom, yuk!

[tropigal]

I have had dirt bikes and a couple of Harley Sportsters in the past. I have my beloved Multi 620 now. From June thru the end of Oct. I had my bike with me in Europe. I rode all ove the Island of Mallorca. Took a lot of bad roads and dirt roads thru the woods. Nothing Super bad but some that were filled with rocks and peppered with potholes. (Don't get me wrong, there are alot of great smooth roads as well, but I like to explore) I even broke the bead on my rear tire once but just had to add some air later, didn't become dissabled.
The Multi 620 took it all in stride with no rattles, clunks or problems at all. It felt comfotable and secure at all times. On the highway at high speeds I just cruise on happily listening to great music with my MP3 and love the smooth pulses of the purring motor.
I cannot recomend the Multi 620 enough. I'd rather have the Duc twin than any single any day.
If you want to check out something a bit different, you might look at the Yamaha MT-3. New bike out. I sat on it but didn't ride. It looks fun but it's still a single cylinder and probably not great for longer highway rides. But it's a cool little bike, check it out at: http://www.yamaha-motor-europe.com/produ...dster/MT-03.jsp

Hope this helps

[rmetzger]

I came to the MS 1000 from the BMW 650GS. I liked the Thumper but when my trips started getting longer, and as I spent more time on the slab, I liked it less. I kept looking for 6th gear and the next 20 hp and neither were there. Off the road, it was fun, but I spent most of my time on the road getting to those places. The MS 1000 was a revelation. Much better suspension, much better handling, much much more power. As to the highway - the experience could not be more different. I dreaded the highway on the BMW. Not on the MS - you can cruise all day at 85+ without strain. Loaded.

[Buzz]

It all depends on your preferred style of riding. I own both bikes and the only similarity is their size. Last May, before I got my MTS 620, I took the 650 GS on a two week trip across CA, NV, and UT. Crossing NV on Hwy 50, the GS was pegged at 75-80 mph all day long @ 5000+ rpm without complaint. It handled everything from smooth highway to deep sand. It was dropped off-road three times and never skipped a beat. If I were going to Baja or anywhere where the road could get bad, I would take the GS. It is rock solid and dependable, and gets about 65 mpg on regular (87 octane) gas.

I've owned my MTS 620 for about one month. It is more fun to ride. It's quicker, faster, smoother, and handles better on all paved roads. Plus it's an air-cooled 90 degree twin! Surprisingly, it is 15 lbs. heavier than the GS, but feels about 50 lbs. LIGHTER on the road. There's something magical about Ducati engineering.

So, it really boils down to the kind of riding you plan to do. IMO, they both work for one-up touring. The BMW is more versatile, the Ducati is more fun.

[wayward]