[WarpedRotor]

I have a great love of v-twins and I am ditching my R1 for a better all around bike. I am kind of hung up between the DL1000 (V-Strom) and the Multistrada.
I will search the forum for more answers but, until then, I will pose a few questions here.
How is the maintenance on the Multistrada? Time consuming and price wise.
How many miles between service intervals?
I am a bit over 6 foot 3 inches and 195 pounds. Is this bike suited for tall, gangly people?
How is the two up touring on the Multistrada? Taking the spouse on a confortable ride is also important.
Speaking of comfort, am I going to get baboon-ass if I ride more than 200 miles at a stretch?

Thanks a lot for the information.
Loren
Mesa, AZ

[finn]

WarpedRotor,

As a former V-Strom owner I can offer this advice.
The DL1000 is a capable, comfortable, two-up tourer which will munch the miles without hesitation...but one thing it lacks is character.
The Suzuki is your quiet, reliable, conservative friend.
The Ducati is the life and soul of the party, the best pal who's always up for a laugh and loves to live life to the full. He might be slightly eccentric (search threads for side stand, front brake and fuel gauge issues), but make's up for it in style (he is Italian after all), energetic ability (fantastic desmodromic engine) and he has a great accent (fit Termis or similar for a serious sound).
All this and more makes the Multistrada a hands-down winner for me.

Good luck with the Multi - you won't be disappointed,
Finn

[lotus54]

I've only ridden a Vstrom for a few mintues, so this really isn't very informative on it.
My first impressions, no brakes, mushy suspension and I didn't like the handling.
Now, that is on a VERY short ride, so I'm sure not particularly accurate. Perhaps once you got on gravel roads it would come into it's own.

I find the MTS very comfy for long trips (05 seat, 'S' model). I just got back from a 1000 mile weekend ride, 400 miles the first day, 600 miles the second. No problems with the seat. But you can't just sit there like sitting on a couch! Flex your muscles on a regular basis, move around a bit. It is better on twisty roads, freeways are not as great. Over 80mph it could use a bit more wind protection, perhaps the laminar lip or one of the taller,wider screens (I have the 05 screen). I know Gary used a much larger one on his Prudue Bay to Key West record trip.
I ride two-up and it feels very good. My sweetie hasn't complained about the seat (and she wouldn't hesitate to let me know if she didn't like it). I have a small 26L Givi tailbag on it with a back rest- she likes that. She is only 5 foot tall, so finds the footpegs a bit low.

I haven't done much maintenance on this bike, but the previous Ducatis I've owned haven't been bad at all. Pulling the tank/seat to do most chores is an added time that really should have been addressed at the factory. It should be a quick disconnect. But I said the same thing about the fairing on the ST bikes- I converted it to Dzus fasteners so I could actually get to things. I'll have to do some thinking on the MTS.

You should try and get an extended ride on one to see how it fits you. I'm 5'10" and around 170lbs, so how I fit will be a lot different than you.

Mark

[CB1100F]

I am a current V-strom owner also looking at the MTS. As Finn stated I am looking for something with a little bit more character. I was originally set on a 1200GS but the price kept getting in the way. I looked at the Tiger and now the Multi.

It seems from everything I have read in the MC press that Ducati goes out of it's way to say the MTS is not an off road machine. Would you class the bike the same as my Strom? Like an 90/10 or 85/15 street/dirt machine?

Steve

[Habanero]

The Multi is a road bike, through and through. A great one, I love it. But I wouldn't buy it planning for off road trooping. Good gravel or dirt roads are no problem, but they aren't for any decent machine. If you really plan to do a fair amount of off roading, get the GS. On the road, the GS and Multi have very similar capabilities, just different styles. Personally the GS didn't feel right, but I'm sure I could get the same performance out of it.

I have no experience on the V-Strom.

1150 GS's are a steal, now that the 1200's are out. My Dad sold an 1150 to get the 1200, he's still not sure he likes it more, he says the 1200 definitely runs a bit rougher.

Enjoy the adventure of looking ....
Scott

[mr.vince0]

You might consider the DL650 vstrom. Smoother torque delivery than the dl1000 and quicker handling as well. In many ways it is better than the mts 620, I don't know about the mts1000.

DL650 handles great, is reliable, is inexpensive to buy (6K otd) and own (about 120.US for scheduled maintenance). Mostly, it is the most fun bike I've ever ridden. The seating position allows for all-day comfortable riding, canyon slicing with the best of them (not a problem holding with the GSXR's in the twistys - but they lose me in the straight-a-ways). Its fast enough for me, about 120mph in any seating position.

When I considered a bike after a long hiatus, I first looked at the mts 1000 and mts 650. Mostly, I wanted the mystique of owning a Ducati first and a great motorcycle second. After reading reviews of mts 620 and dl650 comparisons, I realized that the suzuki is likely the better all-around bike for me.

So, I guess its a trade-off of budget, sex appeal, and riding style.

[JohnB]

Here's what I get from all this:

The Multi is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The Vstrom is a sheep.

[Habanero]

[fmechini]

Similar bikes, similar mission in reality they are different. The DL will probabily do better on the rough, the Duc is definitively better on the road. In the end you will be the rider. Test both and then fell in love with one.

Waht I can tell you is that no bike will give you the feeling of a Duc ...
Fred

[JohnB]

[kneepuck]

The Duck lets me buy real rubber as it has standard tires. And the vStrom is one of the ugliest bikes I have ever set my eyes on (no offence intended - as looks are subjective). A bike needs to speak to me so softly it makes me stiff. The vStrom makes me impotent.

[tolski]

"Wolf in sheeps clothing".............well maybe, but the fact that it has a Ducati badge on it will tell you that its no ordinary bike. First time I rode one it gave me the surprise of my life. As I arrived back into the dealers carpark I had my credit card out before the sidestand was down!!

tolski

[Ducman123]

Enter a freeway on ramp in 2nd gear roll the throttle and upshift. You hit the fat part of the torque curve and are doing 85 mph before you can check your mirrors... sold.

[kurtdomski]

[addysdaddy]

One of my riding buddies has the DL1000 and simply loves it! From time to time he asks if we can switch rides and it does seem out that he's hesitant to switch back - it's also interesting that he's always the one to that asks about switching. (lol) He then makes it a point once he's back on his bike to announce his affection for his DL1000 - which I frankly don't doubt.

I've ridden the DL many times and think it's nice. But I agree with the other posts, it doesn't have a lot of character and I'm not personally found of it's looks. If I was going cross country, I would probably want to take his bike - but other than that I don't see it other than money. And I actually bought my used (800 miles) 2005 MTS1000s for the same price he spent on his new 2005 Vstrom 1000. Suzuki probably a bit cheaper to maintain over the long haul, but on an annual basis I doubt if it would add up to much worth talking about.

Stuart