Wanna buy » Handling of the MS comparison

[wforider 2009 1100S (Red)]

I work for a BMW dealer which has JUst taken on Ducati. Am a salesman with a 2005 R1200GS and a 2008 Moto guzzi Ca. Vintage. Going to sell my Vintage and get a Strada.
Will be doing some demo riding soon, just wondering how much of a advantage the Ohlins front forks over OEM STD. The last one I rode the steering seemed very percise from the Ohlins front end.

Is there anyone in Strada land that has had a Telelever front end of a Beemer and a S Strada. Some comparision

[lotus54 - Moderator]

Maybe not a good comparison,
But I own an 'S' Multi and rode a buddy's K1200S for a whole day of a trip.
Various roads, but mostly open, big sweepers- only limited tight corners.

I quite liked the BMW for the big open roads. It was great on the sweepers, tons of power, pretty smooth and pretty comfy.
I didn't like it nearly as well on the tight stuff, the Multi is made for that. The suspension on the Multi seemed more controlled, firm but handled bumps very well.
The BWM was better on the freeway, but other places I liked the Multi suspension better.

The Multi turns way easier, but perhaps that is what makes it a bit touchier on the high speed stuff.

Mark

[sailwa66 2004 1000 DS]

I spent some seat time on a 1150GS, and while the telelever is butter smooth, it doesn't have the road feel of even my non-S Multistrada with Showa forks.

The Ohlins bits are sweet, but unless you're racing, I feel they're rather pointless on a street Multi, since the Showa suspension is pretty good to begin with. But hey, it's free country, get what you want.

[mandrbarrett 2003 1000 DS (Red)]

I feel they're rather pointless on a street Multi

I'd agree. I have the ohlins shock on my ST4s and whilst it looks great I have to be honest and say that it dioesn't really handle any better than my ST2 at street speeds.

Mark

[lotus54 - Moderator]

I re-read your question.
I don't think the Ohlins will steer any better, but what the Ohlins forks really do will is absorb small bumps and big ones with the least impact.
They are very plush at street speeds, but very controlled if you push it.

Mark

[potomacduc 2013 1200 (Red)]

I have very few miles on a Multistrada S with Ohlins (one test ride) but my impression was that the Ohlins setup is quite nice. From a performance standpoint it felt at least as firm and planted as the Showa set-up on the non-S, while at the same time being noticably more plush.

As for telelever vs. MTS, again my experience is limited, but between my friend's Rockster and several test rides, I do have a couple hundred miles on telelever bikes. As someone else said, the Telelever is nice in a straight line and in sweeping curves. Where I am less than enamored with it is on tighter roads. To me, the front end feels like it is pushing, even when it's not and steering in general is slower and higher effort. Of course all of the BMWs I have ridden have been at least 40 pounds heavier than my Multi and had longer wheelbases, so that could be a large part of the equation.

[drdave39 2010 1200S (White)]

I have a 2004 1000DS Multi with an Ohlins rear and race-tech reworked showas, lowered 1 inch. I alos own an R1200RT and previously rode an R1100S, both with full Ohlins. As several other folks have said, the Multi "feels" more precise than the the telelever bikes, but in actuality tthey steer just as well. The Multi is more flickable in the tight twisties, but I think that also is a function of the wider bar. I suspect you could put stickier tires on an R1200GS and they would be very close indeed. I just plain enjoy the Multi more for fun rides- it feels lighter and more lively than the BMWs. But both BMWs were more relaxing on long rides while being rock-solid in the twisties, and the ABS and telelever have saved my bacon a few times. You won't go wrong with either.

Dave

[wforider 2009 1100S (Red)]

Thanks for the reply on the suspension. Have the owners of the ohlins have their suspension set up for them. I put Elka suspension on my GS and it made a huige difference...carry more speed into the turns.Yes the Gs has a longer wheelbase but it handles extremely well.
The Strada I have ridden, 1st of all love the weight or lack of, Turns in very quickly and is stable when the back end steps out a bit.

I know I should ask this in another post, but how is the Termi cans/ecu/filter combo on the bike.
How is mid range effected.

Thanks,

Joe

[wforider 2009 1100S (Red)]

Yes Dr.Dave that was the feeling I got as well. much more percise. So One could deal quite well with a showa front end and some premium in hte rear?

J

[Habanero 2006 1000S DS]

So One could deal quite well with a showa front end and some premium in hte rear?

J

Absolutely.

I have owned both Showa & Ohlins equipped Multistradas. I liked the Showas. As others have said, the Ohlins are a plusher ride. The Showas transmit more force back up through the bars to you when you hit rough roads surfaces. That sensitivity gives you a good feel for the road surface, I thought.


Scott

[drdave39 2010 1200S (White)]

Yes Dr.Dave that was the feeling I got as well. much more percise. So One could deal quite well with a showa front end and some premium in hte rear?

J

I had my Showas re-worked- turns out that the Race-Tech springs and valves for the Monster fit, It made the front a bit more plush on the small stuff but still nice and firm at speed. Maybe a poor man's Ohlins? The sweet part is that I picked up the Ohlins from a salvage yard for $500 and it was about $300 in parts for the forks. Can't beat the bang for the buck there...

[DR14 2015 1200S (Red)]

I know I should ask this in another post, but how is the Termi cans/ecu/filter combo on the bike.
How is mid range effected.

Thanks,

Joe

Yep, quick thread detour but it works very well, slight boost of mid range and increased smoothness of power delivery on my 1000 DS, not to mention the great sound, I love it.

-Dave

[DR14 2015 1200S (Red)]

I should add the above is with the Staintune headers, you'll also need to change up
the stock, more restricting headers to get the most from the Termi kit.

-Dave

[kmasa58 2007 1100 (Red)]

I had an 05' BMWR12GS before I moved to my current 07 mts. The front-end feed back to phenominal on the mts! It makes the GS front end feel so "vague"... But, once you get used to the GS front end, there's nothing smoother out on the market. The mts offers the most feed-back I've ever experienced, but bit harsh. But, my mts is the 'standard' version & for the +$2k price difference, I'd expect the Ohlins to provide much better "feel".
kmasa58

[lotus54 - Moderator]

I don't know if the Olins have more feel than the Showas, but they certainly are never harsh in any way.
Perhaps a bit more feel in some ways, since the harshness is gone.
I don't know, since I don't push the Multi to the point of sliding the tyres very much at all.
Now on the dirt bike- I can talk about feel, since I'll slide both ends all the time.

Mark