Wanna buy » Multistrada In an Urban Environment

[eno1212 2006 620]

First, let me state that you Multistrada owners run a first-rate forum, packed with a lot of great information. That said, I am currently looking to replace my Honda 599 with a used Multistrada620 (non-dark) or a 05-07 1000/1100.

I live in Washington, DC and weekday driving consists of stop and go high-density traffic. Weekend riding consists of approximately 30 miles of highway riding until I reach quality back roads. I have had the opportunity to drive a 620 on both the highway and the back roads and was impressed with its performance. Could someone provide me with their insight into how the Multistrada performs at the mundane stop, go, and sit in traffic function? Particularly clutch operation and engine temperature.

Also, because I have not had the opportunity to ride the 1000/1100 at all, mainly because dealers are reluctant to demo, I am interested in your feedback on the difference in weight, compared to the 620, in terms of flickability and handling.

Thanks

[Dinola 2006 620 (Red)]

personally, stop and go is definately not a forte of ducs. The 620 (and the largers too, i think) have a very short friction zone on the clutch, don't like lower rpm's (live starts at 4K). Come to think of it, no bike likes stop and go, eh. but the the duc is particularly challenging. Once its moving, even slowly, all the features that make it a multi road bike, make it a great commuter.

[upstaterider 2006 1000S DS (Red)]

Stop-and-go, light-to-light is rather a chore, and a pain, on a Multi. I just did it this morning to get my Ducati dealer and I didn't care for it at all.

Pick a liquid-cooled, light-clutch Japanese bike for urban commuting - maybe a V-Strom 650.

[archkevinbrown]

I greatly enjoy riding my 620 around NYC, and Manhattan particularly, and have no complaints about clutch operation, though it took a couple of days to get used to. For engine temp, stop and go isn't so bad except in the worst of rush hour when the "go" part is only a couple of seconds at 15mph.

[JJGeo 2004 1000 DS (Black)]

I didn't have any problems with my wife's MTS620 in stop and go traffic. Clutch pull was light, it started easily from a stop, and it didn't throw off a lot of heat from the engine. Overall very good in town.

The MTS620 only downside IMO is the suspension, which can be upgraded fairly easily.

The MTS1000 is a bit more difficult in stop and go due to the dry clutch. The dry clutch lever pull is heavier, and dry clutches tend to get a bit grabby when they get hot. They also wear out faster...although mine has 18K miles on it currently. Another thing to think about is the noise from the dry clutch. For a daily commuter the clutch racket may get old, and if you keep the stock cover on to keep the noise down you'll have to take it off every few thousand miles and blow out the dust to keep it from "groaning". Not a big deal IMO...but something to think about.

The 1000 engine is OK around town though. I've ridden mine a lot in traffic and have been fine. Clutch pull is the only issue...and it doesn't really bother me. Again, the engine doesn't throw off too much heat IMO.

The MTS1100 would be better than the 1000 because it has a wet clutch, and the engine is a bit smoother. Best of both worlds between the 620 and 1000 for a commuter.

[lunchbox 2004 1000 DS (Red)]

+1 for the wet clutch. I have a 2004 multi 1000 and I have to say that I hate the dry clutch. When I had my 2001 750 monster I always wished I would have got the M900 so I could have had the dry clutch but now that I have one I wished I didn't.

[wdietz186 2007 1100S (Black)]

The 1100 is very well behaved in stop and go traffic.The wet clutch is smooth and has a pretty wide engagement band so 1st gear work is not a problem.I've been in Georgetown on sunny Sat. afternoons and not had any heating issues but the bike is much more pleasant when rolling.Get in touch with DucPond Motosports,I think they have a Multi Demo available and Winchester is only about an hour or so of pleasant riding away.

[mattpolantz 2006 1000S DS (Red)]

The 620 is a wonderful commuter bike. I put 11k miles on mine in 2 years before laying it down in DC. Watch out for the metro ventilation grates!!!

Drop down to a 14 tooth front sprocket and you can easily run smooth down to 3k rpms with very little clutch play. I have the Leo Vince slip-ons and header combined with removing the restricters on the airbox. That let me drop down to almost 2k smoothly.

After picking up the 1000 last week, I can definitely tell it will be more work in the stop and go between Pittsburgh and DC. Again, the 14t is the best way to make the bike functional at slow speeds. An upgraded slave cylinder can help a lot as well.

Engine temps haven't been an issue at all. On a 90+ day and little to no movement, you're going to get hot, but as soon as you move the temps drop back to normal. You can pick up an oil cooler for the 620 if this ever becomes an issue. The 1000/1100 come with this standard.

[Joeymac]

I do a lot of commuting in Toronto, and my '04 1000 multi is my main summer transport. The dry clutch mentioned here took some getting used to, as did the twitchy-ness of the throttle. It still prefers the open road, but no complaints anymore. The lightness of the bike makes it better in the city than other bikes of equal size.

[TTT]

+1 on the easy pull of the wet clutch on the 620, I think it makes a good urban bike partly for that reason... also wide bars, comfortable, upright riding position

[duffy 2004 1000 DS (Black)]

I ride through London traffic every day.
Everything I've ever ridden gets hot (!) (Triumphs, Nortons, BMWs) all air cooled, y'see.
But then, when you see a stretch, or even a gap, the Ducati nails it!
And later, out of town. Well, it's the closest you'll ever come to flying, without a plane (albeit at a height of five feet).
I test-rode the 620 first, loved it. Then I rode the 1000... Bought it!
More power than I will ever need, but it's there anyway. Nice.

[selanne8 2006 620 (Red)]

i commute almost everyday on my 620. the friction zone is VERY small, but i don't have any problems in traffic with it. the only time i find the feathering the clutch challenging is during u-turns.

other than that, it's a great commuter. i see temps up to 240 on hot days, but typically closer to 200.

john

[Emerson 2006 1000S DS (Black)]

'06 1000S here

I commute to the DC area every day, and year-round, including this time of year; I'm on the Multi more often than not. Traffic sucks in my Jeep, it sucks in my wife's automatic Volvo, it sucks driving my parents nice cars. It sucks riding a motorcycle, too, but not as bad.

If you're in traffic around the DC beltway, typically it's moving 5-10mph or more, and the bike WILL warm, but not badly. If it's truly stopped traffic, yes, the air-cooling sucks. Then you split, run the shoulders, or just get off the road under a shady overpass until the helicopter leaves and the highway is reopened... I had my old 1000 get over 300 degrees twice - both times on highways on which an accident had shut it down; once I split and then ran the shoulder, the other time I pulled off the highway and waited it out for an hour.

Clutch pull hasn't really bothered me in the past. Perhaps because I'm still so used to manual transmission cars/trucks, that the effort involved just "is".

Love my Multi, and as noted above... once you DO get out of traffic, it IS a Ducati, after all.

[keener 2005 1000S DS (Black)]

ok i know i will take some heat on this but...WHY on earth would anyone want to commute in heavy stop and go traffic on a Ducati ..its seems like such a waste of bike for that purpose why not a light liquid cooled bike or something that would be more utilitarian, scooter perhaps
sorry but rush hour anywhere is just a chore and riding in it for me is not enjoyable.. i carpool.. we talk , we put on some tunes and take advantage of the time. public transit can be ok aswell if supplied.
ok bring it on ...

[Emerson 2006 1000S DS (Black)]

Simple: my traffic consists of approximately 2-6 miles each way, each day. My commute is a total of around 45 miles. Options for side streets with enjoyable lack of arrow-straightness are there as well for 95% of the trip. So, I have 39-43 miles of non-traffic commuting.

Not to mention the nearly 10 miles of HOV lane I get to use.

If it was all in an urban environment, all stop-go-stoplight, I would likely choose differently. if I were THAT close to work, I'd ride another bike - the bicycle.