Wanna buy » 2 up touring, noob question.

[wannamulti]

My wife and I like to do one or two reasonably big tours each year and the rest of the time it's just me on the bike. My current ride is a BMW LT which of course is very comfortable for the passenger. Will my wife, who is 120lbs, be even remotely comfortable on the back of a Multistrada? When, if, I pull the trigger and buy a Multi I will also get a tour pack and panniers. What is the opinion of your riding partners?

[bikernut 2006 620 Dark]

Coming off the back of that LT will take some getting used to for her.

[scram 2010 1200S (White)]

my wife has taken several long rides with me (the latest being 900km in 3 days) and her only comment is that with the DP panniers foot position is somewhat limited because her heels and calfs are coming into contact with the luggage. On the other side of that though she can dangle her feet as they don't come anywhere near touching the ground while in the pillion seat. 150-200 km seems to be the limit before we both need a bit of a rest and the old hoss is getting thirsty at that time also. I think I could pull 250km out of a tank of fuel 2-up but that would REALLY be pushing it. A pair of riding pants made her happier for the long rides. Something else to think about while the top case would supply a backrest it eliminates ANY place at all for the passenger to grab onto (aside from you).

[sailwa66 2004 1000 DS]

I'd second the backrest suggestion, and 'Habanero' on the board here makes a nice one. But other than that, the bike works great as is, two-up for a 120lb passenger. Might consider some earplugs or noise-cancellation earphones, and the wind noise (versus the LT) might get bothersome.

[sailwa66 2004 1000 DS]

http://www.multistrada.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10011

[dmk 2007 1100S (Red)]

K1100LT or K1200LT? No way will it be as comfortable as a K1200LT. Compared to a K1100LT, you might be able to get close.

I just got my Multi this year and I've been working with my wife to make it comfortable enough for a 9 day trip to Newfoundland we're planning next month. Her chief complaint was the wind blast and buffeting. We used to tour on a K1100RS, which surprisingly had much better wind protection. There are a lot of different wind screens available for the Multi, so it's likely you can find something that will work. Her second request was a backrest. I put on a Hepco & Becker top case and swapped the back rest it came with for a custom one I made with softer foam. She also asked for a different seat. The stock seat on the Multi is OK for me - but only just. For her, it was only good for about 1/2 day. Finally, I installed the Autocom we've been using for years to talk and listen to tunes, and installed plugs & thermostat for our heated gear.

The only thing bothering her now is that it's difficult to get on and off the bike with the panniers and top case installed. But we've yet to go more than 2 full days back to back. I'm sure more issues will be revealed over the course of 9 days.

Dave

[bgraber 2007 1100 (Red)]

Keep the LT and treat yourself to the Multi. Your worth it!

[wannamulti]

I like the way you think. But I would have to give up racing and sell my other bikes before my significant other would go for the "LT for us and the Multi for me" scenario. However it is good to know that touring can be done on the Multi and would certainly make for a more entertaining ride than the LT.

[MJG 2007 1100S (Red)]

my wife has taken several long rides with me (the latest being 900km in 3 days) and her only comment is that with the DP panniers foot position is somewhat limited because her heels and calfs are coming into contact with the luggage. On the other side of that though she can dangle her feet as they don't come anywhere near touching the ground while in the pillion seat. 150-200 km seems to be the limit before we both need a bit of a rest and the old hoss is getting thirsty at that time also. I think I could pull 250km out of a tank of fuel 2-up but that would REALLY be pushing it. A pair of riding pants made her happier for the long rides. Something else to think about while the top case would supply a backrest it eliminates ANY place at all for the passenger to grab onto (aside from you).

The top case with back rest is nice- I think passanger CAN still reach hand rests under it and hold on.
At least with the DP bracket and top case.

[wim1000]

When I met my girlfriend 3 years ago I owned a monster which I loved and still love. But she liked it very much, riding 2 up, but with the monster that is no option, especially when you wnat to make bigger tours as we planned. So I needed a new bike and did not want to change to another make, although a lot of bikes came across, some friends of ours ride FJR's which is a very nice bike to tour with.

We lookes at the ST3 and the Multi, she liked the ST and I liked the Multi and since it was my bike and I want to do some sporty riding too I decided to buy the Multi.

Looking for luggage for a 10 day trip I ended up buying the Wolfman Luggage tankbag and side panniers and backpack from Roadgear which is really outstanding stuff.

In spring 2006 we organized a trip to Lake Garda in Italy for 10 days, together with 4 couples with FJR's. We were experienced travellers on the bike. Put the bike on the train for the trip and we went.

Before the trip we made some practising trips with the luggage and it turned out that she was very comfortable riding with me and the luggage, I mean it is not a easy for her to get on the bike as without luggage but all things need to get used to.

We rode the Dolomite mountains which are very twisty and we both loved it. I loved the turns and she loved the siteseeing and never a word of complaint about the comfort (I have DP comfort seat front and rear).

The way back to Holland we rode, through Switserland and France and Luxemburg avoiding Hiways, this was about 1300 km in three days with full luggage.

I can tell you, for touring the Multi is as good as an FJR, concerning comfort and highway use, it is much better on twisty roads.

For me it is the ideal bike, fast and sportbike teasing when i ride it alone and a very comforteble ride two up for long distances.

Do not hesitate, get one for a test ride, single and two up and you will now why this forum exists. We all own the best combination of sports and touring, with a beauty that only Italians can build....and guess what, she is as reliable as any bike.

Greetz,

Wim

[wim1000]

Sell the bear from Bavaria and buy the beauty from Bologna

[lotus54 - Moderator]

My wife rides with me, sometimes for fairly long trips. She finds it fairly comfortable.
I have a small 26L Givi top case with a backrest- she doesn't like it without. Afraid of falling off I guess.
She does say the rack arms tend to get in the way- I think a setup like Habanero's backrest would be better in that way. I was going to pad those rack arms, but haven't gotten around to it. She it pretty short, so would actually like the pegs a bit higher.

The hardest part for her is getting on!

Like others have said, I'm sure it won't be as comfy as the BMW. Can you take one for a ride with her?

Mark

[dmk 2007 1100S (Red)]

I can tell you, for touring the Multi is as good as an FJR, concerning comfort and highway use, it is much better on twisty roads.

For me it is the ideal bike, fast and sportbike teasing when i ride it alone and a very comforteble ride two up for long distances.

Wim,

You've got it right. The versatility of the Multi difficult to match. I thought hard about the FJR, it just fits me like a glove. But it likes to be ridden fast, too fast for most of the places I ride. I don't have to go fast to have fun on the Multi, and it just begs to be thrown around in the tight stuff.

At first I was skeptical of the Multi's touring ability, but with help from the Ducati accessories catalog and the aftermarket, you can set it up to be a full blown, fully farkled touring machine. Then when you get home from the big trip, change it to back to sporting mode.

It's the best example of what a modern standard should be.

Dave