DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200S (2015 - 2019) Review

It's Italian ! Doesn't like low revs!

Annual servicing reasonable if you use an independent qualified Ducati mechanic. Main service has to be dealer (15k miles,) no change from £1k I reckon at least.

+ electronic control of ride engine/ suspension etc. FBW throttle pretty good, comfortable, OEM tyres very good reasonable wear. - electronic adjustment bit of a faff

Cannot believe how good the standard Ohlins are, and the M55 Brembos are at the same level. Middle of the road settings more than good enough for everyday use. Not tested the pillion yet, not big runs, but 2 hr spins ha e been very favourable to K1600GT

Love the 2 stroke feel in the DVT. Whole transmission piece is light years ahead of the GS and GT, pleasure to use, even with no quickshift.

Stunning, so much better than BMW.

Thus was the belt service, last year was 200

Ohlins and a good tank bag. But most of all the full race Termi really sets it apart, makes it for me.

This is where the expensive 'cost of ownership' pays off... If you keep this bike in good condition, it is always at its best. Comfortable 1 or 2 up, full luggage or empty (press a button to compensate!). Whether you ride at 0-5 degrees in winter or 25 plus it is just amazing how good it makes you feel. This section is about ride quality and brakes, my suggestion is stick Michelin Road 5's on, keep the service components up to date and you will always have a bike that is superb...

I ride with the IAM and some times we do some some 'slow stuff', cones, braking practice etc, the engine doesn't like too much of that, I tried a 'booster plug device' to aid slow speed throttle control. Helped a bit... However everything above is about sub 2000 rpm, just get above that and as long as you don't expect Japanese 4 cylinder red-lines (the V twin is much lower) everything else is just brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Add a pillion, add luggage, tweak the electronic suspension and it won't be measurably slower. Everything I had before the 1200S was Japanese, so it was a learning curve, but have to say it was worth it...

The only problem was a gear selector sensor that failed twice (one time each year). This makes it difficult to select neutral at standstill and sometimes the gear indicator display gets confused. Once changed under warranty, but also failed the next year and was charged £120 to replace it. Didn't appreciate that as it was fine going into a Ducati service centre but had failed when I drove it out. When they fixed it a week later they charged me?

I replaced tyres, chains & sprockets, brake pads, oil and oil filters myself when required, oil and oil filters changed at 4500 miles mid point to the 9000 mile manufacturers recommendation. 18000 mile service was over £1000.I think as long as you are prepared (I was) for the £600 (average) cost it is OK. If you expect £200 per year you are in for a shock.

In it's day 2016-2017, it was THE best in the world, that's why I bought it. The electronics, dash, suspension (everything important) worked perfectly. Really nice touches, like the pannier brackets that are basically invisible when the bags are removed. After-market shorter screen worked better for me. Michelin Road 5's are brill if you ride all year (if you do, you already know). Wife found the pillion seat too hard and angled, so swopped for a TouraTec version which she preferred. Later on I found a TouraTec rider seat and bought that, maybe slightly better, but I didn't find the OEM seat bad in any way, just wanted the seats to match! The bike can link to the Ducati Ride app, or whatever Ducati call their version?, I tried this across various versions over 3 years, some worked to some degree, some didn't work and some bits worked always, I would call it a 60% experience.

Won't keep with modern 1k bikes but then again thats not what its for. It will do anything you ask and you still wont reach its limits - unless your intials are VR. It's fast enough for 99% of bikers.Buy the comfort seat and 300+ miles a day is easy. Pillion perch is big and wide enough for your fat bottomed company. Touring cases take just enough for a 2 week excursion. Fuel tank good for about 180miles as long as you keep it semi sensible.

1200cc of L-Twin grunt .... Peach of an engine when on song. A bit lumpy at low revs.

5 years of ownership and the only 2 faults were the battery in the remote fob died and a fork seal popped. Other than that its been sweet as a nut.

You know its a Ducati right? ... Yes servicing and parts are very expensive. But you get what you pay for. Its the Ferrari of the bike world remember. If you plan on reselling then a Ducati Service history is a must.

Keyless ignition, cornering ABS / Traction control, LED screen, heated grips all as standard. Bikes OEM Pirelli Angel GT tyres are really good choice and I've stuck with them. Brakes are fab especially with the cornering ABS ... Saved my bacon a couple of times.Ducati fit 'Ducati Wheelie Control' to the bike which is a real giggle. It doesn't stop the bikes front coming up as much as it sets which height off the floor the wheel will go to. Makes wheelies safe and fun.

I have had a whole range of bikes since my student days (40 years ago), and this is by far the best of the lot. It can be fast, or comfortable, or laden. It can be for posing, or revving or cruising. It works around town or out in the country. It does it all with style, quality, a great sound and that Italian-nes that is hard to describe.

Different engine modes let you have what you want. Urban is really only in wet or icy conditions, although it does lower the bike which does help if I have the pillion on, and am in town. touring is the default setting-full power, but gentler delivery. Fast enough for me - thank god for the anti wheelie control! Sport is a bit too abrupt and fierce for the road, with stiff suspension that really sets it up for the track rather than the road. Enduro lifts the bike, switches off the traction control and in theory lets you explore offload (I haven't really) I have had twins and fours in the past (no triples yet), and this does seem the best of both worlds. The DVT allows trundling around to be smooth at low speeds, yet open it up and off she goes like a bat out of hell. It gives the nice grumble of a twin at low speeds , but really sounds good as she revs up!

So far, it has just required the scheduled servicing, and replacement tyres. I covered every fastener and anything that didn't move in anti rust treatment, and it still looks as good as new

Its a Ducati, so actually I expected it to be more expensive! I use Ducati Glasgow and get the video tour before the service. The workshop is immaculate and clearly the mechanics know their stuff. The bike is completely stripped, serviced then reassembled and cleaned. I usually head into town for a coffee and browse for a couple of hours before heading back and picking it up.

For me the touring version has about everything you need on this bike. Heated grips, panniers, centre stand. All the electronics and gadgets needed, although the bluetooth is a bit confusing and there seems to be a constant battle going on with my mobile phone, my intercom and the Ducati. you can adjust all the settings individually if you want, but the default settings work for me, apart form dialling down the traction control, which seemed to kick in far too early, even on relatively gentle acceleration. Panniers are neat, stylish, strong and big enough.

Brembos on base model are okay but no better that my old Suzuki GSX1250. The S version has stronger more expensive Brembos which are very good. Very comfortable for the pillion; my wife is very happy on the back and we've covered many full days touring across Europe.

Plenty of power - thrilling when you open her up. Only really pulls hard from 5k rpm upwards.

Silencer cover bolts seized after just 18 months so had to drill them out to get a new back tyre fitted (the bike is garaged and not used in the winter). Some metal fittings corrode, fuel sender fails, exhaust valve sticks and has to be bypassed at extra cost (even under warranty).

Excellent service for WM Snells, Ducati Alton.

Good heated grips, great panniers (look good colour matched) easy to take on and off and no horrible scaffolding to attach them to the bike (a la BMW). Good info on LCD dash.

it have a lack of torque between 3000 and 5000 rpm, it is noticeable in every riding mode, it have been solve in the new 1260 models engine that I have tried and its perfect. They should have do something with the old models because they solve the problem for new buyers but the people that already have the bike have nothing to do.

sometimes It is hard to start, especially on cold weather, it cranks slow every time, which makes me feel its going to fail. The bluetooth its useless and the dash scratch to easy, not perfect but very close.

The service labor is expensive but you pay for profesional service, they change my trhottle with no cost for me (a 400 change).

Top the comfort and quality ride. Only down is the panniers to the pillion.

Everything to like, always available to gas. But in 4 to 6 rpm, cut a like of that boost (Euro IV).

Noisy plastics, brakes; Not uniform space in plastics, seat; Front discs corrosion; Sometimes fail to start; Too many times at the dealer to solve the lot of problems.

Almost 40€/hr of labor, it is outrageous! Almost 25€/L of oil, it is outrageous!

Besides the lower quality of the bluetooth conectivity, and the lack of usability of the cornering lights, everything is top, starting in the suspension.

This bike's agility and ability to corner is most definitely the best feature of the bike in my opinion. Even two up it turns in without hesitation and handles like a dream. Always feels planted and focussed and has never appeared to be out of its depth. The seat is comfy enough for an hour or two riding without a break. My pillion reported the bike to be very comfy. The breaks are very efficient on the front and although this years model is vastly improved on last years, the rear brake could be better.

There are a couple of weak or flat spots on the acceleration climb that I have noted and on a couple of occasions I have felt a bit underwhelmed. Beware though, the speed is very deceptive. In reality the bike is much more rapid than it can feel when riding it. A glance down at the speedometer will confirm you are travelling fast - very fast! This DVT version is greatly improved on the 2014 version i test rode last year. The engine handles slow traffic in a much more refined way and the quicker you move the happier it feels. Overall the engine is very good and again, two up appears not to affect the performance very much. Make no mistake the engine is excellent but the odd little flat spot is present.

The quality is good but not exceptional as I feel it should be for a bike of this value. Beautiful bike to look at but on very close inspection some attention to detail is lacking 5 star quality. For example some of the fairing parts are not equally matched to both sides of the bike. There was a little more plastic on the bike than I expected (weight positive?). Small niggles but downgraded as a result.

Only one first oil change service completed and the cost was in line with the previous BMW bike I had. Expect higher than back street garage bills - it's a Ducati after all!

The S version of the bike comes complete with a vast array of accessories. "Skyhook" suspension, cornering ABS, cruise control, heated grips, riding modes, colour screen are all excellent features. A feature that would really enhance this bike would be a quick shifter and I think Ducati have missed a trick here. Surely next years' model will have this added?