Mts 1200?

PK1

PK1

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Anyone out there got a Ducati Multistrada (preferably 2013 model) and an FZ1?

If so, what are your thoughts?

I'm seriously thinking of an MTS 1200 as my next bike.
 
Well, since no one else has posted here and I've ridden a MTS 1200 a couple of times, compared it to my Ducati ST4S, and have ridden Lytehouse's FZ1 a number of times, maybe I can give you a few things to consider. Your own test ride will definitely tell you a lot though.

First off, the engine. The low end and mid-range power of the liter size + Ducati engines is intoxicating. My ST runs the 996 superbike engine and the new 1200cc engines are way more powerful. I had a Kawasaki ZX10R and while I knew it could toast my 996 powered Duc, the Duc felt like it pulled harder at normal speeds through town or even mountain roads, so it was more fun. The FZ, like the ZX10, obviously is still more than enough power to get the job done and have a ton of fun. The Duc's vibrate more than the FZ, but it is a lower frequency buzz, so I actually feel the buzzy hand syndrome a little less after long rides than some Japanese 4 cylinder bikes I used to own. I've never ridden the FZ1 for a long ride, but I am always amazed at how smooth it feels when I get on it, so it won't feel like that. Your first impression of the vibration may be dissappointing if you like the ultra smooth feel of the FZ. The MTS 1200's I've ridden seemed to vibrate a bit more than my ST, but that may be just because they were new bikes and the engines were not broken in.

I'm 6'3" and have long legs, so I have always found the FZ a little cramped with my knees riding higher than I like. The MTS is better, but I did not have as much room as I thought I would, say comparing to a BMW GS, but it is still comfy. The seating position was very straight up which I liked, but interestingly, with all that power, I almost had to consciously think about keeping my weight forward when accelerating hard unless you are ok with the front wheel coming up. My ST has a more forward lean and less power, so that is less noticeable.

The selectable engine mapping on the MTS is nice. My ST likes the open road, but not in town riding. It's throttle is very abrubt and it does not like to go slow. The FZ1 does not seem to care, around town, open road, it runs nice all the time. The MTS seemed similar to my ST until I switched it to Enduro mode. That smoothed everything out at low speed and it was easy and smooth to ride around town. Again, these were new engines, so they may have smoothed out after break-in anyway.

Handling on the MTS is terrific. Lots of suspension adjustments to suit every situation and I didn't find any fault in the way it handles vs my ST or the FZ1. I didn't push it hard enough to say if it would do better than the other bikes when ridden harder. All the reviews I've read give it high marks in this department and I'm sure it is better than me as far as capability. Frankly, all these bikes I mention are more capable than me.

I've never had a reliability issue with my Ducati, but they are expensive when it comes to scheduled maintenance. I do all of my own maintenance on the BMW, it is super easy to work on a boxer engine, but the Ducati requires more specialized tools, and a shim kit to do valve adjustments. The FZ just goes so long before scheduled maintenance (except oil changes), we have not had to do anything to it yet. They did bump up the maintenance interval on the Ducati engines around 2007, so that helps. I think it is 15000 now, but I don't remember if that is K's or miles.

While Ducati has positioned the MTS as somewhat of a dual sport, it is heavily biased to the road, and there are better big dual sport options if that influences your decision, IMO.

Hope that helps, or at least gives you some things to look for when you do your test ride.

Good luck.
 
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Someone on this forum went from a gen 2 FZ1 to an MTS 1200 but I forget who. Use the search feature, he posted up a thorough review thread.
 
Having ridden a friends MTS1200 a few times, I will give you my impressions.

The MTS is comfortable for me @5'6" tall, It's a stretch to reach the ground, but I ride with my feet on the pegs. The power is very good for the street. The best part IMHO is the suspension. It works great. We have lots pof crappy rough roads in the mountains and the enduro settings made the bumps disappear and the power reduction in this mode makes it much easier to get on the gas without fear.
 
J_Slyter said:
Well, since no one else has posted here and I've ridden a MTS 1200 a couple of times, compared it to my Ducati ST4S, and have ridden Lytehouse's FZ1 a number of times, maybe I can give you a few things to consider. Your own test ride will definitely tell you a lot though.

First off, the engine. The low end and mid-range power of the liter size + Ducati engines is intoxicating. My ST runs the 996 superbike engine and the new 1200cc engines are way more powerful. I had a Kawasaki ZX10R and while I knew it could toast my 996 powered Duc, the Duc felt like it pulled harder at normal speeds through town or even mountain roads, so it was more fun. The FZ, like the ZX10, obviously is still more than enough power to get the job done and have a ton of fun. The Duc's vibrate more than the FZ, but it is a lower frequency buzz, so I actually feel the buzzy hand syndrome a little less after long rides than some Japanese 4 cylinder bikes I used to own. I've never ridden the FZ1 for a long ride, but I am always amazed at how smooth it feels when I get on it, so it won't feel like that. Your first impression of the vibration may be dissappointing if you like the ultra smooth feel of the FZ. The MTS 1200's I've ridden seemed to vibrate a bit more than my ST, but that may be just because they were new bikes and the engines were not broken in.

I'm 6'3" and have long legs, so I have always found the FZ a little cramped with my knees riding higher than I like. The MTS is better, but I did not have as much room as I thought I would, say comparing to a BMW GS, but it is still comfy. The seating position was very straight up which I liked, but interestingly, with all that power, I almost had to consciously think about keeping my weight forward when accelerating hard unless you are ok with the front wheel coming up. My ST has a more forward lean and less power, so that is less noticeable.

The selectable engine mapping on the MTS is nice. My ST likes the open road, but not in town riding. It's throttle is very abrubt and it does not like to go slow. The FZ1 does not seem to care, around town, open road, it runs nice all the time. The MTS seemed similar to my ST until I switched it to Enduro mode. That smoothed everything out at low speed and it was easy and smooth to ride around town. Again, these were new engines, so they may have smoothed out after break-in anyway.

Handling on the MTS is terrific. Lots of suspension adjustments to suit every situation and I didn't find any fault in the way it handles vs my ST or the FZ1. I didn't push it hard enough to say if it would do better than the other bikes when ridden harder. All the reviews I've read give it high marks in this department and I'm sure it is better than me as far as capability. Frankly, all these bikes I mention are more capable than me.

I've never had a reliability issue with my Ducati, but they are expensive when it comes to scheduled maintenance. I do all of my own maintenance on the BMW, it is super easy to work on a boxer engine, but the Ducati requires more specialized tools, and a shim kit to do valve adjustments. The FZ just goes so long before scheduled maintenance (except oil changes), we have not had to do anything to it yet. They did bump up the maintenance interval on the Ducati engines around 2007, so that helps. I think it is 15000 now, but I don't remember if that is K's or miles.

While Ducati has positioned the MTS as somewhat of a dual sport, it is heavily biased to the road, and there are better big dual sport options if that influences your decision, IMO.

Hope that helps, or at least gives you some things to look for when you do your test ride.

Good luck.
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Mate, that's brilliant...thank you. I have to say, after owning a R1100s, I quite like a few vibes...in fact that is one thing I really miss as bikes with vibes feel "alive". I think the MTS will suit me better than a GS as 90% of my riding is road based. I'm glad you mentioned the ST4 as I was also considering one of these! I'm still keen on the MTS.....thank for taking the time to share you thoughts.
 
PK1 said:
I think the MTS will suit me better than a GS as 90% of my riding is road based. I'm glad you mentioned the ST4 as I was also considering one of these! I'm still keen on the MTS.....thank for taking the time to share you thoughts.
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Looks like you got it even though I didn't make one statement clear. I meant to say, I thought there were better big dual sports to consider if you were going off-road. I think the MTS 1200 is about as good as it gets for an on-road DS.

Do you guys have the new KTM 1190 Adventure down there yet? They are just arriving in the US. They don't have the 17" front wheel like the Duc, only 19" or 21" in the Adventure R model if you want even more off-road capability, but they make power on par with the MTS 1200. The non R model might be worth comparing.

And you are welcome. I always like to help folks spend their money when it comes to bikes since I can't afford to buy all the one's I want.
 
This is out of left field but check out the Moto Guzzi Stelvio. Is an amazing, underdog bike.

Great torque, rides on rails, killer brakea, comfortable.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
 
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