Ducati Multistrada 1000DS
Purchased mainly to commute to work and because I wanted one!
Had for a little over a year and covered about 3000 miles with a 40 mile roundtrip on A & B roads. It does the job well in all weathers and you get off with a grin on your face, even though it's a commute to work.
Riding position is good and overall performs very well. Luggage is excellent setup and well made. Bike handles really well, even on bumpy back roads. Brakes are good, but not as good as some. I changed the front brake pads to EBC HH and this has provided very noticeable difference.
The dry clutch setup means it's noisy at rest, until you pull the clutch lever in.
Does not seem to like low RPM and vibrates madly shaking the clocks and top fairing about. I here there have been cases of the brackets cracking due to this. The standard screen is a biff snaffle is use and seems designed to cause more turbulence rather than deflect from the rider. I have replaced with a Powerbroze double bubble unit which is an improvement.
Mechanically it takes a little getting used to and has a few quirks. Wanted to replace the seat with a different style and found it unlike any other machine I've owned. Had to dismantle a large part of the plastics just to get at it. As I'd not done this before and is not well documented, it took me about 3 hours.
Petrol gauge is unrealistic and you really need to measure based on the trip.
The electric start button is very good as one touch and it then keeps going until it's engaged (i.e. you don't need to keep your finger on the button).
Mine came with a cent re stand fitted and although it's very useful, it has caused me a scary moments as is digs into the ground when the suspension is compressed and the bike at very minimal lean angles. I modified the stop to lift this up a little, but you can only go so far as it would hit the chain if you go too far. Seems a real afterthought and not that well designed to the bike.
The side stand is flaky as well. It sits very far forward and seems too short for the bike. It's lean angle on the side stand is too far over and sometimes when getting on the bike you have to be careful that the bike doesn't fall over as the pivot point of the stand is near the cent re of gravity and toppling over would be pretty easily done, especially if the bike was on a slight downward incline. I'm told the stand from a latter model will fit (but that's around £170). I stuck a Camel Toe and that seems to have worked.
The Cat looks like someone has stuck a vacuum cleaner on the back end. I might look to swap that for a straight through pipe as that would help with the cent re stand issue as well.
Getting the rear wheel nuts off can be fun and have had to use an air wrench at times to loosen the nuts.
Changing the pilot bulb in the headlight is best undertaken after completing a gynecologist course or you're called Luke and can use the force.
My 2003 Multistrada currently showing 14,000 miles
Specs
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Model: | Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Category: | Allround |
| Rating: | 77.4 out of 100. Show full rating and compare with other bikes |
| Engine and transmission | |
| Displacement: | 992.00 ccm (60.53 cubic inches) |
| Engine type: | V2, four-stroke |
| Power: | 84.00 HP (61.3 kW)) @ 8000 RPM |
| Torque: | 84.00 Nm (8.6 kgf-m or 62.0 ft.lbs) @ 5000 RPM |
| Compression: | 10.0:1 |
| Bore x stroke: | 94.0 x 71.5 mm (3.7 x 2.8 inches) |
| Valves per cylinder: | 2 |
| Fuel system: | Injection |
| Fuel control: | Desmodromic valve control |
| Cooling system: | Air |
| Gearbox: | 6-speed |
| Transmission type, final drive: |
Chain |
| Chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels | |
| Frame type: | Tubular steel trellis frame |
| Rake (fork angle): | 24.0° |
| Front suspension: | Showa 43 mm fully adjustable upside-down fork |
| Front suspension travel: | 165 mm (6.5 inches) |
| Rear suspension: | Progressive linkage with fully adjustable Showa monoshock; hydraulic remote pre-load control |
| Rear suspension travel: | 141 mm (5.6 inches) |
| Front tyre dimensions: | 120/70-ZR17 |
| Rear tyre dimensions: | 180/55-ZR17 |
| Front brakes: | Double disc |
| Front brakes diameter: | 320 mm (12.6 inches) |
| Rear brakes: | Single disc |
| Rear brakes diameter: | 245 mm (9.6 inches) |
| Physical measures and capacities | |
| Dry weight: | 200.0 kg (440.9 pounds) |
| Power/weight ratio: | 0.4200 HP/kg |
| Seat height: | 820 mm (32.3 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting. |
| Overall height: | 1,280 mm (50.4 inches) |
| Overall length: | 2,130 mm (83.9 inches) |
| Wheelbase: | 1,462 mm (57.6 inches) |
| Fuel capacity: | 20.00 litres (5.28 gallons) |