THREAD MORPHED: Was Ducati Ride+/-; Now Books, Cigars, Whiskey, & More!

[Bill Hagan]

So, brother Michael, after owning a Mana, Breva 1100, Norge 8v, California 1400 Touring, Norge 8v (lost in combat with minivan), and replacement Norge 8v, traded that last for Ducati Multistrada 1200.

BTW, Michael doesn't just "own" those, he RIDES 'em.  He puts an astonishing number of miles on each before he decides to try another model.

This time, he left Mandello for Baloney ... erm ... I mean Bologna.  I think he did the right thing.

He bought the MS last week, rode it all over the Cherohala and nearby paved delights, and immediately did the first-service mileage.   BTW, that service cost him only $260!

Michael added a new top-end Garmin and bags, but otherwise it's stock.  No "Ducati Skyhook Suspension (DSS) Evo," but I'm not sure that's worth the c.$2K pop.

Today, he let me romp a bit with it.

Michael -- in pic next below -- let (actually, encouraged) me to ride it.  How does one turn down such an offer?  This one doesn't.   





Before I left, Michael threatened me with various painful deaths if I were to drop it.





The thing is fast, but not as fast as APD radio. 





Staged, of course, with Guzzista pikeh.   




Ah, but the "review?"

I took the new red beast through my old neighborhood -- Inman Park, which is having its annual festival this weekend -- BS'd and bench-raced with Jay, then wandered south out of town on Bouldercrest, etc., and in and around some windy roads I used to run at lunch time when I was at Fort Gillem.

Probably only did 60 or so miles, but was able -- (more or less) within break-in constraints of <6K -- to run it pretty well in "touring" and "sport" mode.  It has "urban" and something else I think, but I never did those.  Michael says "urban" is great in rain.

Here are some quick impressions.  FWIW, I have not read any reviews of the MS.  I rode a 650 (?) a few years ago, and thought it a bit buzzy and unremarkable.

This one ...

1.  BLUF: Stupendous machine.  Manages to combine exhilaration with unflappable composure.

2.  Great induction and exhaust notes at stops on idle and even more so when pushed "as intended," but nothing special aurally when piddling along.  The ripping at upper end is intoxicating.

3.  This is just seat-of-the-pants dyno, but MS is quick off the line and -- in touring mode -- has a second-half rush that makes it seem that a turbocharger kicked in. In sport, that is more linear.  The latter is likely quicker, but not as much fun.  And, again, IMO FWIW after only a brief exposure, I think my Griso might be faster, at least to 90 or so.  Didn't play in higher numbers, and haven't a clue if that isn't a performance version of a vanity selfie.  Moreover, while I didn't baby it, I did not for obvious reasons, stress it, either.

4.  On a cool, humid, showery morning, with high in 70's while I rode, the machine got hot in traffic.  I suggested to Michael that he read up on how to handle that, especially while in warranty.

5.  The suspension was great.  No, GREAT.  I am surprised that Michael -- who weighs less than I by [CLASSIFIED] pounds doesn't think it a bit harsh as it was near perfect for me.  Atlanta and local areas have Third World pavements, yet I not once felt jarred.  I even did a sweeper with a mid-turn mild depression that would have been unsettling on the Griso, OK on the Norge, and found it virtually ho-hum with the MS.

6. The weight difference between it and Norge (and Griso) is significant and noticeable.  Yes, it's tall, but I have a 30" inseam, but was (just) able to flat-foot both feet, at least with my Sidi Adventure boots, which have thick lugged soles.

7.  On mounting, the initial impression of the "cockpit" is Norge-like, one sits much more forward than on the Norge and there is almost no visible and encapsulating tupperware.  Low-speed "parking lot" maneuvers don't make one's pulse rate spike.  The MS almost asks if you want to do what it's about to do.  Sounds silly, but I played around in a large lot to see how it would act.  No scary moments, but one doesn't experiment too much with another man's machine.

8.  Hate the sidestand, but that's probably just a "get used to it" sort of thing.

9.  Typical anemic horn.

10.  Eye candy at all stops. Old, young, and little kids all smile and say something positive. 

Conclusion?  As I said at the top, "Stupendous machine.  Manages to combine exhilaration with unflappable composure."  I think the MS is a great change for Michael, whose left leg will never be 100% after that spiral-fracture to his femur he sustained in that crash last year.  I'm thinking that the lighter machine, with its composed responses to all sorts of external and rider inputs, is a winner for him.  But, unlike me, Michael doesn't get stooopidly attached to motorcycles.  So, stay tuned if he sees something better next year.    

Speaking of crashes, I also got to try out my new Helite vest as in wear it, not deploy it!   

Thanks, Michael. 

Bill

[Matteo]

Of course the good looking brother opted for the flashier bike. I am also toying with the idea of acquiring a Multi 950.

[Arizona Wayne]

Bill, when I read the title of your entrance (dark side) I thought you rode a bike with a car tire on the rear.     That is what 'dark side' means nowadays in the wheel world.  Both my MP3 scooters have gone to the dark side.    Doing such save you $ 'cause said tires last longer than original tires.  But not all 2,3 wheelers will still work OK on the dark side.  Of course the riders who use them have to have some balls too. 

[LowRyter]

it's a rocket.  I rode with a local guy's MS12 and was flogging the Greenie to stay up with him.  But neither of us had any business to go any faster..... triple digits on two lane is plenty.

[Mr Pootle]

And when I saw the title I thought he meant he'd been riding in Lancashire.

[Bill Hagan]

Lordy. 

And, I suppose, apologies.

Would not have thought that "Dark(ati)" in the context of an Italian motorcycle forum was that obscure.   

Was aware of car tires on some motos, though not of that label applied to it. 

And -- only after googling a bit -- have decided that the Lancashire mention relates to "haints."

Heck, I am so (pop) culturally challenged that I did not know that the origins of the phrase itself:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-dark-side.html

Anyway, the Ducati was quite a pleasure to ride.  Not my shot of grappa, but mighty fine. 

Bill

[Mr Pootle]

Bill, you may think that the Southern States have nursed their resentment at the outcome of your civil war for a long time, but that's nothing compared to the ongoing enmity between the White Rose of the House of York and the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster. Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian, defeated Richard lll,  Richard of York, at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August 1485, and still the Yorkists nurse their resentment.
Add to that, Lancashire is to the west of the Pennines (the spine of the country, our version of the Rockies, but about as high as a Chevron sign) and York is to the east. The sun sets in Lancashire. Hence the dark side.
And yes, Leeds is in Yorkshire.

[Lannis]

Lordy. 

Was aware of car tires on some motos, though not of that label applied to it. 

Heck, I am so (pop) culturally challenged that I did not know that the origins of the phrase itself:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-dark-side.html

Bill

Being a member of a couple of lists related to bikes on which people occasionally mount car tires, I can offer a little advice.

DON'T look behind that curtain; some things, once seen, cannot be unseen.

You think an oil thread is bad, or a Harley thread.    There is more d!ck-swinging, strutting, insults, talk-and-trousers, religious fervor, ChurchLady righteousness, and various other idiocy going on within those "dark side" discussions than any other I've seen ... !!   

Lannis

[nobleswood]

Bill, you may think that the Southern States have nursed their resentment at the outcome of your civil war for a long time, but that's nothing compared to the ongoing enmity between the White Rose of the House of York and the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster. Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian, defeated Richard lll,  Richard of York, at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August 1485, and still the Yorkists nurse their resentment.
Add to that, Lancashire is to the west of the Pennines (the spine of the country, our version of the Rockies, but about as high as a Chevron sign) and York is to the east. The sun sets in Lancashire. Hence the dark side.
And yes, Leeds is in Yorkshire.

And may it always be so..

[Bill Hagan]

Bill, you may think that the Southern States have nursed their resentment at the outcome of your civil war for a long time, but that's nothing compared to the ongoing enmity between the White Rose of the House of York and the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster. Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian, defeated Richard lll,  Richard of York, at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August 1485, and still the Yorkists nurse their resentment.
Add to that, Lancashire is to the west of the Pennines (the spine of the country, our version of the Rockies, but about as high as a Chevron sign) and York is to the east. The sun sets in Lancashire. Hence the dark side.
And yes, Leeds is in Yorkshire.

Well, THAT was a bit of an education.  Thanks.

I have my strengths in knowledge of history, but the Tudors are not among them. 

Another large gap is (though becoming "was") the Protectorate through the Glorious Revolution and to the early Hanovers.  I am just now plowing (slowly and not in arrow-straight lines!) through Churchill's multi-volume bio of Marlborough.  Am about to crack open the second ... really the third as the paperbacks squish four into two.

https://www.amazon.com/Marlborough-His-Life-Times-Book/dp/0226106330

https://www.amazon.com/Marlborough-His-Life-Times-Book/dp/0226106357

Of course, before I was a fuzzy from ignorance; now I reel from info overload! 

Being a member of a couple of lists related to bikes on which people occasionally mount car tires, I can offer a little advice.

DON'T look behind that curtain; some things, once seen, cannot be unseen.

You think an oil thread is bad, or a Harley thread.  There is more d!ck-swinging, strutting, insults, talk-and-trousers, religious fervor, ChurchLady righteousness, and various other idiocy going on within those "dark side" discussions than any other I've seen ... !!   

Lannis

I believe!



Yikes.

And may it always be so..

I'll drink to that! 

On the original merits, such as they were, Michael is -- "as we speak" -- riding north from Atlanta on an overnighter in the N.C. mountains.  He lives literally across the street from our mom's nursing home, and we come here every month for a week to give him a break so he can do such little adventures. 

 Bill

[Edited to take out those gratuitous and maddening �'s.  ]

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Now that is a picture of a darksider showing the folly of such a choice.  The only times I have been a darksider is with sidecar machines where such tires are an advantage.

[Arizona Wayne]

Now that is a picture of a darksider showing the folly of such a choice.  The only times I have been a darksider is with sidecar machines where such tires are an advantage.

That whole bike is folly, not just the tire. 

[Bill Hagan]

That whole bike is folly, not just the tire. 

Yup. 

That said, I'd still like to watch it (from a safe distance!  ) run that road.

Bill

[Sasquatch Jim]

 I think it is a lawn rolling machine on a public road.

[ScepticalScotty]

Hey Bill, have you read Simon Shamas three volume History of Britain? It's a modern classic .

[Bill Hagan]

Hey Bill, have you read Simon Shamas three volume History of Britain? It's a modern classic .

No, but thanks, you just cost me more money as I ordered the DVD version.   

http://tinyurl.com/SchamasBritDVD

Kathi loves history, too, and we find most modern movies outside of documentaries painful to watch from gratuitous fill-in-the-blank.   

Besides, am running out of bookcases and shelves, and can't bring myself (yet) to go the ebook route.  So, this should be a fine way to enjoy the work.  Appreciate the recommendation. 

Best,

Bill

[Stormtruck2]

No, but thanks, you just cost me more money as I ordered the DVD version.   

http://tinyurl.com/SchamasBritDVD

Kathi loves history, too, and we find most modern movies outside of documentaries painful to watch from gratuitous fill-in-the-blank.   

Besides, am running out of bookcases and shelves, and can't bring myself (yet) to go the ebook route.  So, this should be a fine way to enjoy the work.  Appreciate the recommendation. 

Best,

Bill

The one think I envy Bill, is your book collection.   When I build my retirement home, it will have an English library, with the ladder and all.   Wing back leather chairs, a proper stocked bar with Scotch, and a walk in humidor.  Oh yes, also audiophile standard sound system fully loaded with Wagner, and Listz.   Modern television and movies are insufferable.

[Lannis]

When I build my retirement home, it will have an English library, with the ladder and all.   Wing back leather chairs, a proper stocked bar with Scotch, and a walk in humidor. 

Library, check!

Wing back leather chairs, check!

Properly stocked bar, check!

Walk-in humidor, check!

You're almost there.   Now, think again about that "ladder" business in re: "retirement" ... I suggest some custom rotating or sliding bookcases, or else a valet who will climb that ladder for you ..... !

I know I will.   I don't go up anyone's ladders NOW, much less 20 years from now ....

Lannis

[Stormtruck2]

Library, check!

Wing back leather chairs, check!

Properly stocked bar, check!

Walk-in humidor, check!

You're almost there.   Now, think again about that "ladder" business in re: "retirement" ... I suggest some custom rotating or sliding bookcases, or else a valet who will climb that ladder for you ..... !

I know I will.   I don't go up anyone's ladders NOW, much less 20 years from now ....

Lannis

No butler, but I have a Gunner.  My 7 year old grandson!!  He likes to climb.

[Bill Hagan]

 

'Course, I deserved that from using such a murky title at the start, and digressing even from that myself. 

Bill

[Stormtruck2]

Just title it "The Good Life."   

[Lannis]

No butler, but I have a Gunner.  My 7 year old grandson!!  He likes to climb.

That's one way to do it!

Once my slave labor force left home for the university and Marines, I've been waiting for them to raise more chattel for me ... the oldest one just turned 5, so I'm tuning up the light chain saw ... !

Lannis

[Nic in Western NYS]

Listz - CHECK (actually Hungarian)