Great choice!

 

Every time I updated my Ninja I looked longingly at the MultiStrada. Every time they were just a little too tall for me and cost about 2x what I ended up paying for the Ninja. And, of course, I carry old memories of Italian reliability... But, damn, they sure tick all the boxes...

 

I already looked at the Multistrada when the first generation came out (the 1000DS designed by Pierre Terblanche) in 2003, I even had a test ride on one. Commonly regarded as one of the ugliest motorbikes ever designed I found its design compelling.
Yes it's a bit taller than the Ninja but with the seat in lowest setting I can flatfoot it alright. It's top heavier though and I will have to get used to it.
As for the cost, yes it hurts but it will be one of my last bikes (I'm 63 and will retire in the next 5 years), I got a very good offer for it as it was the last one they had for the year, I put a down payment and the rest will be paid monthly at a favorable rate. Then there's an argument that won't count for you but that nevertheless plays a certain role in my buying decision. Ducati is an expensive brand but they still build the majority of their bikes and the whole range of the V4 family in Italy, in Borgo Panigale at the outskirts of Bologna, they use a fair amount of high quality components from Italian OEM manufacturers in the region (Marchesini, Brembo, Akrapovic which actually is slovene but still European), all manufacturers who still build premium products in Europe and who are having a rough time as the automotive industry is under a fair amount of pressure from European sponsored environmental regulations and Chinese competition, you get the thrift...
Italian reliability. It's early days, I'm still in the break in period but the bike comes with a 4 year warranty (plus comprehensive road side assistance for free) and from what I have gathered Ducati's quality management has undergone a turn around since the Germans moved in in 2012 (Ducati belongs to Audi, itself a part of the Volkswagen Group).
One of my favourite vloggers, Ryan F9, from Canada has recently done a round the world trip on a Multistrada V4 Rally and he's raving about the bike. The trip will feature in a full length documentaray due to be released in December.
I guess we will have to wait to see until I put the same amount of miles as I have done on the Ninja. In 56 000 kms I had the following problems:

• the red oil pressure would come on at low revs, it was a contact that didn't work properly after a prolonged ride under heavy rain and/or the effects of a pressure washer
• the system would give me a general error warning, quick-shifter, traction control and ABS would not work and engine stall and only rev up to 4500 revs. The dealer told me it was another contact failure, this time at the engine's butterfly valves
• engine won't start unless it's in neutral (another contact failure, it happened twice)

All in all, it has been a very reliable bike. Let's hope the Multistrada turns out to be at least as reliable.
Cheers

 

I have a good friend who owns a garage full of Ducati motorcycles. Two Panigale V4 R, Hypermotard, Multistrada, Multistrada RS etc. He seems to have good luck with them as far as reliability, but he never puts a lot of miles on any of them.

I have ridden his Multistrada RS. Excellent bike. Superb performance. Loved the brakes and suspension. In spite of the fact that it is a premium motorcycle, at a list price of 37,900 dollars it is horribly overpriced in my opinion. I would go for the BMW S1000 XR with the M package and Dynamic Pro add on for around 25,000 if I were going for a top drawer sport tourer.

 

I have a good friend who owns a garage full of Ducati motorcycles. Two Panigale V4 R, Hypermotard, Multistrada, Multistrada RS etc. He seems to have good luck with them as far as reliability, but he never puts a lot of miles on any of them.

I have ridden his Multistrada RS. Excellent bike. Superb performance. Loved the brakes and suspension. In spite of the fact that it is a premium motorcycle, at a list price of 37,900 dollars it is horribly overpriced in my opinion. I would go for the BMW S1000 XR with the M package and Dynamic Pro add on for around 25,000 if I were going for a top drawer sport tourer.

The RS model has a different engine to the Pikes Peak, it's got the desmodromic valve actuation and dry clutch from the Panigale sports bike.
I actually tried the S1000XR (not the M version) and it wasn't for me. For starters, coming from the Ninja, there would not have been any change in engine configuration both being inline-fours. But had I have to choose between the two I would go for the Kawasaki mill as it's a more useable engine for my kind of riding, you really have to rev the XR hard to get a proper response, it lacks in mid-range compared to the Kawasaki. If I used it for track days then the XR makes more sense, in my opinion. The XR was also taller and more top-heavy than the Multistrada and the components are not of the same quality. Cheers