Thehighs“I trieda GSwhenmyK1300Swasbeingservicedand
wasseducedbythecomfort,soweendeduptryingalltheadventure
bikes.TheDucatifeltstrongerandsportierthantherest.Wetoured
EuropelastyeartoridetheStelvioandallthemajorpassesandit
wascomfortabletwo-upfortendaysstraight.It’sreallygrunty
betweencornersandI preferthepowerdeliverytothenew 1260 .”
Thelows“I’vegottheofficialloweredseatandI stillcan’ttouchthe
floor,whichisa majorproblemforme.Theuprightpositionmeans
youlosethatfront-endcontactfeel,soyou’retrustingthetyremore
thanfeelingit.Thefuelsensoristemperamentalandtheheatedgrips
packedin.It’ssixyearsoldnowbutI stilltrustit.Lastservicewas
expensiveat£ 840 butthatwasbeltsandeverything.’
Bestmod“LeoVincide-catpipe(£240)whichsavesweightand
soundsgreat.I didfancya trackdaybutI thinkit’stooloudnow!”Thehighs“I’mnearly6’3”andhavealwaysbeena GSfan,
butaftertestridinga fewofthebigadventurebikesand
nearlybuyinga KTM,I foundthattheMultistradafittedme
likea glove.I cando 300 milesina daywithmygirlfriendon
thebackwithoutanytroubleatall,butI canalsotakeit all
offandgofora hoonwithmysportsbike-ridingmates.”
Thelows“Theengineisa bitlumpylowdownandI also
findthefrontindicatorstooflimsy;I’vealreadysnappedone
whenI clippedit wheelingthebikeintomybackgarden.”
Bestmod“ApartfromtheOxfordAdventureHotGrips
(£50),it’scompletelystandard.I reallydon’tseetheneed
to changeanythingonit.”
Thehighs“It’sthemostcomfortable
adventurebikeI’veowned.It’squick,
economicalandtheserviceintervalsare
great. I haven’t noticed that it’s more
expensive to service than anythingelse
— plus it’s never let me down. It’s notall
about touring though, as although Iliketo
be comfy getting there, I want to beable
to enjoy myself once I’ve arrived.”
The lows “The paint finish on the
cylinder heads has started to flakeoff
and although I approached Ducati about
it, it was hard to prove what had caused
it — it could have been something I’ddone.Thestandardscreen
creates quite a bit of turbulence butI fixedthatwithsomespacers
that I machined myself. Any recalls have been dealt with promptly
while it’s been in for a service.”
Best mod “I’ve made several parts myself, like the screen spacers,
sat-nav mount, radiator and oil-cooler guards and water-pump cover.’‘Wecanridetwo-upfortendaysstraight’
BarrieWood 62 Model 2013 1200S Mileage 12 ,000 Longest ride 320 miles‘The most comfortable
bikeI’veeverridden.’
GaryPayne 46 Model 2011 1200S
Mileage 16 ,000 Longest ride 310 miles
‘It’s no more expensive to servicethananythingelse’
JamieClare 37 Model 20161200
Mileage 8000 Longest ride 900 milesjuly 2019 | 83