Ducati Multistrada - Thanks For The Ride

About 10 years ago I went to buy my first motorbike. I had my eye on a shiny red Ducati 1198 sports bike. The manager of the shop gave me some good advice that day: "Don't buy a Ducati as your first bike." Why? I asked. "Because if you do, you won't be able to appreciate how good it is." And he was right. The Multistrada is my 3rd bike after a KTM 990 and a Honda CBR 600f and it's pedigree and superiority over both the KTM and Honda were undeniable. It's not always easy to explain exactly why something is better, sometimes it comes down to the way it makes you feel.

After 3 years living with the most exciting and thrilling motorbike I have ever riden, I recently sold it back to the shop. The descision to sell it back loses me about £7000. That's a lot of money to lose and I am certainly not well off, but that's the price of free choice.... oouch!

I can't explain why I sold it without first explaining the reason I ride motorbikes. Riding gives me freedom and adventure and a wind-through-my-hair abandon. I ride when the sun shines and when I need to get somewhere fast. I don't commute because the fun and thrills of riding must be protected.

Why did I sell it? 
For  a few reasons. The 15000 mile service cost me a whopping £2000 - ouch again!  I didn't trust in Italian electronics having had minor problems almost from new with the fuel guage and heated grips. This is a big bike with a lot of power and for most of the riding I do, its more than I need. In the Spanish mountains or Italian alps this bike is perfect, but on the narrow windy single track side roads that make up 90% of deepest Surrey, there is simply too much power to have the kind of fun I want. For me there is no point in 'cruising' around on a bike like this, there are other bikes that like to cruise. This bike is Ducati pedigree and needs to be riden to the edge by someone who looks for thrills in every turn.

Why I chose this bike
Because it is excitingto ride -  everytime! It's not a car on two wheels; it hasn't been tamed by german engineers and you have to stay engaged to ride it. Things I can't say about the BMW and Triumph bikes I tested first. The ubiquitous BMW GS 1200 is a fantastic machine and I can't fault it on paper, but riding is not done on paper. The BMW was as close as you can get to being a car on 2 wheels - very safe and very predictable. I was offered a 2 hour test ride on it but took it back after only 30 minutes riding because I was bored of the ride. Similarly for the Triumph Tiger: fantastic engine and a really great bike, great engine; but for me, just too easy and and I knew I would get bored with it.

Here is why I loved the Ducati
It's a Ducati, it's red. It growls like a bike should ( unlike the BMW or Tiger ) . This bike does everything extremely well. I can ride it like a sports bike or a tourer and it is equally happy. Despite is size I can flick it around easily whether I am on my own or touring fully loaded with a pillion on the back.  The ride is what you want it to be, just imagine what you want to do and the Ducati helps you do it.

This is what I didn't like
Too many electronics. This bike has four ride modes but I kept in 'Sports' mode at all times because I prefere to tame it myself while I ride.  The heated grips played up when they got wet, the fuel guage wasn't accurate and had to be repaced also , but thats it. The ABS and traction control were very good - german parts I think. 

Whats next?
Now I think it's time for something a bit more classic - a bike with minimal electronics and shaft drive to eliminate all that painful chain maintenance - maybe even a kick start?  A Moto Guzzi has caught my eye. Might also look at the BMW R9T - both are shaft drive. I won't get the cornering thrills I got with the Ducati but I might just find something else in a bike that lets me put both feet on the ground.

So what about the Brooks B17 saddle?

I'll keep this one skinny.

I got a  Brooks B17 leather saddle when I bought my touring bike. At first it was hard/firm and not at all comfortable compared to minimally padded saddles I'd alway used. I was assured that these leather saddles will get more comfortable with use/age  - as the leather moulds itself to the shape of ones arse bones.

They advise you (at Brooks) how to look after the saddle, suggesting how to protect it from rain where possible using neatsfoot oil or something like that. I'm sure that is good advice that will help extend the lifespan of the saddle.

Well, for 2000 miles I peddled with a not-all-that-comfortable bottom. Then one day at a campsite somewhere in France, I left my bike out in torrential overnight rain. In the morning the bike was sodden.

I set off on a very wet saddle and rode all day. By the end of that day my saddle had moulded into what is is now ( 5 years later) , an armchair comfortable ride. I have never once protected my saddle by preventing it getting wet. It's leather, leather is from animals, animals get wet. See my logic? My saddle may not be in A1 condition, but it is all-day comfortable and has no significant signs yet of wear and tear.( mostly because I turn the bike upside down to fix punctures etc, and the saddle scrapes on stones and concrete.

What makes it so comfortable?
It doesn't have a plastic base. Most modern saddles have plastic bases onto which padding is attached. 6 hours in the saddle on one of these and I feel like I've been sitting on something very hard. A simple leather saddle will never 'bottom out' because it doesn't have a bottom. It's that simple.

Maybe my B17 won't last a lifetime if I continue to treat it with less care and attention than advised by the experts. what's a lifetime anyway?