inside the ducati multistrada 1200 after 50000 kms

[keithblade]

XT660z will travel further and cost less to maintain.

Travel further is debatable; mine needed a new reg/rec and a new wiring harness before it had 4k miles on it but only a few hundred were like that so not really a true indicator. It certainly cost less because the work was done under warranty

The reg/rec was a common problem because in many cases it wasn't plugged fully in. Yamaha re did them under warranty and admitted it was a fault of theirs. Many owners have taken prcautionary measures by covering the connections in a water repellent coating.
I have a friend doing an RTW with his wife 2 up on one with all the luggage, he has currently just turned the 40,0000 mile mark with no issues. Yes he has had consumables to change like sprockets and chains but he is doing a lot of untarmaced surfaces.
All in all it is a very robust and reliable steed, pretty under rated I think.

[AndyB]

XT660z will travel further and cost less to maintain.

Travel further is debatable; mine needed a new reg/rec and a new wiring harness before it had 4k miles on it but only a few hundred were like that so not really a true indicator. It certainly cost less because the work was done under warranty

The reg/rec was a common problem because in many cases it wasn't plugged fully in. Yamaha re did them under warranty and admitted it was a fault of theirs. Many owners have taken prcautionary measures by covering the connections in a water repellent coating.
I have a friend doing an RTW with his wife 2 up on one with all the luggage, he has currently just turned the 40,0000 mile mark with no issues. Yes he has had consumables to change like sprockets and chains but he is doing a lot of untarmaced surfaces.
All in all it is a very robust and reliable steed, pretty under rated I think.

I've had mine from new for 4 years and apart from the annoying reg/rec problem (which Yamaha should have done a recall on but failed miserably)it's only needed what I'd classify as consumable parts like chain and sprocket sets, cush drive rubbers, brake pads and it now needs a new battery. It didn't need any valve shims changing when they were checked so that was good news but it did need the rear shock replacing earlier than I would have expected but the bike's had a hard life so no real complaints there.

I find it amusing when people suggest that a Multistrada is a complex machine because if you forget the slightly suspect Ohlins suspension there's nothing unproven on them and it's a detuned engine compared to the similar one used in the Superbikes. Variable mapping has been around for ages, traction control has been around for ages, Desmodronic valves have been used by Ducati for decades and the cam belts are easy to change compared to the major drama involved in changing the cam chain on a V4 Honda. I opted for the ABS model without the electronic suspension because I neither wanted it nor trusted it to last the 5 years I expect to keep new bikes for and so far it's been a revelation to ride.

There's a huge difference in price between a Tenere and a Multistrada so there's no point in debating the differences between the bikes and at the end of it all one's a budget adventure bike and the other one is an expensive but fast touring bike that shouldn't really have Enduro Mode as an option in the engine mapping

[keithblade]

Sounds like you have the exact same 'stable' as me.

Yes agree with all that matey.

[AndyB]

Sounds like you have the exact same 'stable' as me.

Yes agree with all that matey.

You've got a ZX10R, a BMW K1100RS and a KTM 250EXC as well? Good effort.

The first 2 will be up for sale soon because having a road bike that's only really fit for the track isn't a good idea and the MTS was a replacement for the K1100 so I'm going to give it a service, 12 months mot and sell it in the next few weeks.

[MORT 666]

I think one guy has covered 100,000 miles around the world one swinging arm shocker bearings sprockets chains etc but engine still going strong.RTW Paul. :woohoo: not bad for yamaha xt660z tenere.

[Thedktor]

Interesting stuff.

I have to say that there are a lot of bikes that have really unacceptably poor durability, and I know its not fair to compare with cars but when most modern cars don't even need a service until 20,000 miles when I hear quotes of my bike has done 20,30, or 40,000 miles without problems, well, so it should!

Unfortunately even just 10,000 miles can be considered "a lot" for some bikes, and the manufacturers are, quite frankly, taking the p*ss!

[keithblade]

Sounds like you have the exact same 'stable' as me.

Yes agree with all that matey.

You've got a ZX10R, a BMW K1100RS and a KTM 250EXC as well? Good effort.

The first 2 will be up for sale soon because having a road bike that's only really fit for the track isn't a good idea and the MTS was a replacement for the K1100 so I'm going to give it a service, 12 months mot and sell it in the next few weeks.

No not that lucky Im affraid

[jonny955]

Interesting thread, not many of the mags do such a long term high miles test, same old issue - bikes are commonly seen as over the hill with this on clock with a very few notible exceptions.

mind you i have a broom that has this many miles on it, omly needed to change the handle 3 times and the head 5 times!!

hi bud,i do wish the mags in the uk would cover long term tests on bikes or would that be asking to much??? cheers al.ps or are there other dark forces he he

Many years ago Performance Bikes put a massive mileage on a Honda VFR750 (first one with the gear-driven cams) in a very short time in the middle of a cold winter. It stood up to the abuse remarkably well, and went just as well at the end as it did at the begining. But I don't think anyone's attempted anything like it since.

Bear in mind that most big bikes in the UK are only used in the summer, and that use seems to consist of riding from dealer to dealer looking for its replacement, the magazine editors have probably concluded that there is no point in conducting such tests.

Readers appear to have gone from wanting to know how easy it is to get your knee down to wanting to know how many different engine maps there are, which is really important as when you do 1500 miles a year you need to make sure the engine is in the right mode at all times, especially if it starts to rain, or get cloudy or something.

Sad but true.

You should hear the comments I get when I ride into work and it's zero degrees outside (about 56 miles each way). It's like the general bikeless public now agree with the average biker that bikes should be considered as toys. :S

Actually, the comments I received when mentioning riding to Portugal on a 125 from both bikers and non-bikers were even better!

Jon