Ducati Multistrada S DVT

[Dave]

The time is coming again to prepare for the next trip.

The bike just clipped over 30k km when I got back from the Balkans last year.

Which means it was time to do the dreaded desmo service.

I had planned on selling the bike this year so I didn't want the mileage to be too high, I also didn't want to do the desmo service immediately as it would just be due another service again around now.

So in order to keep the mileage reasonable and make it slightly more appealing come sale time, I put the bike into storage. To be honest, it didn't even come home.

So it's about a year now since I last rode a bike and on 4 weeks I do another trip, more on that shortly.

In preparation for this and to sell the bike, I booked it in with Millsport Ducati up north.

It takes two days to do the Desmo service and the price starts at £1200 if you don't need any valve clearances done.

I booked the bike in for Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th of April.

Thankfully, the Lexus has a factory removable tow hitch and a buddy of mine leant me a bike trailer.

Wednesday, I drove to Wexford, picked up the trailer, grabbed the bike in Gorey and headed up to Ballymoney.



I'm always paranoid when I'm towing a bike so I pulled over to check the straps, and I noticed the spare wheel for the trailer, which had a lock put on it for the trip, was hanging low.

The extra weight of the lock (those chunky yellow bastards) caused one of the bolts to sheer from the movement induced. I gave it a bit of a wobble and the whole thing let go, lucky.

A few hours later I arrive in Ballymoney on the north, go to unhitch the trailer and I noticed the trailer plug had let go some time ago. Completely disintegrated.

Thursday morning, I drop the bike off. Grab the bits to fix the trailer electrics. Go sort the electrics and headed back to Belfast.

Finally settled another dilemma I've had. Didn't purchase, but I know what I want.

51k Mile Manual


70k Mile DCT


I also drove a revo tuned B8 S4 and a Golf R, neither of which were worth talking about.

So Friday evening comes, I go pick up the bike, it's 5pm, the bike is due to be down, thankfully the valve clearances were all in spec but there were a few other bits done including some recalls. Just waiting for the software update.

The tech comes out with bad news, while they were flashing the ECU the laptop crapped itself and now my bike is lit up like a Christmas tree.

Ducati UK are now closed so it has to wait until Tuesday (most bike shops are closed on Monday)

Annoying, but shit happens. I head home with an empty trailer.

Millsport, full of apologies, sort it, the bike is done by the following Thursday.

AMI in Gorey arrange to collect my bike, they're shipping it to Italy for me in two weeks anyway.

So it's back and ready to roll, total bill including replacing a key I lost - €1700



This will be the last time I use this bike, when it comes back, I'll sell it and probably replace it with the same again early 2021.
I'm doing Thailand, Burma, Laos and Vietnam next year and won't need my own bike for that.