I've mentioned this machine on a few posts. It's due to arrive in Ireland monday week, so while I don't have any pics of my own bike the following pics will have to do.

Deciding what bike to buy was a tough choice. I've always been a massive fan of Moto Guzzi but the absense of support in Ireland and the length of time it takes to get any parts, even trivial service parts is very frustrating.

I decided I wanted 4 things, I wanted a V-Twin, Shaft Drive, a bike I could use every day and I wanted decent dealer support. I found out that you can pick 3 of those things.

It came down to 3 bikes in the end.

A Moto Guzzi Griso 8V SE


I think this is one of the best looking bikes ever made. It's a 112bhp air cooled V twin shaft drive, but like i mentioned, guzzi's are a pain in the ass when it comes to support. Also they've been making this bike for nearly 10 years, so no abs, no traction control, no real creature comforts to mention at all really.

It's comparably thirsty to other bikes in it's class, it would struggle to break 40MPG. There's also no wind protection, it's not really suitable for touring.

It's probably the nicest sounding engine of any bike though, such a soulful noise.

BMW R1200GS Liquid cooled Touring Edition


This is such a good bike.

Dynamic Damping
4 different riding modes that adjust the traction control and abs
LED headlight
Sat NAV that integrates with the bikes controls and allows you to access bike info like tyre pressure, fuel consumption, oil temps etc.
Cruise control
Comprehensive dealer network
Shaft drive

I just can't get past the engine, it's a very good engine, but it lacks character, you feel like you're hurting the thing when you get to the upper rev ranges, I had an R1150GS when I was younger and I found it to be without character.

The 19" wheel on the GS also makes it less nimble.

2015 Ducati Multistrada S DVT


This bike is really something else, it's absolutely packed with technology.
It has the standard bits like cruise control, abs etc but the rest of the tech is awesome.

Engine



1200CC Desmodromic Variable Timing, very similar to VANOS in operation. It's the first bike ever to have variable valve timing on both exhaust and intake. The bike has 160bhp @ 9500 rpm with 135nm of torque @ 7500 rpm. It should also achieve a comfortable 50+ mpg.

The engine is very smooth, anyone who has ever ridden a big twin knows how lumpy they can be at low RPM, the older generation was a bit of a pig around town. This is totally different, very smooth at any speed, remarkable for a big twin.

Inertial Measurement Unit
This is another first for the Multi. It measures the attitude and angle of the bike and enhances other features. I whipped the following blurb from the website.

Cornering ABS
The revolutionary ABS cornering, thanks to communication with the chassis's inertial platform, allows the system to function even through corners

Ducati Traction Control (DTC)
In just a few thousandths of a second, DTC is able to measure and control rear wheel skidding, thus considerably increasing the performance and active safety of the bike.

Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC)
Adjustable on 8 levels and derived from that of the 1199 Superleggera, the DWC analyses bike set-up and manages the torque so as to ensure maximum acceleration in safety.

Full colour TFT Display

This is one of my favourite things about this bike.

The bike can host up to 11 bluetooth devices. My helmet is a Schuberth C3 Pro with an SRC system so I can listen to music, take/make phone calls, connect to other riders through the intercom system. This will connect to the bikes multimedia system. My phone will also connect, so I have full control of my phone and music using the bikes handle bar controls. Which are back lit!



The display also completely changes depending on what riding mode you're in.

Headlight

The headlight is all LED's. Given the bike knows when it's in a corner, there are two cornering LED's that shine into corners when the bike is leaned over.

Riding Modes
Touring - 160hp, soft throttle response, Traction control to level 5, ABS to level 3, suspension set to mid so comfort orientated.

Sport - 160hp, hair trigger throttle response, traction control slacked back to 4, ABS to level 2, suspension set to hard.

Urban - 100hp, soft and progressing throttle response, traction control set to 6 (maximum safety), ABS set to 3 (again, safety orientated), suspension set to soft, great for our city roads.

Enduro - 100hp, soft and balances distribution, traction control set to 2 to allow for offroad riding and a bit of wheel spin, ABS set to 1, soft suspension setting.

Options
There are 4 different options for the bike

Sports pack
Termi slip on exhaust
billet brake and oil fluid caps
carbon mudguard.

The Urban pack
Tank bag with usb charging hub and a display at the top for a phone
Top box

Touring pack
Panniers
Centre Stand
Heated grips

Enduro Pack
Auxiliary LED lights
Radiator Shield
Offroad foot pegs
extended engine guard
engine protection guards
extended side sand

I opted for the urban and touring pack, not overly interested in carbon bits on the bike due to the high cost of replacement, also I would sooner spring for the full termi exhaust than the slip on. The billet bits I might buy later.

The enduro bits just take from the bike in my opinion though again, I may buy the auxiliary LED lights at a later stage as the button is on the handle bars and it won't do anything, can't have that :tounge:

I took all three bikes for a spin, the Guzzi was immediately out, it's a lovely bike but it's a weekend bike, not an all rounder.

I took the Multi for a spin, it was initially gonna be an hour or so but I called the dealer after 45 mins and asked him if he was in any rush for me to bring the bike back. He said no, so I was on the bike for about 4 hours.

I headed across the sally gap, the suspension soaked up the bad bumps.

The engine is immense, it howls when you approach the 10k red line but pottering around has the classic Ducati rumble.

I then went up the M50, set the cruise control to 120 (ish) the screen is about 2 inches too short but I can lower the seat 20mm so that's not a big deal. The multimedia system is very easy to navigate.

I then decided that I wanted to see how it fared in town, so off I went to the convention center, not the best at navigating dublin so I activated good maps on my phone and let the audible instructions get me there.

The bike has the agility of a 500cc motard. I was very impressed. At no point did I even think about the chain.

I then went to Duffy's and picked up a GS, couldn't gel with the bike at all, it was very stable, very capable, but I thought the controls on the Ducati were actually better quality and the wind protection was better and again, I just can't look past the engine, it's very good but it's completely mute of any kind of character. It's like a very capable diesel.

So I went for the Ducati, bought it in Germany as Ducati Ireland wouldn't budge on the price, I bought it 3k cheaper from Germany, including VRT, shipping and the difference in VAT.