[prateekswarup]

Many congratulations Varun! Wishing you many safe & wonderful kms on the Ducati!

[virajvroom]

Pardon me for hijacking the thread. But simply couldn't resist coming across a person having a similar thought process. Everything you mentioned in this experience felt very relatable. The 1260s has been my dream bike. So much that even if it has worthy successors, I have no interest in owning the V4 or the 950s. (I have ridden the 1260s in Bologna's plush highways, twisty Alps, and the city during the dream tour). Plus, I have never been a fan of buying new vehicles as I pride myself in understanding depreciation better especially when my four-wheeler has been sleeping in the parking eating dust for the past two years, thanks to the pandemic.

Back to bikes. I have been pulling my hair off trying to make a wise decision. After test riding the heavy F900XR and the Ninja1000SX in Pune's city traffic, I came home dejected and started planning for a KTM 390 ADV. The plan was to then import the cruise control from McCruise and retrofit it on the 390. Assuming that would make it a complete do-it-all bike loaded with electronics like the Multi. Minus the skyhook suspensions. But my heart still beats for the 1260s .

It's extremely difficult to find a used 1260s at a good price in India. I am so happy for you! Never felt the weight when I rode this beast in Italy, but have my serious reservations when it comes to Indian conditions. But as you say, it's better to go for wants than needs sometimes. Thanks to you. I am dropping the 390 plans. Will keep the search on, for a used Multi 1260s. Meanwhile will also try the Tiger Sport 660 and 2022 Versys 650 when those arrive. As you hinted patience pays.

Sharing a few pics of my first encounter with the beast in Bologna, Italy. The person in the Scrambler pic is Beppe Gualini, DRE Enduro technical director. No charm in the tour without him. His experience and tips in handling these beasts is priceless.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by virajvroom

Sharing a few pics of my first encounter with the beast in Bologna, Italy. The person in the Scrambler pic is Beppe Gualini, DRE Enduro technical director. No charm in the tour without him. His experience and tips in handling these beasts is priceless.

Thank you for the wishes and thanks also for sharing these lovely pics. Its a bucketlist item to experience DRE in Europe.
The Multi so far has been handling Indian roads pretty well (touche!) but it never hurts to keep an eye out for unmarked speed breakers and nasty potholes.
For your search for a used 1260, my recommendation is to stay in touch with your local Ducati dealer. Ducati owners are a well connected community and the dealership usually gets to hear about an upcoming sale before the bike hits the classifieds. The 1260 is indeed rare to find vs 1200 or 950.

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Many congratulations Varun! Wishing you many safe & wonderful kms on the Ducati!

Thanks Prateek!

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

PS- sorry for hijacking the thread Narula and many many congratulations to you on the 1260! I have been drooling and lusting for the Multistrada range big time now!

Thank you Rohan and good luck to you for finding the bike you want.

Originally Posted by Tuborog

Congratulations on a great buy! Riding Multi is like enjoying a two wheeler in car like comfort, with awesome wind protection, great engine and top tier electronics. Happy riding

Thank you. Indeed the bike has opened up my horizons to a totally different breed of motorcycles. Now I know why the big ADV/Sportstourer market is doing the volumes that it is.

[virajvroom]

Originally Posted by narula123

Thank you for the wishes and thanks also for sharing these lovely pics. It's a bucket list item to experience DRE in Europe.
The Multi so far has been handling Indian roads pretty well (touche!) but it never hurts to keep an eye out for unmarked speed breakers and nasty potholes.
For your search for a used 1260, my recommendation is to stay in touch with your local Ducati dealer. Ducati owners are a well-connected community and the dealership usually gets to hear about an upcoming sale before the bike hits the classifieds. The 1260 is indeed rare to find vs 1200 or 950.

Thanks again. It's like 'aap ke muh mein ghee shakkar' (Ghee and sugar in your mouth - may your words come true). .

Incidentally, I am seeing a few good options including the 1260 Enduro listed. Wondering if there is a way to connect with you for some buying and negotiating tips?

[narula123]

Originally Posted by virajvroom

Thanks again. It's like 'aap ke much mein ghee shakkar' . Incidentally, I am seeing a few good options including the 1260 Enduro listed. Wondering if there is a way to connect with you for some buying and negotiating tips?

I saw a few certified options yesterday too including the red Enduro. Hope you are eyeing the same one since it made me drool for sure.
You can DM me here and we can connect offline for any help that I can provide.

[virajvroom]

Originally Posted by narula123

I saw a few certified options yesterday too including the red Enduro. Hope you are eyeing the same one since it made me drool for sure.
You can DM me here and we can connect offline for any help that I can provide.

Strangely my PM option has disappeared. Have asked the support team for guidance. Back to the forum after ages. Not sure if I am overlooking a step or two.

[virajvroom]

Originally Posted by narula123

I saw a few certified options yesterday too including the red Enduro. Hope you are eyeing the same one since it made me drool for sure.
You can DM me here and we can connect offline for any help that I can provide.

Seems that I am not a True BHPian . Need to contribute more to activate my DMs.

Anyways, got an opportunity to test ride a 1200 Enduro in Bangalore. Man, it's a beast (that I can't tame for sure). Both size-wise and power-wise. Had a tough time maneuvering in traffic. Came back to Pune and then test rode the Triumph 660 Tiger Sports. As much as I wanted to love the bike, I never got the feeling that a Ducati or BMW gives from the very moment you take the pilot seat.

Went back to BMW showroom. Tested the F900XR. Came back with a big smile. It was super fun to ride inside the city. Has everything that a Multistrada V2s/950S has but on a budget. Plus the wheelie control, hydraulic steering damper, and Dynamic ECB. The only concern I have is with the front suspensions not being dynamically adjustable or even manually. The overseas reviews are filled with complaints of nose-diving while braking. For them, it's not an issue, but for Indians I guess, we face constant braking scenarios almost on every ride.

So my new options list:
1. Ducati Multistrada 950s
2. BMW F900XR
3. 2022 Ninja 1000SX (again, very powerful but manageable in terms of maneuverability. If at all it had 20 mm more ground clearance )

[narula123]

Originally Posted by virajvroom

So my new options list:
1. Ducati Multistrada 950s
2. BMW F900XR
3. 2022 Ninja 1000SX (again, very powerful but manageable in terms of maneuverability. If at all it had 20 mm more ground clearance )

I havent had a chance to ride the F900 so cant really comment on how the bike feels but I would anyday recommend paying more for semi-active suspension. To my mind that hardware is worth every extra penny because unlike top-speed, bhp and torque claims this is something that you will use and appreciate every single time you are on the bike, no matter what conditions.
The Multi V2S is pretty much the same kit and plastics as the 1260S barring the engine and rear cycleparts. To my mind thats a good thing but I would always recommend getting as much warranty cover as possible for the Europeans just for sheer peace of mind. The Ninja 1000 is an excellent bike with very sorted engineering as long as you are ok with that genre vs a pseudo ADV.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by narula123

People always have polarized opinions about Ducatis, you either love them or hate them. There is no middle ground compromise the way you would do for a Jap brand. I for one, have always been excited by the proposition and personality of a Ducati, specially a Multi. So after having lived with two Japs for almost a decade, I wanted a different flavour. And trust me, Ducati and Kawasaki are chalk and cheese. Except the fact that both are motorcycles, there is nothing similar in the way they ride, behave, handle or perform. I am loving this dichotomy everytime I ride either of them and it gives me a feeling that for the moment my garage is complete.

Will keep updating this thread with more adventures of the many-roads oriented Greyhound! Adios.

What a fantastic thread Narula. I recall exchanging a few messages with you just before plonking on my 1200S. Every time I feel inclined to pen an ownership review I realise so many of my exact thoughts (down to how I'd describe them) are right here already.

Totally relate to the chalk and cheese character as well - in my case, I get that between the Tiger and the Multi.

Do keep the updates flowing in. Would love to hear more from the 1260 diaries.

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Ooh this is interesting as i am also facing the same dilemma. I have the RS too and have done 18k km on it and really really love the bike and just not sure about selling her.

Haha - this was ironic, because Tiger upgrade aside (due sometime during calendar year 2023), the one bike that I would want in my garage is the Street Triple RS. In a perfect world, I'd like to get one without having to let go of the Multi but if it comes down to the wire, its the Multi that would make way for an RS (or similar, but ideally RS). For now though, I am enjoying the Multi as much as I can muster - maybe it'll be around 2024 that I swap that one out for the RS.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by Axe77

What a fantastic thread Narula.
Do keep the updates flowing in. Would love to hear more from the 1260 diaries.

Thanks for the appreciation, Axe.

I recently got her serviced as it had been a year since the previous one. The costs were pretty comparable to japanese brands barring the insanely expensive stock air filter (I still haven’t figured out why)!

The Ducati mumbai team did a very decent job at it and shes been running well since then.

Havent been riding much thanks to the madness of rains in Mumbai since the last few weeks but hope and sun are just around the corner!

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by narula123

The costs were pretty comparable to japanese brands barring the insanely expensive stock air filter (I still haven’t figured out why)!

What filter did they use - Sprint (which is supposed to be the OEM filter), generic OEM filter for the India market or BMC / K&N?

How much did they charge you for the filter - based on the price I can take an educated guess, if it was ok, or the dealer added his own premium.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by no_fear

What filter did they use - Sprint (which is supposed to be the OEM filter), generic OEM filter for the India market or BMC / K&N?

How much did they charge you for the filter - based on the price I can take an educated guess, if it was ok, or the dealer added his own premium.

They used the generic OEM filter and charged me around 4k for it. I dint know the OEM paper filter was Sprint made. I use Sprint on my 10R and love the brand.
I did contemplate getting a BMC instead for a little extra spend but then the time it takes to clean and charge an oil based filter is something I am not a fan of. Still contemplating if I should stick to OEM or shift to a Sprint/BMC at the next change interval.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by narula123

They used the generic OEM filter and charged me around 4k for it. I dint know the OEM paper filter was Sprint made. I use Sprint on my 10R and love the brand.

Nah bro, they used generic cheap BMC OEM paper filter - I know what Ducati India dealerships use and that is why I asked. You will have to change it again after 5-6k km as the filter is really lousy, and it lets particulates pass through which clogs the air box. It's not the actual OEM filter, as Sprint is the OEM parts provider for all Ducatis that are sold abroad (just not in India).

I threw away all the OEM filters and started using Sprint.

I would suggest, the next time you get rid of the oem filter and install Sprint. Their filter is polycarbonate and there is no cleaning needed - just wash with water and detergent and you are done.

Only downside is that they are much more expensive than the competitors, but their performance is better.

Don't recommend BMC also, as the paper filter is really not up to the job for Indian road conditions. All my Ducatis run on Sprint and I am a happy customer. I used BMC before, and I can see the difference in performance.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Nah bro, they used generic cheap BMC OEM paper filter - I know what Ducati India dealerships use and that is why I asked. You will have to change it again after 5-6k km as the filter is really lousy, and it lets particulates pass through which clogs the air box. It's not the actual OEM filter, as Sprint is the OEM parts provider for all Ducatis that are sold abroad (just not in India).

I threw away all the OEM filters and started using Sprint.

I would suggest, the next time you get rid of the oem filter and install Sprint. Their filter is polycarbonate and there is no cleaning needed - just wash with water and detergent and you are done.

Only downside is that they are much more expensive than the competitors, but their performance is better.

Don't recommend BMC also, as the paper filter is really not up to the job for Indian road conditions. All my Ducatis run on Sprint and I am a happy customer. I used BMC before, and I can see the difference in performance.

This was an eyeopener. Thanks mate. I use a Sprint P-08 on my 10R. I have had no issues with it and all it needs is compressed air to clean. Do you recommend the same model for the Multi or anything denser?

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by narula123

I use a Sprint P-08 on my 10R. Do you recommend the same model for the Multi or anything denser?

Use the exact same one. P-08 is the model name, and the filter part number for all Ducati 959, Hypermotard, Diavel and Multistrada is PM127S.

The regular PM127S is good enough.

No need to get the race or the water repellent filter (PM-127S WP) as you are not going for Enduro racing