Sport Bikes banner

Because Milk

1K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Tripped1 
#1 ·
Because the 1290 Super Duke R is a less than ideal two-up machine.

I bought a 2012 Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak recently.

Notable features as purchased.
Full luggage both 53L and 73L saddle bags and 48L top case, in addition to a 20L tank bag
Denali D2 LED aux lights, multi-intensity
harness mod to run both the low and high beams at once
Lighting HID low beams and LED high beams.
Rizzoma bling (reservoirs, tail-tidy, rear blinkers, bar clamp)
DP carbon fiber fenders fore and aft
Temi tax paid
Ohlins semi-active SCU upgrade



Quick review.
Outstanding two-up tourer, can pack mule two people and camping gear for a week trip no problem.
Its fast
It handles well
Sounds like sex when you really work the 11* Testrastretta (even compared to my full akra equipped 1290 Super Duke)
The suspension is simply superb, the Ohlins mechatronic is amazing.


The bad?

High energy controls, brakes, clutch, and throttle.
Its sprung to light, I use single loaded or 2-up load settings when alone (225lbs in leather gear), it simply can't compensate for me and my girl plus bags.
The P4 calipers. They work, but the M50s on the later bikes (and my Super Duke) are simply so much better. Debating if its worth the money to upgrade there
Rear brake is garbage.
Its a long tall bike that carries its weight high, and you really feel it in low speed maneuvers.

Still on the scale I give it about an 8 of 10. Its a brilliant package once I got used to all of the pitch and yaw from having 5.7" of travel. I can even tell you its pretty sure footing in dirt and gravel on street tires.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
  • Like
Reactions: Dem0nDuck
#2 ·
oh my. That's a sexy bike. I keep trying to talk myself into getting one. Congrats.
 
#4 ·
Nothing new to report long term.

So far as it goes, if its just me I am looking for the Super Duke key....I like pretty much everything about the Super Duke better.


...again, if its just me.

There are a few issues that I am working through with the Duc.
1) Standard shift, I HATE riding standard shift, its been 7-8 years since I did that on the regular, and the SD-R is GP-shift is that is a constant headache, that I think I have figured out, just waiting for someone to get a parts bike to harvest.
2) A set of M50s recently were offered to me at a very good price, so that is happening.
3) The rear spring, is woefully light, seriously a 500 pound machine with 2up touring in mind, 0.85 doesn't cut it. I'm waiting to hear back from Ohlins, but as it stands I ride in 2-up preload settings when solo, there just isn't enough spring for the bike to be "right" two-up, much less two-up and loaded. A 1.0 is a little light, since I am 225 with gear and my girl is another 140 or so...plus 73L saddlebags, 48L top-box....with another 110 pounds of crap in them, I was thinking more 1.1, I want 50mm sag with me unladen, and I am trying to find someone with the data.

The good and the better
-As I noted the suspension is amazing, its actually hard to upset the bike, and that is moving at ridiculous speed, over broken road, two-up it seriously just soaks bumps, all with good feel and solid chassis control. This is in Japan where you are pushing to get to 60mph the roads are that tight. It took me a second to get used to all of the picking around from a 5.7 suspension travel, but there are merits to it.
-The motor has grown on me a good deal, now on a 2012 that is a single spark, I dynoed it last week 133rwhp at about 1000 MSL, the bike has the Termi with the "race" map, which of course is fat as hell below 3,500 RPM and lean across the rest of the range. So the bike is seriously grumbly at low RPM, but once it thins itself out the midrange is something to behold, 5,000-8,000 is just a step behind my 1290, which puts 170rwhp down. A tuneboy will fix that right up, with cruise control and quickshifter support.....
-The Egros are interesting, it sits more like a dirtbike than a sport tourer, that being said I did a 2,400km in 4 days on it, 2 up chasing friends on faster bikes.....no one was uncomfortable, the most static I got out of the femal unit was "I think that is the sportiest you have ever ridden with me on the back 0:) "
-Electronic fun, so when I get into the traction control and anti-wheeling on the SD-R its still full fire, the computers just close the throttle for me.....on the Duc, not so much it pulls spark, so banging around on the DTC means it pops and bangs like GP bike, coupled with the roar of the Tremi....holy crap it sounds wicked
-Unlike the SD-R there is no anti-wheelie, it doesn't pull power till the front wheel slows down, as such you can wheelie the shit out of it, and just brush the front brake to bring it down, no need to cover the rear brake, which is sort of an end run, but hey, at least I can wheelie without screwing around in menus while stopped to kill the TC like the KTM.

All of the modes are interesting, there are a pile of settings, 8 levels of traction control and ABS, 4 throttle maps, 4 riding modes.....and it sets them by riding mode+load setting. Which means you can tailor you DTC/ABS/Suspension/preload/throttle map as follows
Sport
1
1+baggage
2
2+ baggage

Touring
1
1+baggage

...you get the idea.

You can quite literally tailor the settings to what you are doing with it.

So I have sport (single and single plus baggage), semi-active suspension (whatever Ohlins special sauce is in that DES controler) 150hp High (most aggressive throttle) DTC on 1 ABS on 2 (very little intrusion) because if I am using those loads its just me and I want the crazy.

Sport 2+ baggage, same throttle, preload topped out, DTC level 5, ABS level 4....the girl is on the back, I want protection.

I have urban set up as rain mode, manual suspension settings (because semi-active = undamped) 100hp DTC 6 ABS 8 basically max electonic intervention...carries across all loads....except single rider, which I have set up as a dirt mode, custom suspension, no DTC, ABS on 1, which I use for rindo (unpaved roads)....and its surprisingly surefotted for a 500 pound street bike on street tires on hard pack.

Enduro is hooigan mode, 150high motor, DTC off, ABS off, and a pretty slow custom suspension set up.

Cool thing with electronic suspensions, you can tinker your ass off waiting for lights to change......no need to get out a wrench or screwdrivers, you change the suspension on the gauge cluster.

Wind protection is going to vary, I usually ride nakedes (going back 15 years or so) so the stubby little Pikes Peak carbon job is good, I pull it up when its cold and lower it when its warm, I have a touring screen but haven't bothered to mount it.

She rewards a strong smooth hand, the bike is very capable on-road, fast, plenty of power, my opinion on the handling has improved. Like I said its a big, tall, long bike, solo she hides her size well.....
....well she does after the semi-active upgrade that hides all of the diving on the brakes and the bouncing on side to side transitions.

That being said, on bumpy/broken road, its wonderful, the long travel suspension just soaks all of the crap, so you know there are bumps but you aren't getting beat up. Which of course balances against the high energy controls, the clutch is stiff, the throttle takes a good twist to get turned (looking into a quick throw) and hopefully the brakes are getting fixed in a week or two.


Its not the balls out crazy my Super Duke provides, but its a VERY good package for what I bought it for, 2-up touring, sporty enough for me, comfortable enough for her.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top