So I bought a gently used 2014 Multistrada 1200S Touring model. Only 9k miles, had service records, always stored inside, never dropped. Seemed like a good bike, though I didn't ride it at the dealership. Finally had a chance to ride it (this thing does not deserve the title "she") this weekend and this thing is garbage. I'm 58 years old and have been riding bikes since I was 12, this is the worst bike I've ever owned. There is NO torque at all below 3k RPM, it just chugs when pulling away from a stop sign. And slipping the clutch does not help for the first 20' off the line. Then it's like my old RM250 when it hits the powerband, bang, it pulls a wheelie. My 1999 TL1000s is some much smoother I can't believe it. I've already bled the clutch and install adjustable levers hoping to alleviate the issue, to no avail. This thing is JUNK.
I'm at my wits end.
I miss my old K100RT.
Thanks for letting me vent.
21 April 2022
Sir:
I had the exact same type of experience with a 2010 two-valve 1100 cc SP Model. It was rough, backfiring and chugging around. I wondered if some major component of the crankshaft was broken. All closed throttle coasting was accompanied by frequent loud and undesirable backfires. The machine was highly unsatisfactory. ¿Puede decir basura? My friends rode it and thought the same thing.
I set about to cure this mess as I already purchased the bike and had few alternatives. I purchased it via the Internet and had it delivered across many U.S.A. states to my home. If I were to have ridden it first, I would neve have purchased it. All this was actually fortunate for me because, after my changes, it is a smooth and amazing machine.
My Actions follow:
1. Removed and replaced the catalytic converter. Leo Vince item. Price about $275.
2. Removed the mufflers and cut off the last 1/2 inch of the body. I then used a long chisel to drive the muffler baffles away from the main body of the muffler. I then used a DeWalt sawzall-type machine with long metal cutting blades to cut the baffles in the muffler into small pieces that could be shaken into the trash. Cutting and sawing took at least three hours. I did not pay myself. Price free.
3. I had a craftsman TIG weld the distal part of each muffler together. Total cost for the welding was $80 for a perfect job.
4. I removed the exhaust noise valve segment of the exhaust pipe. I used a cutting torch to melt the valve into oblivion. After that, I welded closed the axle shaft of the noise valve. The axle welds were ground with a body sander and polished to look as chromium plating.
5. I purchased an electrical terminus that thwarts some kind of undesirable signal. It had a name like Duck-E or Duck-EE and came from California. It works perfectly. Cost about $80.
6. Removed the charcoal container near the left front of the engine and plugged the lines. Trash/ Basura/ Rifuti.
7. Removed fuel pump and replaced undesirable factory sheet metal circular crimped "hose clamps" from the pump. Replaced factory "hose clamps" with high quality screw hose clamps. These were Vibrant Performance Fuel Injector High Performance Mini Hose Clamps. Get these from Summit Racing. They are very low cost when compared to other vendors selling the identical clamps. Factory clamps are known for failing and releasing the hose within the tank where fuel sprays wildly inside the tank without feeding the engine. Vibrant Clamps cost less than $25.
8. Installed new oil filter and new air filters. I use Mobile 1 Oil from Walmart.
9. Installed new cam drive belts and one new pulley. One pulley was rusted on its face which probably resulted from a car wash and being put away for winter. Bike came from New York. Note that belt installation is complicated on the 1100SP model. The regular 1100 models have timing marks but the SP models do not. I got a small stool and a bright Snap On LED work lamp and sat there for about an hour and decided to make my own timing marks. I purchased a white paint pen at Dollar Tree dollar store. I made the marks and then replaced the belts. I removed the spark plugs to allow the engine to be easily rotated without the usual cylinder compression function. I tuned the engine over and over and there were no metallic collisions. I replaced everything pertaining to the belt change and the engine started without disorder. Cost about $60. plus the cost of the replacement pulley.
10. I found a genius who reprogrammed the computer. When key activates the bike, it did say something to include USA. The reprogramming was a RR (racing program). When the key is activated, it now comes up and says, "Ducati Racing or RR" or both. Cost was about $300. Large power increase. Smooth function. Seamless torque.
11. I purchased several blank transponder Ducati keys from ebay.com. The ebay vendor was in Spain. Each transponder blank was bout $30. My local locksmith easily programmed several replacement keys from my blanks for a total cost of about $30.
I am extremely pleased with the result. Bike is very fast. It can pull from very low speeds in fifth or sixth gear without bucking or hesitating. I can ride everywhere with smooth running. Long periods of deceleration rarely result in backfires. Previously, it was bang, bang, bang. Use imagination. Highly experience riders who try it are amazed at the smoothness and power for a two-valve Ducati. I welcome inquiries.
J. Graham
2010 Ducati 1100 EVO SP
