hello

[petew]

hi thx for having me along, after about 6 years of yamaha tracer ownership which i must say has been 100% reliable and fun touring many places with my wife after of course changing the rear shock from the jelly spung stock one and the plank of a seat i am booking up a test ride on the 950s at my nearest dealer which involves a ferry and about 50mile ride. i have been yearning for a multi for a few years now but have never been in a position to afford one but thats changed im ready to buy. but will of course depend on the test ride and how much better the multi is compared to my tracer 900gt, which is a good bike just a bit cheaply built imho.

[Wassers]

Hi Petew.

Hope your test ride goes well. Let us all know how you get on (we think we already know you will love it!).

The Tracer is a good bike, but you will definitely notice a big jump in quality on the 950s... and of course, being a Ducati it has oodles of soul and character.

[Jimmychenga]

Hi Peter

I was a long time Tracer owner, and spent a bomb on the suspension trying to get it handle two up with luggage, in the end i gave up and traded it in. My first choice was a Kawasaki Versys 1000SE but Kawasaki stopped the SE into the Australian market so that ended that. I looked at the Multi 950 when it came out i looked at it as i thought the Tracer was better value. Any way 4 years later i discover the 950S, and now it sits in my garage.

If you go down this way you will be amazed how awesome this bike is, i have not spent a cent on suspension it rides like sitting in  lounge chair its so comfortable.

I weight about 98kgs in gear, my wife is about 70kg in gear, pannier and 47 litre top luggage is about 15kg and it handles it beautifully doesn't hit the centre stand yet. My wife loves its.

The Multi 950s is great value for money even compared to the new tracer 9

[petew]

thanks im hoping i have the same happy ending, i also looked at the versys but too heavy for me and not a huge fan of inline 4s either they dont have the charachter of a twin/triple. im a little heavbier than you about 110kg but shouldnt make much difference and my wife is about the same as yours. i have tested the triumph tiger 900gt and was very impressed with it nice punchy engine and very comfy ride but being not far off the price of the 950s id prefer that if its a good fit. test ride will reveal all i hope.

[Jimmychenga]

The Multi is a better bike, more power and better suspension than the tiger. I found it ok performance wise not as good as my tracer and firing order of the tiger make it sound great but still left me wanting. On thing you will notice on the multi you cannot be lazy in the bottom end of the gearbox like you could with the tracer. You will need to one gear lower than you think, its to do with being a twin and the bigger pistons, once you get used to it not a problem

[Wassers]

@PeteW - Got a date booked yet for your test ride 

[sandy2424]

I cross-shopped the Tracer 9 GT w/ the 950s but for the life of me, I could not find a single one at the time I was shopping for bikes. I wasn't too keen on the split screen on the Tracer but that CP3 motor on the Yamaha is delightful. I have since looked at it and the Multi's build quality and refinement still seems better than that of the Tracer.

[petew]

Originally Posted by Wassers

@PeteW - Got a date booked yet for your test ride 

next week while on a trip to york. no dealer where i live so 2 birds with one stone as they say,

[petew]

Originally Posted by Jimmychenga

The Multi is a better bike, more power and better suspension than the tiger. I found it ok performance wise not as good as my tracer and firing order of the tiger make it sound great but still left me wanting. On thing you will notice on the multi you cannot be lazy in the bottom end of the gearbox like you could with the tracer. You will need to one gear lower than you think, its to do with being a twin and the bigger pistons, once you get used to it not a problem

yes the tracer engine is the best thing about the bike its a cracker shame the rest is a bit cheap. had many twins in my biking life and i do enjoy the way they deliver power, wish i still had that sp1 in my garage. the test ride will make my decision next week heres hoping for a positive ending.

[petew]

test ride done and i am noit 100% its the next bike for me, the hunt for a gloss grey one begins.