Hello from sunny Florida

[Holden]

Howdy from Jupiter, Florida! (About 90 miles north of Miami.)  I bought my Multistrada 950 yesterday and I will take delivery in about a week, after the check clears.

I bought it with the Urban and Touring packs and heated grips, but it might be a few weeks until those items arrive and they can be installed. I like to take an annual moto-camping vacation every September or October to the Great Smoky Mountains, and I have wandered as far west as Telluride, Colorado. Thus the need for those heated grips! When I was in Colorado the last week of June 2017, I rode for a couple of hours in freezing weather, looking downhill at snow fields.

I've owned a Kawasaki Versys for seven years and I will keep it and probably store it at my mom's house in Texas. I visit there every month or so, as she lives in a nursing home.

I considered getting an F800 or R1200, or maybe a Versys 1000 or a Tiger or an Africa Twin. The Africa Twin seemed too dirt-oriented, as I will ride 98% of the time on pavement. The Tiger just didn't appeal to me, although my wife thought it was gorgeous. With the Versys 1000, well, I didn't want a four-cylinder bike and I would have always wondered if I would have been happier switching brands. I didn't think the F800 would be fun on multiple-thousand-mile trips, and the R1200GS seemed too expensive and, I dunno, maybe I'm not the BMW type. Plus, I have a hunch boxers are less flickable than V-twins. I could be totally wrong about that, though.

And finally, I like the look and name of Ducati, and the 18,000-mile service interval is impressive, and so is the desmodromic valvetrain. It's just cool, right? The sound, the torque and the brakes are all such an improvement over the Versys. I'm psyched to be a Ducatista, and I'm glad to join this forum!

[thenozzle]

Hi Holden and welcome to the forum 

[Murf46]

Welcome enjoy your new bike

[neilb]

  to the forum, Holden. Enjoy the ride 

[Lemotard]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your Duc and the sunshine in Florida! 😉

[Darsey]

Congratulations on your new bike. We will look forward to hear about your comparisons over the Versys