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I've owned a 950S for a year now and it's probably the best bike I've had in 24 years of motorcycling. In Sport mode I find that you are best dropping a gear and using the revs more. In Touring you can relax a bit and use the torque. I came from three R1200GSes and this bike is so much more involving. The cornering and handling is something else too. As it's still a reasonably big twin the quickshifter works best from 3rd gear up. As you say, you need the engine spinning as it won't like it if you're loading or at low revs. You soon get the hang of what it likes. I also get the comments about it being top heavy. That helps with the handling once it gets going of course. I am 5' 10" and as I said, no stranger to tall bikes. This carries a higher centre of gravity so it just takes a bit of time to get used to. I was considering a lower seat shortly after I bought it, but it's just not an issue now. One hour test ride reviews are interesting but suggest that there's a bike out there for you that won't require adaptation, learning or compromise. Of course that's the basis that most of us make a buying decision on so there's no substitute for trying one yourself.
Thank you very much for providing some very valuable comments not only for me but others who are keen on this bike. If only the offered factory lowered options like Triumph and BMW then I sure more short people like me would buy it.
@@InfusedBiker No idea why companies don't design in adjustable seats. Would be SUPER simple with just a set of spacers that the owner could choose to leave in or remove.
I’m 5’7” and initially also lacked confidence with the top heavy feel and when stopped even with the low seat option. Had the rear shock shortened and a shorter spring fitted to lower the rear 25mm and also raised the forks the same amount. Cost was AUD $850 but was worth every $, and height issue solved. Very happy with my 950s.
A most informative review. Power to weight ratio and comparison very helpful. I had a demo 3 years ago and put the lower seat (820mm) on and as a result bought the bike. Very pleased although I ride at higher revs and lower gear than you seem to do. Mine is the vanilla not the S.
Your channel is amazing. The videos are so organised, clear and concise. Full of information. Your commentary is just great. Tell you everything you need to know. The editing is amazing. The effort you put into these videos are honestly amazing. Honestly keep up the good work. And your uploads are so consistent as well. I’m trying to be like you
Just subscribed based on this review. I enjoyed this video and like your review style. Very informative and to the point. Well done. Looking forward to going through more of your videos!
As soon as I found out your height, I subscribed because my height is the same as yours. It's hard to find short people doing a motorcycle test. That's why I was following a lot of female motorcyclists. It's good that I came across you. I can't wait to watch your many different motorcycle tests. I especially want to watch your Ducati Supersport (red) test. My dream motorcycle right now, and maybe thanks to your test, I will be able to imagine myself what it looked like on that bike.
Hi I bought a multi 950S it is a bit top heavy but you can lower the suspension I bought a lowering spacer from Germany and lowered it by 20 mm, there is a lower seat also available. Makes a big difference to riding the bike and maneuvering around the car park. Love the bike even the vibes. Been camping and touring with full boxes, handles every thing you throw at love the bike. I'm have a 31 inch inseam you learn quickly where not to park 🏍️👍
Wow congratulations. I am sure you will have plenty of fun on this bike. If only Ducati offered a factory lowered option then I am sure they would have got extra sales. They leave it up to individuals to go through all the hassle and extra expense to have to lower it. I hope you have lots of enjoyable journeys on this beauty. I wished it had the single sided swing arm like the HyperMotard though!
Hey Eric, could you provide details of that lowering spacer? Did it affect the handling at all? And what preload do you generally run at? I have a 950S and absolutely love it, but an inch or so lower would be ideal. Feedback appreciated 👍🏻
@@lyndonstickley4543 Hi I have just sold my Ducati 950s and I have the lowering spacer removed from my bike, so if you was interested I could supply you the spacer and the compression tool I made for installing it please do not disconnect the electrics as you will need to reboot the computer my bike is now going to a guy in Scotland regards Eric Wheatcroft
I’ve watched many Multi 950S reviews and no one claimed she’s top heavy. Actually, “very nimble & flickable” were the descriptions which were used most often, however they were not talking about parking manœuvres. Well, I must try it myself…
Fascinating that you say you have no confidence, with 30" inside leg. I have a 1260s and have no issues. Only time I find it top heavy is when I have my 15kg chain/lock on the pillion seat.
I am puny 😭 9 stone, 5’5 shorty and don’t have much of leverage from up on high. Maybe if I was about 5’8 or taller then I could use the height for some leverage. But I am glad you’re not having the same issues. Keep on enjoying your machine and safe riding.
Testing so many bikes is a great resource for so many of us searching for a bike. In my area of the USA very few motorcycle dealerships offer test rides. It’s ludicrous! And it makes it so hard to choose a bike. Have you considered producing a synopsis of attributes and their ratings? Maybe a scale of 1-5 or something rather simple for each? It would be interesting to see the ratings and get an idea what your top 5 or 10 bikes are. Also, I really like some of the tests you do (that nobody else does) like standing the bike up from the side stand, getting it up on the centerstand, paddling, etc. Anyway, great job. I’ve been following all of these reviews.
I owned an original 1200 Multistrada way back in 2012. Loved the way it went but it was an utter nightmare to own, so much went wrong with it I swore I would never buy another Ducati. Saying all that they do produce some beautiful bikes. I also owned a super reliable if a little slower Versys 1000 GT, a great bike if a little heavy and boring. At 6ft 3 I probably look for different things (leg room for one) in a bike but enjoyed your review.
I own this bike and it’s definitely happier to be kept at higher revs. Opening throttle in high gears at low speeds (lugging) is very stressful on an engine. It is unfortunate you could not take this bike on higher speed roads. At the speeds you were riding, I would have been in 2nd and 3rd gear.
If you see this video, the words top heavy are repeated quite a bit. I am 177 cm tall (about 5' 8'') and weigh 90 Kg (14.4 stones) and I find this bike to be too heavy as well. I think 'top heavy' is the correct term, as the reviewer has stated. I bought this bike just two weeks ago, and I am thinking I maybe have made the wrong choice. The first time I put some petrol in it, I had a hard time closing the gas tank and looking how to close it correctly, I slanted the bike and if fell to the side (of course the side opposite to where the side stand was out), crushing my little finger against the petrol dispenser (nothing serious), but I had a hard time pulling up the bike with the help of my wife and the gas station clerk. Once you are riding around it handles like a charm, it is loads of fun on sport mode... but when you have to stop in traffic, at a red light or a stop sign my confidence floats away. I will give a trial period but if my confidence does not increase I will end up selling it to get maybe a Yamaha Tracer 900 GT or a Triumph Tiger 900 GT. Thanks for another great review. Keep em coming. Have you tried the Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 ?, that is one bike I would have liked to test but the 265 Kg put me off a little bit.
Yes I agree with all you say. I hope your finger is ok. The bike didn't give me any confidence 😔 either. I am sure a 6'4" tall person with a 36" inseam will be fine 🙂. It's a shame the bike is lovely to ride otherwise. I tried my local dealers for a Super Tenere but none have any available for test rides😔.
I got the lowered seat, only 20mm but makes a difference confidence wise, 4500 miles but I still have problems parking it other than on a flat surface. Love it to bits though, as a long distance bike its so comfortable!
Nice review I find the dash only vibrates at about 3K revs so not an issue and I don't have a problem with the mirrors if fact I really like them On the S you can raise or lower the bike by about an inch if you go to the load setting I think bike manufacturers are missing adventure bike sales for a lot of shorter riders (average height for UK women is about 5'5")
I’ve tried mostly all adventure bikes, and this 950 is the best, for me at least, better than the 1260 for real world road riding. Fast and agile. Sub!
Thank you sir for your support. I wished my legs were a couple of inches longer 😩 otherwise I would have bought one. It's a great bike. I hope you have lots of fun and happy memories on the machine.
I’m interested in the updated 2022 Ducati Multristrada V2 S. I’m the same height as you. The new videos state the seat is slightly lower than the 950S and equally important the seat is narrower to attract a broader segment of riders. Do you feel these changes will be significant enough for riders 5’5”.
Can you review a bmw gs 850 & Vstrom 650 XT. If you were to choose between these two which would you get? What if you also you add a Tiger 900GT to the choices between these three which one would you get? Ease of use, the lightest feeling, easy to maneuver, easy to put feet on the ground, confidence inspiring, reliable which one? Thanks!
Oh, Ninja 1000SX for sure. For example the Ninja has equivalent to 596 bhp per ton and 348 lb-ft of torque per ton, whereas the 950S has 468 bhp per ton and only 302 lb-ft of torque per ton. And the speed and the instant pick up is way better on the Ninja - that's my personal observation.
i dont know why in a worst hell for bikes the indian traffic roads made this bike survive and others are nitpicking this bike the multis are pure highway munchers and not that heavy im 5.9ft my 300cc weighs 185-190kg this weighs 225-230kg the only time i felt the weight is when trying to reverse the bike without proper seat height dont buy premium bikes even though im just 5.9ft my legs are a tad bit longer though i tried 820mm seat option and it works like charm but not my cup of tea i like it stock with 840mm i can flat foot it but off road sections ill use the 820mm seat
Good for you that you're blessed with long legs and height. And I am glad you are in love with your superb machine. My review is purely from a "Short" person perspective and therefore top heavy weight has a very significant impact on how I can physically manage it. And hence the title of the video. My thoughts and views were not meant to hurt the feelings of tall riders who obviously are very passionate about their respective bikes. So, very best wishes to you and ride safe.
@@InfusedBiker no mate spend some time with it i have a friend whose just 5.7 ish he is the first to buy 950 2 years back he faced hell like you i carried him lol 😂😂 only untill the short seat accessory arrived he rides it like hell after if got a chance try the short sear version with spoke wheels spoke wheels do add some feel to the bike it adds weight but surprisingly the center of mass is distrubuted fine with short height and that seating position its as if you are in a whale mouth you need to get used to it once you get hang of it i ate tigers and versys 1000 for breakfast but one mistake on a ducati dries your wallet so risking is not a choice when its a serious off road section involved ill go to my mates house and rob his low seat which he further cut the foam by 7 mm initially you like 1260s but 950 and 1260 pikes peak you need to adapt the bike a tad bit if only i can afford the pikes peak 😕😕 but that premium for a 160 hp is not resonable pretty much used to 950 now but when im trashing it around at some point it reminds me that its a mamoth and desrves respect and to be handled with care not at all a bike for guys below 5.10 unless you are used to big bikes but with low seat trust me its magic
@@anneakhil5331 Hahaha, your friend is a hooligan then, good for him!. I have test rode the Multistrada 1260S - will be uploaded next week so you are welcome to view it and share your thoughts.
@@InfusedBiker thats a different monster but at that budget im saving the extra money i should keep on the 1260s as downpayment for my next bike v4 panigale or my dream bike hayabusa 1260s costs 8000usd more than 950s i can install that money on a new bike 😂😂😂 as multi is just a tour machine i dont feel to be a hooligan at all on that bike when i wheelie the bike will definitely show its weight wanted a hypermitard but thats waaaayyy toooo taaaaaaallllll yep have fun with the 1260 but never judge a motorcycle in one day every motorcycle has a certain rpm level where it connects your soul find that ... 🙂🙂🙂 if that feel aint there then the motorcycle has no soul dont buy those machines not worth our affection and money but hoping ducati launches a pikes peak version of 950 our bikes getting their build fading at max 2-3 years it can stay in its full life and i hate that suspension too much silky 💔💔💔 only reason i cannot take to track even in hardest setting the newly came f900xr is track tool though but performance and premiumness naaah i dont see any character in that bike as soon as i thought the fun was there im already at rev limiter in 2-3-4 gears bmw could easily tune the engine in sport version mode...
