I recently bought a 14 Multistrada. On technical tracks I had the problem of always having to switch between 2 and 3 gear. The gear ratio was wrong. After watching your film, I changed the front sprocket to 14t. This is a realy big difference. Now it is correct, runs the traject in 3the gear and the engine responds quieter on the throttle.
Hi KVE, glad to hear the episode was helpful and to hear your having fun on your 2014 Multi. If you have not already watched it, check out this week's exhaust valve removal episode, this also helps. Best wishes Carl. 👍😊
The way you describe its behavior on 3rd gear in the city... couldn't agree more. I'm just about to change the chain and both sprockets, so I'll go with 15-42 option and report back in couple of weeks. Thank you, great explanation and hope to see more clever hacks how to smoothen and improve the multistrada on this channel. Good luck.
I dropped to a OEM 14T sprocket and it made a huge difference for slow speed through villages. I thought my 2010 1200S needed Dyno'd or ECU flashed as the slow speed / low RPM fueling seemed terrible. Sprocket change made a significant improvement. A 20V Dewalt impact gun was sufficient for sprocket nut removal for me. Note I used OEM front sprocket has a rubber coating which is supposed to be a bit quieter. Props to the dealer parts guys at MotoCorsa in Portland OR for recommending this change.
Great video! Gearing change is worth a complete performance tune, airbox, header, exhaust and tuner for a fraction of the cost and work. Always start with a gearing change. All motorcycles are geared to high for emissions
Thank you very much! I'm riding a '14 796 and have the same problems. Definitely making these sprocket and exhaust gat delete modifications. Thanks again for your informative and professional videos
Thanks for these videos Carl, you are great at explaining all of these topics and go into the right level of detail. You are helping out with my self maintenance and modification of my new, cheap, 68,000km Multistrada 1200. Coming from a three cylinder Triumph Daytona 675, I have found the choppyness of the Ducati at
Had the same problem with my 2011 Pikes Peak 1200S, I thought the fuelling was wrong ( if it was on an old Carb bike it’s like the carbs need cleaning) chugging and spluttering along below 2,500 rpm. We now have 20 mph limits and trying to go that slow behind the traffic is not much fun ! What you have said makes a lot of sense. Even pulling off on an incline takes great clutch control as you need the revs, but then you need carefully to ride the clutch! If not you either stall (too few revs) or release the clutch and go surging forward! Not Good if you are trying to turn! And 6th gear is pointless. When I get a chance I will be swapping the front for a 14T. Thanks for the video and for the insight, and also to the other comments 👍 It’s nice to know I’m not imagining things
Hello Beachboy, thank you for your feedback. The gearing change makes a big improvement and is definitely a job worth doing. My wife also appreciated the improvement as a passenger. Best wishes Carl
Wow you are so right! The behavior around 30mph is particularly jarring for me - I'm getting yanked around all over the place. 6th gear redundancy as well - I can actually reach a higher top speed in 5th than I can in 6th on my 2018 1260S - there's just no reason for 6th gear to exist. Going to purchase an impact wrench and go for it, wish me luck. - an aspiring home technician.
Hello and welcome, there are of bikes that could benefit from a gearing change 😉 glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for your feedback Best wishes with your KTM Carl
As I've mentioned previously, the biggest problem is that the fuel map at low rpm low throttle is too lean - this is of course to allow the bike to pass euro emission regulations. By changing the fuel map (I will admit this is not a simple thing to do - firstly requires a tuneboy or other ECU remapper, secondly requires a better fuel map, and this is a very complicated task) it solves this problem completely. By the way I don't mind sharing my fuel map, which is for the tuneboy. I should add that I have removed my catalytic converter, this is not so difficult. This alone, however, probably doesn't help much. With a better fuel map and original sprockets : 32kph in 3rd gear 47kph in 4th gear 62kph in 5th gear 80kph in 6th gear - all of these of course on level roads, can go slightly slower on a slight downhill, but on a slight uphill the minimum speed is a bit higher in all gears From these speeds and up, the bike is totally smooth and can roll on without any juddering If it would be of any interest, I have an old vid where I was practicing circles in third gear at 30 - 34 kph. You can hear that the engine starts to get unhappy at 30kph, but as soon as the speed picks up over that it is smooth. I can upload it if anyone wants to see it.
Hi Clive, good evening and thanks for all the detailed information, I for one would love to see the video and I'm sure many others would too. If you have the time and are willing to share for other multistrada owners, let me know the link once it's up. Best wishes Carl
@@justthewayitis Hi Carl, an update in case you are interested. Certainly a year ago I had a fairly good fuel map that I was reasonably happy with, but I couldn't help myself, I have kept making small tweaks to especially the low rpm / low throttle section of the map. I've arrived at a fuel map which is (to my taste) pretty close to perfect. I see that in this post I stated 80 kph was possible in 6th gear - I can now comfortably do 65 kph in 6th gear on a flat road and accelerate smoothly without gearing down. That's approximately 2000 rpm. Also the amount of torque the bike produces at low rpm has improved noticeably. I recently had occasion to test my acceleration against a couple of relatively new bikes of a famous brand that on spec produce 135 Nm, and I had more torque at low rpm and much more power at higher rpm than they did - keeping up with them was absolute childsplay. The bike is such a pleasure to ride. I mostly ride around in urban mode, which has more than enough power to satisfy me. I only switch to touring mode if I am feeling maniacal, probably only once or twice a month. A last comment. I also own a 2018 multistrada 1260, which still has the default fuel map. Although it has more power at high rpm (probably from about 6500 rpm and up) there is a huge difference at lower rpm - anything under about 4000 rpm my old multistrada has much more torque.
@clive1294 Hi Clive 🙋🏻♂️that sounds like a lot of fun to ride especially with the new tweaks you have made to the mapping for improved low rpm work, which if I’m honest was the main complaint I had with mine. If I still had my multistrada I would be asking you for some help!!! And a remap as it sounds like you have found a perfect balance. Are you thinking of offering your map to other owners? Have you shared your success on the forums? I still miss my muttley… it was a great bike to ride. Thank you for sharing I’m sure other owners will be interested in your results 👍 Where are you located? Carl
@@justthewayitis I've given the map to a couple owners over the last two years or so - of course what is happening is that there are fewer and fewer on the road and even fewer still with a programming kit. I would be happy to share it, but I suspect there are very few potential takers. A pity, actually, the '13 is a magnificent bike. Despite all the fine attributes of the '18 I still ride the '13 more. I'm in South Africa, close to Johannesburg.
Hi Jamie, sorry to hear that, but good to know the video might be some help when you repair your HY 796. Good luck with your project Kindest regards Carl
Thank you so much for this series of videos. I'm soon to be picking up a 13' 1200s gt. Your experience and ability to explain issues and solutions has been very helpful. I look forward to more videos 😁, Jeff
Another big thanks for the work you've put into these excellent videos Carl. I've been searching again today for just the standard chain specification and standard sprocket sizes, and came up with nothing (even on the Ducati forums) until I remembered your video series. Not about to change any time soon, but will watch your new GS videos anyway, as I'm sure there'll be valuable stuff to learn :) 6th gear, as you say, is largely useless with the standard gearing. The engine has load of grunt for 6th of course, but I often forget I even have a 6th as 5th feels like a suitable top gear for UK roads. If it wasn't for the gear indicator reminding me I had another gear left I'd probably never bother changing into 6th. Really also appreciate the pre-disassembly detail about the front sprocket nut. I'm an amateur mechanic, and so many times I've gone down repair avenues only to find I didn't have the right tool to do the job properly, meaning that I just had to back up and reassemble, wasting hours.
Good morning and thank you for the compliment, it's nice to receive positive feedback. Your observations about 6th gear are shared by many owners and this is why so many of us have made the changes. Good luck later this year when you make the modification and thankyou again for the feedback. Best wishes Carl
Hi Carl, I have developed an addiction to your videos: your clarity is enviable as well as being so comprehensive. I would like to switch to 14t but the triptych has ran only 12000 km. Are there any throwbacks to changing only the front sprocket leaving OEM chain and OEM rear sprocket in terms of compatibility Thank you.
Hi Riccardo, 14T front leaving everything else standard is exactly what I did. It works brilliantly and I recommend this modification. Thankyou for the compliment...smile. best wishes Carl
Thanks! I have a V-Strom 650, but the same issue exists, where you prefer to be in 3rd while around town, and including making turns to new street...the bike just seems to bog, and doesn't like it. And it seems strange to feather the clutch in 3rd to make it a smooth transition through a turn. Even still, the straights/flats the bike still chug-a-lugs along. And 2nd gear is okay, but the revs are higher than what's comfortable or practical. It's 15t stock, I purchased 14t from JT, and it's a package deal, where I'm replacing the chain and the rear sprocket. But, as I read, off the line it's way better, and who doesn't want that? The only downside, aside form the mpg being affected, is that 6th gear at 70mph is 5k rpms, and the bike really does perform nicely. Plenty of get up and go, and the revs aren't at a comfortable cruising feel. But, I'm going for it. Maybe it's a mistake, and I'll have to return to 15t, but it's worth it! Fun stuff! Thanks for the great video.
Hi Bennryan good morning and welcome to the channel, the V-Strom is a nice bike with plenty of good torque and now you have made the gearing change I'm sure it's much better. Best wishes Carl
I will share my experience. Yes bike is geared pretty high and 6th gear at 60 MPH was chugging along. I changed to 14x42 and really liked it. All gears usable and accelerated well and 6th was really usable, bike would still go scary fast. I don't need to go 150mph. Problem is can't get the chain adjustment right. I was at the rear of the adjustment range so I took a link out and the chain was too short to fit over the sprockets, just barely too short. I gave up and went to 15x42. I don't believe they make half links for these chains but that seems like what I would need to use 14x42.
First thing i do on every bike i've owed is to go down a tooth on the front sprocket, My last bike i've purchased is a yamaha mt-10sp, i noticed that they have gone one tooth bigger on the back sprocket, this was solely because people were complaining about fuel economy and with longer gearing the bike should theoretically give slightly better fuel range. On the mt-10 i think it's a bit pointless to save fuel as the boke is bonkers to start with.........
Hi Joe, only positive results I wish I had done this sooner 👍 The ability to maintain a consistent slow speed in traffic and villages is only one benefit, the rest is a nice extra. Best wishes Carl
One, if not the best mod for the Multistrada and on most Ducati's for that matter. May I add that the top speed will not be lower when performing this mod. Mathematically Yes but not in practice. Reason being is that the Multi's stock gearing cannot reach Red Line in top gear. Moreover, with the gearing mod, you've moved-up the RPM into the power band. Consequently, top speed will not be noticeably any lower. Furthermore, (and this is only hearsay) the ECU may have a top speed limiter on the Multi.
Personally never been a fan of dropping down on the front as the chain has to work harder to get around the tighter radius and depending on bike the chain can drag harder on the sliders up near the pivot point . Sure , more expensive to do rear and chain . Just my thoughts .
Hi Andrew it's a good point you make, thankyou for sharing. I thought about this before I made my change, but decided to go the other route and although I have and do check the chain regularly I have not seen any increase wear rate so far. But it's a fair observation you share. Thankyou. Best wishes Carl
Good morning, First great thanks for your very detailled video, they are always very clear. I wounder how you handle the speedometer and odometer difference when you reduce the front sprocket from 1 teeth? In my previous bike I could adjust that though a OBD2 tuning, but what about the Multistrada? (Which is going to be my next buy) I would not like that it get higher kilometerage faster than the reality. Thanks!
Hi Youn, good question... it's a simple answer. The multistrada takes its speed reading and the mileage reading from the "Wheel Speed Sensor" on the rear wheel...not the gearbox. So you still have the correct and accurate speed displayed on the dashboard. No need to change or adjust anything via OBD. Best wishes Carl
Ah great news, I never liked those additional box to adjust the speedometer. That also means if we mainly drive wheely, the bike gets less kilometers on the odometer! Thanks for the answer
When changing to 14T front, did you get any problems with the speedo and gear indication? I did this on my Hypermotard 2022, and since then the gear indicator is off and my speedo show way more than i actually drive.
Hello Leffe and welcome to the channel. No problems with gear indicator (this info comes from a sensor on the rear of the gearbox) and no problems with speedo error or inaccuracy (this comes from the rear wheel speed sensor). For me, everything worked just fine. Sorry to hear you had some issues. Best wishes Carl
I am lowering the gearing from oem 16 front, 41 rear to 15 front , 42 rear If I go 1 down on the front and 1 up on the rear is this a better combination rather than going 1 down on the front on a KTM Duke 790, Also do i need to change chain links?
Hi If you go the route you have suggested -1 front +1 rear I doubt you will need to change the links. But you will need to check once you have made the change. A lot depends on the range of chain adjustment. Why don’t you just try 16 to 15 front and try it first…
Hi Carl, loving the video. I presume it is the same issue on the 1260 as mine does not like going through villages at the legal speed. Did you see any difference in MPG changing the front sprocket?
Hi Lushman, honestly... not really. My Multistrada does an easy 54mpg every tank full. I think if I look back at the mpg data I record each time I fill up... it might have dropped 1 or 2 mpg, but that's so good I cant complain. Yes many 1260 owners do this same modification, so you can go down -1 on the front or up +2 on the rear. The choice is yours. But....I am so pleased I did this, my wife was super happy that finally we could go through villages without kangarooing... smile. Next week is another GS series update... but I hope to then follow on with another modification that also really helped low speed control which is the exhaust flap removal...more details in the next episode. Best wishes Carl
Hi Sonny, it would be an extremely fast multistrada in the lower gears, very quick indeed. But would also need to change the chain to sorter one too. But you would loose top speed and a comfortable cruising speed. For me, just the front sprocket was enough 🙋🏻♂️ Carl
Yes, that’s correct, front only and no need to shorten the chain. Much better control in villages at 30mph / 50 km/h great performance increase, top speed still very good. Definitely a good upgrade Carl
Hi Damian, welcome. Yes it does affect speedo accuracy... but by a very small amount. When I compare my Navi gps speed to the dash board... they read almost the same. Carl
Hi Batts, and welcome to the channel. The upper crash bars on the multistrada are OEM from Ducati, I do not know the part numbers but I will check and see if I can find them for you. Best wishes Carl
Greatly depends on the make and model of bike I’m working on and what each customer wants. For general service kits I recommend OEM but for brakes I recommend Brembo or EBC as you can choose compounds that suit the customers riding style and needs. For chain and sprockets DID have a really great range and very good quality but again it depends on the customer budget. The Gold range is one of best out there as it provides great service life and virtually no rusting and they are super easy to keep clean Carl
Hi Clive, nice video, lots of good info, but you're not being truthful about at one thing. There is no way to get the front sprocket off with out breaking the chain. At least not on my 2014 Multistrada. Some other duc's are easy, this one is not. THANKS
Hi Charles, its Carl not Clive... but that's ok. Sorry.. but the front sprocket does indeed come off WITHOUT splitting the chain, many others have also done this also. The key is... getting the chain lose and over the rear sprocket first and then it's just a little fiddly but completely possible. I am a technician and I do all my own and customer bikes. Perhaps you will have better luck next time. Have a good evening, best wishes Carl
@@justthewayitis Hello Carl, Thanks for the response, and I apologize about calling you "Clive". That said, on my bike the original 15t front sprocket will not come off. While I'm not a licensed technician, I do enjoy fiddling with old bikes in my garage. And usually, I can do most jobs that don't require machining. My Multistrada simply will not allow the original front sprocket to be removed with the chain in tact. I've removed the rear wheel, so the chain is loose. I can only surmise that the issue is tolerances. Some bikes simply have more room due to manufacturing difference, bushing and bearing wear, sprocket and chain tolerances, etc. Mine simply does not have sufficient room to slide off original front sprocket without breaking the chain. But I enjoy the knowledge and narratives on your videos. Thanks you, Charles
It's also possible that the type of chain fitted will affect the clearance and as you will have seen in my video, the sprocket I removed was not OEM... so all these very small differences probably make a difference. But it's been a great bike. 👍Carl
Hi Carl, I finally figured it out: I had to loosen the bolts for the left hand frame and tail-frame section and "spread it apart" slightly to allow the chain enough clearance to stay on the front sprocket while removing it. Once the chain cleared the engine housing it could be removed from the sprocket and the sprocket was able to be removed! Maybe this will help someone else. Thank you for your time and patience. Charles
Hi Charles, you have done very well finding an unusual solution that works for you. I did not realise from your comments that you were actually working on your Multistrada TODAY... I'm sorry I did not get this, but your solution may indeed help others tackling this change at home. Carl
