My review of the 2014 Multistrada S comes from my relative inexperience of riding just 3 years and I am a middle aged rider in inner city Sydney, Australia. In that time I have owned a Tmax 500 Scoot (3 mths) a Kwaka Versys 650 (1 year) a 2013 BMW R1200GS and now a 2015 BMW R1200 GS. I ride to and from work (Enmore to North Ryde, lots of traffic and filtering) 40 klm each day and do the burbs and occasional long day runs on the weekend. I do not have regular access to the family 4WD and so the bike needs to do the shopping and run errands around town.
What is important to me is being able to flat foot the bike, a planted, sure footed feeling when underway and linear power delivery. It must feel nimble and easy to corner and ideally fit thru normal lane gaps for filtering. I also rate very highly capacity for luggage as I change my options frequently between 3 top boxes, 2 soft cases and hard panniers. I am also a massive fan of high tech electronics, all Traction Control, Electronic Suspension, etc. So, my baseline is a 13-15 R1200 GS and to be honest, it pretty much ticks all my boxes, of course there is room for improvement such as less weight, narrower bars and maybe a tad more power when you need it.
Considering all of this, the Multistrada failed for me as an improvement over what I presently have for my stated use. It felt smaller in the cockpit and overall wheelbase, the seat does not have as much room to slide around on, it felt heavier than the GS due to higher COG. I could not flat foot it (the newer 15 Multistrada is about 30 mm lower seat height than the 14) the power was delivered in a torque rush and whilst it was easy to control and a great surge of power it felt rough and somewhat agricultural in its delivery. The Skyhook suspension does a better job of soaking up the bumpy roads than the GS which also damps well but the whole chassis seems to ride over bumps gently following the road contours and undulations whereas the Multistrada keeps the chassis level. I really did not like the ergonomics of the switch gear and display, would need to get used to it, the GS is very easy to use in that regard.
I also rode a 2011 BMW R1200 GS today, this bike has zero electronics and had knobby tyres. I actually preferred the feel, balance & handling of this bike over the Multistrada although it would have been better with road tyres and it needs more power. It's suspension was shit over the bumpy roads but overall it felt more in line with what I am used to, a GS of course.
Another thing I noticed on the Multistrada was the heat coming from the engine, I definately noticed it whereas my 15 GS generates virtually no heat. From a quality perspective they are pretty much of a muchness although I would give the GS more points in overall quality as everything is well fitted and tight whereas the Multistrada's rear indicators were flopping around a lot, the main seat is a bastard to remove and refit although, as stated, the quality seems similar to the GS.
The gearbox on the Multistrada was smooth and easy to use but it was missing GSAP which I have become totally accustomed to on my GS, clutch less shifting up and down is just pure joy. I am also fairly sure that the OEM exhaust on the Multistrada is louder than the OEM GS pipe as my ears were ringing for some time after I got off the Multistrada. I actually like loud pipes anyway so this is a mute point. It did not seem to turn in any quicker than my 15 GS but as it was wet I did not get the opportunity to properly test this. Note that my 15 GS with Anakee III tyres turns in a lot quicker than my 13 GS fitted with Tourance Next tyres. The Multistrada would be quicker to turn in than my 13 GS.
After dropping the Multistrada back at Frasers I got to ride my GS back home and the supple ride, sure footed flat footing and strong, linear power delivery instantly felt like biking perfection. I have been Multistrada curious for years and am so glad that I got to take one for a decent run today, albeit it in mainly wet weather, but I think I will be keeping my GS a bit longer.
What is important to me is being able to flat foot the bike, a planted, sure footed feeling when underway and linear power delivery. It must feel nimble and easy to corner and ideally fit thru normal lane gaps for filtering. I also rate very highly capacity for luggage as I change my options frequently between 3 top boxes, 2 soft cases and hard panniers. I am also a massive fan of high tech electronics, all Traction Control, Electronic Suspension, etc. So, my baseline is a 13-15 R1200 GS and to be honest, it pretty much ticks all my boxes, of course there is room for improvement such as less weight, narrower bars and maybe a tad more power when you need it.
Considering all of this, the Multistrada failed for me as an improvement over what I presently have for my stated use. It felt smaller in the cockpit and overall wheelbase, the seat does not have as much room to slide around on, it felt heavier than the GS due to higher COG. I could not flat foot it (the newer 15 Multistrada is about 30 mm lower seat height than the 14) the power was delivered in a torque rush and whilst it was easy to control and a great surge of power it felt rough and somewhat agricultural in its delivery. The Skyhook suspension does a better job of soaking up the bumpy roads than the GS which also damps well but the whole chassis seems to ride over bumps gently following the road contours and undulations whereas the Multistrada keeps the chassis level. I really did not like the ergonomics of the switch gear and display, would need to get used to it, the GS is very easy to use in that regard.
I also rode a 2011 BMW R1200 GS today, this bike has zero electronics and had knobby tyres. I actually preferred the feel, balance & handling of this bike over the Multistrada although it would have been better with road tyres and it needs more power. It's suspension was shit over the bumpy roads but overall it felt more in line with what I am used to, a GS of course.
Another thing I noticed on the Multistrada was the heat coming from the engine, I definately noticed it whereas my 15 GS generates virtually no heat. From a quality perspective they are pretty much of a muchness although I would give the GS more points in overall quality as everything is well fitted and tight whereas the Multistrada's rear indicators were flopping around a lot, the main seat is a bastard to remove and refit although, as stated, the quality seems similar to the GS.
The gearbox on the Multistrada was smooth and easy to use but it was missing GSAP which I have become totally accustomed to on my GS, clutch less shifting up and down is just pure joy. I am also fairly sure that the OEM exhaust on the Multistrada is louder than the OEM GS pipe as my ears were ringing for some time after I got off the Multistrada. I actually like loud pipes anyway so this is a mute point. It did not seem to turn in any quicker than my 15 GS but as it was wet I did not get the opportunity to properly test this. Note that my 15 GS with Anakee III tyres turns in a lot quicker than my 13 GS fitted with Tourance Next tyres. The Multistrada would be quicker to turn in than my 13 GS.
After dropping the Multistrada back at Frasers I got to ride my GS back home and the supple ride, sure footed flat footing and strong, linear power delivery instantly felt like biking perfection. I have been Multistrada curious for years and am so glad that I got to take one for a decent run today, albeit it in mainly wet weather, but I think I will be keeping my GS a bit longer.
