Hello from Texas!

Welcome to the forum. Lived in 'San Antone' long ago when my Dad was in Korea, my brother was even born there. Since I tend to keep bikes, not turn them every few years, I would never wait just to get the next model year. In fact I would look for a leftover 2013 as there were no changes in 2014.

But if you have to know, just call a few dealers. You can also get an idea which ones are worth dealing with!

Ask your dealer to verify, but as far as I know, a new vehicle is new vehicle, and the model year is not a factor in the warranty coverage.

Erandus said:

My main concern is with warranty. Since this will be my first new vehicle (two or four wheeled) I'm not terribly familiar with how those work. Would a prior year model get the same treatment, warranty wise? I'm also curious what 2015 brings (fingers crossed for adjustable front forks). If 13 and 14 were the same though, might be a waste of time...I'll call around. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Any factory warranty would be from the date of sale. That should include dealer demo bikes. I would not hold my breath waiting for adjustable forks, when Ducati originally decided that we only need damping in one side!

With the money you would save on a dealer 'leftover,' you could do a lot to fix those forks. There is one in Dallas on fleabay right now. The listing even states that the warranty does not start until the bike is registered.

New to the Forum and to Ducati

Hello,
I'm hetrida (i.e. david) living in Fairfax, VA outside Washington, D.C. Rode (my '02 Harley Davidson Dyna (street cruiser) over to Duc Pond motorsports in Winchester, VA with the intent of looking at the Multistrada. Was surprised at how big the Multi looks in person (versus photos). I'm inseamed challenged at 5' 8 1/2" and the bike seemed very large compared to what I was anticipating. I've seen a few of them on the freeway, but only on the other side and at 60 mph. Then Chad, the sales mgr, took me over to a Hyperstrada. It was love at first sight. There wasn't time to ride one, but I may go back and ride both a multi and the hyper. I love small quick bikes and the hyper looks ideal in that respect but seems lacking regarding a true all day sport touring bike. No locking bags, no really useful wind protection (either windscreen or fairing), and no cruise control option. I'm probably older than the average forum member (let's just say I'm on the plus side of 60), so things like good wind protection and cruise control are important regarding comfort.

To me, the pluses for the Hyperstrada are it's cool factor (i.e. looks), the obvious possibility of an aftermarket exhaust to capture that great Ducati sound, and what appears to be an incredible 821 engine. Not to mention the small size, light weight and potential "flickability".

But I'm interested in comments from Forum members regarding their experience of riding fairly long interstate days on the Hyperstrada. For example, how do you deal with lunch stops and zippered bags (vs. locking hard cases)? One can probably buy a couple of luggage type locks to thread through the zipper tabs but these hardly provide much theft protection.

Also, does anyone have a suggestion for the best aftermarket exhaust for these bikes. I haven't heard anything but the stock exhaust (Chad started the bike in the showroom), but I've heard enought Ducati engines with aftermarket exhausts to know that I want that "sound."

Also, I have 2 other bikes in addition to my Harley Davidson Dyna: A 2007 Buell Lighting 1200 TT (I love this bike), and a 2006 BMW R1200RT Sport Tourer (a truly great motorcycle, but larger, heavier, and with a higher center of gravity than is optimal for a rider of my height).

One imagined option would be for me to sell the Buell and the BMW to make room and help pay for a Hyperstrada. But then the "practicality" factor surfaces and I ask myself why I would consider moving from one of the best sport tourers on the market (regarding overall design, manufacture, and riding amenities: electric windshied, heated grips, great fairing, cruise control, and gear indicator) to the Hyperstrada with it's limited amenities? It must be some kind of adolescent urge to capture some of one's youth through that cool Ducati design and that wild sounding 821 engine!

Any comments will be most welcome! Thank You!

David (hetrida)

Hi David,

I'm in C'ville, down the road from you. Duc Pond is a great dealer, so definitely try an 821 there.

No, it will never be as comfortable as the RT for longer trips - it’s not what it was made for. But, it is very flickable, and lighter, which makes it more exciting and fun, especially the tighter the turns, and the narrower the space.... I am no kid either, but this bike takes years off you, when you are in the saddle, or that's the way it feels for me. I have not ridden a Beemer that does that for me.

Horses for courses, and the 821 is for fun. And still, the HS is comfortable enough to go to the next state. Just remember to take more winding roads for much of the route....

Cheers