HS multiuse Bike

creeve said:

The Multi might be stable at 150, but the engine will still be at 8500rpm. Not very practical for either bike. The gearing on both bikes makes sustained speeds above 100mph impractical. I guess you could put a tiny rear sprocket on the Multi...

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I had no problems with sustained 95 - 100 mph pace in the Utah desert. Top speed on the trip was getting it up to 135mph somewhere on 50 in Nevada which still felt rock solid, albeit not a safe speed to sustain.

The wind is a big factor when topping out. On calm days, the bike is very steady. If the wind is choppy or cross winds, she gets out of sorts above 100.

Fair point, we had some heavy head / cross winds at times and I'd have to keep things around 85 to avoid getting beaten up too bad. I would also notice the cross winds would cause me to put unneeded inputs into the bars which would make things temporarily squirely. Bike is light and I'm a giant sail in heavy winds so that's not a great combo

Ive recently been cruising at 85 also. 100 is ok but takes a bit of concentration on several things which can cause premature fatigue. I just ordered a visor for my Puig touring screen as it wasnt enough. The wind definitely is brutal with this bike. There is no aero which it pays a price for, but you can only complain so much until you realize youve reached the limit. Hyper has a particular riding style. For me it is brilliant for all purpose, daily riding, short touring trips, even extended touring trips, but for sure not a round the world pony. The Hyper can do anything, if you need it to. If i had my way, itd been hyper 70% of the time for general riding. Monster for the city. Multi for globetrotter. Streetfighter S for parade cruising. And finally a 1098S for the track.

I find that anything over 80mph on my 2016 HS is unbearable.

I do all I can to avoid highways on the bike.

I will get a MS soon enough to deal with rides that I simply cannot avoid highways on.

With that being said, my HS is still my favorite of all of the motorcycles I have owned. It's just not a good highway bike in my opinion and experience.

I don't know in the year of ownership if I've had my HS over 100mph

Agreed, Sloos. 115 is where my bike gets hyper light in the front and begins a wobble. Anything between there and 135 takes a couple handfuls of nerve and verve. Thats full touring trim, panniers and tail bag all full, touring screen. I think I've tipped 140 in the first few days after break-in. Back then she was a lioness in heat. I accept the bike for lack of high speed potential, but it'll never taint the love for the Hyper. Four hours detail job cleansed 11,000 miles of joy. Looks like new. Will always keep this bike and supplement with a Multi for long trips later.

I don't like going above 80, but it pains me to putt around, especially on the Italian Autostrade. The steering damper made a huge difference. Before, I had to feel the bike as I crested 95; sometimes, she just wasn't having it. Now it's steady and predictable, but still not fun. High speed leans and carves are also much more stable.

I love my HS, I go 75 with some bursts up to 100 and something for fun, I hate $400 speeding tickets, never have the need to go above that unless on a track and can't relax thinking about getting pulled over. I recently rode 250 miles and I never got uncomfortable on it, I've owned at least 40 bikes and this has the most comfortable seat I've ever had, even aftermarket seats never felt so good. It fits me and feels good on my old butt. I had a Kawasaki Z1000 a few years ago and on one, the last ride for that bike, I had to stand for the final twenty miles, I might as have been dragging my butt on the freeway it hurt so bad!

I would never take any Ducati on a RTW. There simply is not a support network for them. I just finished a RTW and the only other bikes I saw across Russia which was where the business was, were BMW GS, Big new KTM's, 1 AT and my Honda.