d-rock

I have number 003. It's in Geneva now but en route to Oslo, Norway this summer (2011)

My first bike was an St2. The V11 doesn't feel lighter. It feels smaller. It may in fact be smaller. I'm not sure.

Thanks for all your comments, guys (I'm assuming "guys" not "gals" -- where are all the gals? I like gals.) A Multistrada and a V11? Lucky, lucky man. That is pretty much my perfect two-bike garage. I was a real fan of the Multistrada. It is a far better touring bike and is more comfortable for the passenger. But the V11 can do the occasional overnighter with the wife, and for solo touring I think it will be fine. No, it is not the Multistrada, but at best I tour 10 days a year. So I'll survive. I'm at the stage in my life where I want a "garage find." We all know the moment. You pull off the tarp in the farm house all our great uncles apparently have, and there is a perfect (fiill in the bike here), and -- as this is our collective fantasy -- the battery is apparently fully charged, allowing us to fire up and roll out among the apple trees and French vineyards that have strangely appeared around our New England or Appalachian homes. There are woman in 1940s sun dresses smiling coyly at us as he ride by looking rather more trim and full of hair than we last remembered looking, and -- despite the crisp autumn air and leaves on the ground -- we don't worry for a fleeting moment about those leaves being wet or on-coming traffic. We stop at a cafe in Provence -- which is luckily only a forty minute drive from the farm -- and have an amber beer the color of nostalgia, which brilliantly has no alcoholic effects whatsoever allowing us to remain bright and alert for the ride home. That is the bike I now want to be riding. Since I can only have one at this point in my life, the V11 Rosso Mandello is it. The Multistrada was not. However, behind the farm is a covered garage for my other bike that I can take on the other road headed east, and that brings me to the Alps. . . .

Turns out I needed a whole new starter motor. Luckily it is still under warrantee from the garage so no charge. But I was shocked to hear the guy charging me 1300 swiss francs -- which is about $1000. Things are always more expensive here, but . . . wow. I'm a former Ducati owner, and while content to pay extra for the pleasure, there does come a point. Anyway, the only problem now -- and I'll start reading other posts -- is that it is sluggish on the first throttle twist in a new gear. So into second, say, when I accelerate there is a momentary delay. The issue is that it leaps a bit when the engine kicks in. I don't know whether this inherent to the model or whether this can be adjusted. I love the engine, but I do want a smooth pull from the very beginning. I hope that isn't asking too much on the V11.

Number 5 is the one that's definitely blown and now makes perfect sense given what I (didn't) experience. I'll pick up a fuse and also the two cans with the spray and air. If this works, it'll be a very cheap solution and I'll certainly make a small "thank you" contribution to the Forum. If not, I'll be back here to kvetch and lament my otherwise-perfect Multistrada! Warmest wishes d.

Will do and most appreciated! Exactly the kind of repair I can manage to perform on a city street corner. Very best wishes. drock.

Thanks for the reply. I started reading and I'm afraid I'm not among the class of people who remove tanks. It's all way over my head. Perhaps I can simply ask: Can one blown fuse affect the bike's ability to start? If the answer is yes, I'll go get some fuses and replace them. If the answer is no, I'll have the bike towed and fixed under warranty. Thanks in advance if you know the answer. drock.

Hi. Bought my Rosso Mandello yesterday from a small garage in northern Switzerland. Rode it through a downpour for two hours to get back to Geneva. Today, wouldn't start. So took a risk, put it in third, and let it drift down a hill. It did start (had this trouble with my Ducati ST2 years ago). Rode it around for a while, happy. Then noticed the horn was not working, nor the headlights. Pulled over to fuel it up, and it wouldn't start AGAIN. Got is started again, rode 2KM, then it died 2 blocks from my apartment. Later, I saw that the 15 fuse (for the lights, I suppose) was blown. So -- given that I know nothing about Moto Guzzis and very little about mechanics generally my first question is: 1. If one fuse is out, can that affect the rest, and the starter? 2. Give that the bike just passed the "state" inspection last week, I would assume this is something minor. Any thoughts? Thanks and best wishes, Drock (From Boston, but in Switzerland).

Moving on from the Multistrada a few years on: Reflections A few years ago I wrote my impressions of the Multistrada on Multistrada.net after owning it for a few months. I wrote that "In the time since I've switched I've come to see the Multistrada as a remarkable act of design and creativity. One that has followed an idea of functionality to quite irreverent extremes and succeeded." Now that I've decided to move on, I thought I might share the reasons. The inspiration for the change came during a spirited 9 day ride from Geneva to the Italian coast then around Corsica. Melker and I planning to turn our photos and footage into a short web move called "the Only Way Around" because … well … it's an island. Melker rides a 1998 Triumph Thunderbird Sport. I have a 1000DS from 2003 with cases, topbox, centerstand, and Sargant seat. The Multistrada's performance was flawless and it has been unflinching in its reliability since I bought it two years ago. Like many Multistrada owners I love the bike and have a slight ambivalence towards it as well. So I've been a frequent reader of motocycle websites, magazines and other journalistic account of new bikes. And in that time I've learned that there is something missing. Something that the journalists aren't explaining and writing about, which is something I'm looking for. It came into focus when Melker and I switched bikes. The Triumph T-bird Sport is a lovely machine. Whereas the Bonneville is underpowered and rather plodding, the T-bird has 83HP up from the Bonneville's 69 or so, and it feels peppy and able. The 1998 had the pipes on the same side and was a looker. As I swayed and bobbed and lulled my way around mountainous bends with the Mediterannean below me, I found that the Triumph whispered differently to me. It wasn't obessed with the speed, or the lean angle, or taking the time to mock me by suggesting it had power to spare and I wasn't a good enough rider for it. This is something the Multistrada does. It actually snears at me for not attacking a turn up to its design specifications. No, what the Triumph did was lull me into reverie. I felt a certain sense of timelessness and it captured that elusive sense of "freedom" we all talk about but find hard to explain. I'm reading "The End of the Affair" by Graham Greene at the moment and he says that eternity is said not to be an extension of time but an absense of time. I think this the freedom I find on a motorcycle. A momentary step into eternity. That is the feeling I want. What I want from those journalists, in turn, is less about the new bike, or about its comparison to other bikes, and more about its relationship to the rider. Every bike has a voice. It says different things to us — unless it is so utterly boring it has nothing to say at all. I enjoy knowing what different people feel and experience on different machines. There is nothing scientific about it. It is subjective. It is gloriously and unapologietically subjective, and it is remarkable just how interesting and engaging that can be to both write and read. I was a proud and appreciative Multistrada owner. It remains, hands down, the greatest "twisty-tourer" I know of, and I would not hesitate to strongly recommend this bike. And of course, the bike has not changed. But I have. I have a young son now. I have a greater appreciation of riding for the joy if it, and less for the technical challenge of it. I appreciate the convergence of style, physical sensation, performance and that dreamy state a great bike puts me. In the next few weeks I'm trading it in. I considered the Thunderbird Sport, Ducati GT, the Moto Guzzi Griso, the Triumph Scambler, an old-style Monster, and even the BMW R1150R. What I settled on is the Moto Guzzi V11 Rosso Mandello from 2001 with bar risers and some soft cases. It just feels right. I'll be posting some great images and video from the Multistrada in Corsica when time permits. Best wishes to all, drock.

I'm about to buy number 003 in Orpund, Switzerland. Number 207 is also for sale in Switzerland. best. d.

I used to have an ST2. I can't speak for the weight (though one could look it up), but the big difference is the feel. I rode a friend's Coppa Italia for four days then got home to my ST2. The Ducati feels more open, more "throaty", and more unrestrained. Whether it is actually faster I can't say. In some ways I liked the Ducati better (and later bought a Multistrada after the ST2 started to shed parts), but the V11 is a better city bike and oozes character and charm.