FJ-09 vs Multistrada

[Guest]

A friend of mine owns a Ducati/Triumph Dealer.  I stopped in to say hello and he insisted that I take the new Multistrada for a ride.  Who am I to say no?  Some background.  If you've read other threads on the forum you know I have been at times an outspoken critic of the FJ-09.  I think its a good bike but also feel Yamaha could have upped the quality of the fit and finish and still made the FJ an excellent value.  I've been riding over 40 years and currently own 3 Yamahas (Gen1 FZ1, Super Tenere, FJ-09) and a BMW.  Anyway back to the Multisrada vs FJ.  I was riding the base model Multi, no Skyhook suspension, no bluetooth, b&w instead of color display.  The Multi surprises me by how small it felt to ride.  In fact it felt exactly the same as the FJ-09.  Power was good but not overwhelming.  It would be interesting to race the 2 head to head as my impression is the bikes would be quite even.  It is a hot bike to ride, a lot of engine heat on your legs.  Wind protection is about the same as the FJ with the stock shield.  One difference I noticed is the Multi's windshield rattled around all the time in the adjuster, it was driving me nuts. The display on the FJ is much better, easier to read and easier to interpret information on. You could feel the difference in suspension.  The higher quality parts in the Ducati felt they would perform much better when pushed hard.  Didn't really have the opportunity to test it its just the initial impression I got.  The one thing I will say is the more I rode the Multi the more plain it felt.  It didn't impress me enough to want to own one.  In fact regardless of price I would take the FJ-09 over the Multi 6 days a week and twice on Sunday and Sunday is a riding day.  The FJ-09 has a much higher fun factor.  It's just got a little more hooligan in it.(the first time I rode the FJ I got on it after getting off my '15 R1 and it still made a good impression!)   I think this brought home an important point.  Seems a lot of times people use price as an excuse for the FJ-09s shortcomings.  Well all bikes have shortcomings and in this case price is not an issue.  The key words here are "regardless of price".  The FJ-09 is not just a better value than the Multi its the better bike.  Of course this is all just my opinion.
 

[wessie]

It's all subjective and people are so easy to exploit if you are a marketing man. They prey on a rider's insecurities. Not sure what insecurity they exploit to get someone to believe a Harléy Davídson is the correct solution, though.
 
All hail the FJ09/Tracer. It meets my needs so fúck the marketing men.
 
 

[root]

It's all subjective and people are so easy to exploit if you are a marketing man. They prey on a rider's insecurities. Not sure what insecurity they exploit to get someone to believe a Harléy Davídson is the correct solution, though.  
All hail the FJ09/Tracer. It meets my needs so fúck the marketing men.
 

HD salesmen absolutely prey on people's insecurities. They say the sport bikes are "so fast" and uncontrollable and they encourage unsafe driving that HD bikes are the only safe bikes. I've heard similar lines so many times and I want to knock the salesman out every time I hear it. HD's are bears to ride. Can't tell me I'm safer on a heavy bike that can't corner and can't brake than I am on a bike with TCS and ABS that can handle tight turns with ease. That's not to say they don't make any good bikes or there's no use to them though. I just get frustrated with them. Their line is, did you hear about the sport bike rider that just wrecked doing a wheelie down the road? Scary huh? Buy a HD because they can't do wheelies at all.

[Guest]

HD sells a life style. Buy a Harley and show your individualism. Buy the tee shirt, boots, bandanna, and dress just like the other thousand people demonstrating their individualism.
 
Maybe I should have written a post comparing the FJ-09 to a Harley?
 

[sodapop]

... Maybe I should have written a post comparing the FJ-09 to a Harley?

 
 
Well, it would be fun to read. :-)

[root]

HD sells a life style. Buy a Harley and show your individualism. Buy the tee shirt, boots, bandanna, and dress just like the other thousand people demonstrating their individualism. 
Maybe I should have written a post comparing the FJ-09 to a Harley?

Multi? Meh.
 
Let me preface this by saying I've never actually ridden a multi. That said, even though they were one of the pioneers of the category the FJ is in, and other Ducs are very exciting to look at and I'm sure to ride, the Multi just doesn't really get me excited. BMW S1000XR? Hell yeah! Although the BMW Is out of my price range at the moment. FJ? well I bought one didn't I. Versys 1k? very intriguing and if circumstances were slightly different, I may have ended up on a different forum. Even the V Strom was very tempting. I consider it more in this light upright sport touring category even though it's pretending to be an actual adventure bike. Multi? Meh.
 
Raising the price raises the expectations. The Multi just doesn't rise enough above the competition with the price the way BMW does with the S1000XR.

[vespadaddy]

I too got a chance to ride a 2015 Multistrada, back to back with my own FJ-09.  While I agree with the final determination (FJ-09 is more fun), I found the Ducati to windscreen to be far better than the turbulence-inducing clear plastic trash that comes stock on the FJ-09.  And the Duc screen didn't wiggle or move, and is far easier to adjust on the move.
 
The Duc also wins in terms of fueling.  Very smooth, even off the bottom.  I did think the Duc felt a touch heavier, but with 165 hp on tap, I'm pretty sure the Duc would be a better/faster track weapon.
 
The switchgear on the Duc is also nicer. Easier to use, and more intuitive, even with the myriad of options for engine mapping, suspension adjustment (electronic, and on the fly!), cruise control, bluetooth, etc.
 
All of that said, both my friend and I both thought the Yamaha was just more fun to ride.  Lots of that is due, I think, to the 850 triple motor and the light weight.  My friend, who was in the market for a bike, ended up buying an FJ-09.

[santacruz]

There's a huge price difference between these two bikes,and to compare quality of components is crazy,imagine what yamaha coold build for the price of a multistrada,and i have no problems with the stock screen,there are screen debates on every bike forum.

[bugsplatered]

I read of some Multistrada owners that were experiencing false neutrals. This moved me away from the Multistrada and toward the FJ09.

[johan]

I read of some Multistrada owners that were experiencing false neutrals. This moved me away from the Multistrada and toward the FJ09.

I read of some Tracer/FJ owners that were experiencing false neutrals. Most dealers will sell to anyone, even people that can't ride

[Guest]

There's a huge price difference between these two bikes,and to compare quality of components is crazy,imagine what yamaha coold build for the price of a multistrada,and i have no problems with the stock screen,there are screen debates on every bike forum.

I know what Yamaha can build for 3/4 the price of a Multistrada. a '15 R1.  I had one.  The most amazing piece of machinery I have ever owned.  I think you may have missed my point which is regardless of price the FJ-09 is the better bike.   

[docsimple]

I think the FJ 09 is a better bike because of where Yamaha choose to go cheap. Its all the "add-on" items that get attached to the existing engine\\frame. The design/build of those two parts is sublime. Well, with the exception of oil pan. That was dumb.
 
In my last post you thought I was hammering on price. I'm not. Im beating the drum of all the parts we need to make this bike right being available. Now you may want to say "but it should be right when i drive it off the showroom floor" and you would be right. You would also be describing no bike ever sold.
 
As far as I can tell from surfing the forums of all the bikes I have ever looked at there is always some complaint. In general:
 
the seat
the screen
the exhaust
the brakes
lack of product "x"
 
But you have hit the nail on the head: ride the damn thing. Did you like it? Did you like it more than bike "b"?
 
I love all the Yamahas I have owned. But they have all needed quite a bit of farkling to make it right. I have not followed many Multi forums but I sure did check out the BMW gs forums when I was shopping Adventure bikes. They have their beefs as well. The perfect bike has yet to be built.
 
Or maybe I'm building my "perfect bike" now. I'm just using 80% of the parts supplied with an FJ 09 purchase

[Guest]

But you have hit the nail on the head: ride the damn thing. Did you like it? Did you like it more than bike "b"? 
I love all the Yamahas I have owned. But they have all needed quite a bit of farkling to make it right. I have not followed many Multi forums but I sure did check out the BMW gs forums when I was shopping Adventure bikes. They have their beefs as well. The perfect bike has yet to be built.
 
Or maybe I'm building my "perfect bike" now. I'm just using 80% of the parts supplied with an FJ 09 purchase

I got to thinking about it and did the math.  Given what I paid for the FJ-09 and what improvements I've made (suspension, ECU, exhaust, ect) your figure of 80% is about right.  I didn't include the windshield or if I do a seat because I seem to swap that on every bike I own.    

[desertrider]

Before I bought my FJ-09 I test rode a used 2011 Multistrada with 9900 miles at a local dealership.  It had a Cee Bailey windscreen and the ohlins suspension. The price was right $7700, but several things killed the deal for me-  stock mirrors vibrated terribly, center stand interfered with my left heel, but the bad news was the service visit cost at 15k miles ($1400)!!!  Bike also needed new tires and a fork seal repair.  Service cost on that bike is worse than BMW.  The FJ is not all that far behind the Ducati in real world performance. Way more bang for the buck with Yamaha and much lower cost of ownership. 

[santacruz]

The early multistradas had major problems with it's keyless ignition,leaving riders stranded,as it failed to respond to the key fob,a friend who's multi had this problem, had to break the steering lock to move the bike.