Like to hear from owners on their likes - dislikes - dealer service - etc.

On my list for a new bike

Thanks

What's your current / previous bike?

Tested my friend's MTS 1200S Pikes Peak edition for a few days and compared it to my Hypermotard - the high end Multis come with Skyhook active suspension so this one had that too.

Pluses:

- High tech everything; feels a bit like flying a rocketship.

- Beastly engine.

- Best suspension I've ever experienced on a bike. It's almost like cheating - that suspension turns bumpy roads into smooth asphalt. You just sail over it. The active suspension adjusts hundreds of times a second, eating up bumps and uneven road surfaces, you just glide over all of it. Inspires a ton of confidence in the turns. Some say this is a result of the all-Ohlins setup - I can't compare as I've never tried a MTS without Skyhook.

- Goes in turns much better than it should

Minuses:

- Remote keyless entry is very cool, just hop on the bike and go. Until it doesn't work. You need to have the 4 digit emergency start passcode set, and need to remember it because sometimes it just won't start. Read in the forums it's relatively common for the system to malfunction, especially if you key runs out of battery. By design, it should work even without battery. In practice, well I spent 20 minutes in the parking lot looking silly until I got a hold of my friend, and his passcode.

- It's physically big. Too big to split lanes in the city IMO.

It's a fantastic bike all around.

Dealer service in Chiang Mai is good. The mechanics are competent, dealer is friendly but confused. Ducati operations in Thailand aren't as professional as, say, Kawasaki - for example they have no parts in stock even though they've sold thousands of bikes... with the dealer in Chiang Mai it's best to double and triple check that they have actually put in orders for parts - their answers are often vague. But, it can all be made to work. TiT!

On the upside, never had a problem with warranty service, and prices are very reasonable.

PS: I was surprised that the MTS even in sports mode was a lot less "rowdy" than the Hypermotard. It's got more HP of course but it's also heavier and I think the bigger engine doesn't rev up as fast.

nikster - > Thanks for a really good write-up. Are looking for a bike too and saw the Pikes Peak edition in Paragon and was mystified about it.

Ducati Thailand have a poor rep when it comes to parts. If in Bangkok, I'd recommend either the Viphawadee or Thonglor branches. Avoid the Rama III branch.