1 x Ducati Multistrada 1200s please?
3 months spent on the High Seas in and around the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Straits of Hormuz and Arabian Sea leads to a certain amount of drawbacks and deprivation.
Bad Food
Bad comms
Cultural differences
Restrictions on personal space
No Beer
Most of all though... no, nada, zero two wheels to play on/with!!!
I arrived in Sri Lanka toward the end of August and although busy with various duties it meant I had all of the above again minus the beer and the bikes! :-(( With a big fat zero chance of getting beer I settled down to scour & trawl various UK sites looking for a bike to purchase when I got home to blighty. Now I've fancied a Multistrada for a long time, I even took one for a test ride some years back but decided against it. However this time I must have my 'precious'!
Next question then was secondhand or new? New would have been the ultimate choice however its hard to justify a 20k bike to the long haired Sergeant Major when I spend so much of the year away (no matter how pretty I think a bike is), the fact I have limited space to store it when in the UK also means that it was too much of a risk so I opted to buy used on this occasion.
I arrived back in the UK mid September, had a skinful of beer first (obvs) and the next morning (proper baggy head) set to work on research, adverts and visuals. Quite locally a Pikes Peak was going but at 13k I faced all the same problems as above. I arranged a viewing just to have a perv, however cancelled this finally as 1 - I didn't want to waste the guys time, 2 - Money was burning holes in every pocket I was wearing! The temptation would have been far too great for me to be trusted, anyone who knows me knows I can be somewhat spontaneous!
So, eventually I found a bike to view within reasonable travel distance, a private seller so we arranged a time to meet (4 days after I had arrived back -such was my need!) 2010 Plate, lowish miles for the year and well within budget. It came with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from Ducati plus panniers, perfect for the idea I had in my withered grey matter! Oh, she was also Black, which is quite unusual for the model, but I liked it, I liked it a lot! especially when you consider the Ride and Rest logo is white, so white on black would look hoofing.
Met up with the seller as prearranged, the Mrs giving me a lift over so I could carry my bike gear! (nothing preordained about that eh!) ;-)) had a good chat with the owner, the usual questions were asked, looked it over for obvious faults and having done some research, checked out some of the common problems associated with this model. It all looked bang tidy, plus there was a huge box of OEM bits that were included, I kicked the tyres, put hands in pockets and started to consider what my offer was going to be. Surprisingly he accepted my first offer! 'kin bargain!
Due to the wonders of modern technology (when it works) we transferred the dosh there and then, I insured her, taxed her, put the box of bits in the car and then started getting myself kitted out for the 60 mile ride home. Not gonna lie, being without bike for over three months, let alone riding one, my stomach was knotted with excitement to the point where I though I might 'shart', I said to wife kick the tyres and light the fires as I dropped my leg over - she reminded me about my licence! ;-(
As I pulled out of the driveway I flicked her into Sport mode, just to see what the guy had been running it in obvs! :-) Crikey, with the engine response on max' she picked up in every gear quicker than greased weasel s%*t! Trying to kiss the sky in the lower gears became a problem due to the aforementioned licence! Within 20 miles ;-) I had switched her into 'Touring' mode, the settings were still great and the throttle/engine power was still at max chat but a little less responsive. I arrived home a couple of hours later having taken various detours to 'test' her, full of big grins, and gurgling like the village idiot. I had bought wisely! Now I needed to think of a name!