DUCATI MULTISTRADA 620 (2005 - 2007) Review

Despite others commenting on how comfortable their seats are, I find mine stiff /hard on short rides. There are better replacements like the Sergeant but their cost can be prohibitive. The single 32mm front brake on my Dark edition gives great feedback & is effective. The rear not so much, I upgraded to semi-sintered pads & that helped.

The press said " not enough power" but I find it more than adequate. It makes decent low end & good mid-range. I ride two up & with the factory panniers full on occasion & it pulls fine. Granted it's no 1000cc but more than enough.

Air cooled, two valves per cylinder & simple as a rock! Anybody who pays to have it worked on owes it to themselves & their wallet to pick up a service manual & some basic tools instead of paying a dealer. Oh sure, there's some electronics on the bike but nothing like today's complicated machines.

$$ spent will be for oil changes, chain adjustment/replacement & tires. Brake pads hardly wear in front, tears more so.

Again compared to contemporary bikes it's a bit dull on features lacking a real fuel gauge & ABS even. But in my opinion, motorcycles are meant to be simple devices, ones that anybody with some basic mechanical ability can fix & keep running. A faulty fuel pump wiring harness left me stranded once but it's a known issue, easily fixed. Complaints about electrical gremlins are over exaggerated.

if self serviced, exludes tyres. chains snd sprocetd.

it has only essentials, i like that!!

Lovely bike when it works, comfy seat, great commuter and for longer distances. Excellent front brake and it never wore the pads out, woeful rear brake with thumbnail sized pads. No sooner had they bedded in, they needed replaced.

Shakes a bit at lower revs and a bit gutless below 5,000rpm, but the performance above this is good. And sounds great!

Nothing fell off in the 3 years I owned it, but I had a few things that surfaced within the first year. I did do some 21,000 miles on it though and was never stranded! The rear wheel bearing dust cap is prone to water ingress, requiring replacement. The earth strap on the front of the engine frequently works loose despite Loctite and it won't start. The fuel tank dose not like E10 fuel, warps and leaks, requiring a bigger o-ring where the fuel pump bolts on. US tanks were replaced under warranty; not here. The headlamp is EU only and requires masking to make it legal, though if you leave the mask in place, the lens will crack and the whole unit requires replacement (£700). The clocks are also prone to water ingress and the first light to go is the indicator repeater and this is an MOT failure. They can be fixed for £100. The air-cooled engine is a nightmare to keep clean and the rear footrest hangers are made of a biodegradable alloy, as are the bolts holding the screen on. The rear seat lock is right in line of rear wheel throw and is key bendingly hard to remove.

Front pads are immortal, rear pads last 6 months

Pirelli Diablo Strada's are great on this bike, no real difference to the Rosso's, but last longer than 6 months.