Anyway, they had that spy shot of the new Multistrada, and asked us politely not to blog about it (about a month too late in my case).

Nothing about a new sports tourer, but I’m pushing for them to give me any hints on what might be unveiled at Milan.

The stock ECU was replaced at the 1000 k service under warranty, due to less than ideal running in city traffic. Out on the open road, not much could be faulted, but in City traffic I had the occasional engine cut-out at idle and an annoying hesitation when starting off at the lights or from low revs. The replacement ECU was only slightly better.

Then, one morning whilst stopped at a stop sign on my way to work, I was rear-ended by a guy in a Commodore. After I told him what I thought of his driving ability, judgement etc, I then “asked…what were you thinking”. The answer ” I thought you were going to go !! “.

The short story is that I now have the DP kit of Pipes, fully tunable ECU, new airbox etc and the result is like chalk and cheese. It runs beautifully at all speeds and sounds better into the deal !

It was done just a couple of days before the Ducati Turismo 08 in South Australia. I had a fantastic 4 days on Turismo, along with the 299 other participants. Plus the travelling over and back to Melbourne. 3,500 ks in 8 days. So many Ducati’s all in one place….well not exactly one place all the time !

I had bought a new pair of Alpine Star touring gloves prior to Turismo and these addressed, along with adrenalin, the palm discomfort I had been experiencing in my right hand. It may seem obvious to many of you, but the big thing I discovered about the gloves was to tighten up the wrist strap when I put them on, especially the right one. I don’t really bother as much with the left one.

With the poor running of the bike at low speed initially, combined with the throttle sensitivity of a modern fuel injected V twin and my old loose fitting gloves, I had developed a tension inspired discomfort and found it hard to settle the right hand into a good position. I have read about another rider on a Ducati forum with the exact palm position problem and I couldn’t believe the solution for me at least was so simple !( as tightening the wrist strap )

The ST3 proved to be beautifully comfortable on even the longest days I rode of about 500 k’s. I felt no need for a gel seat or sheepskin cover.

I also get the gravel in the front mudguard sound under braking that Andrew mentions, but this only seems to occur when there is actually small stones etc sticking to the tyre at low speeds. There is very little clearance under the guard and I’m going to try and make some Stainless Steel modified “raisers” for the mounting brackets.

Thanks for the great site

Cheers Wayne

First a connector came loose so the fuel-pump wouldn’t start, then the flywheel moved too far from the timing sensor so the engine didn’t start, and finally a partially cut wire (during their last checking on why it wasn’t working) snapped.

All 3 times I was out-and-about and called Ducati Assistance to come collect the bike. Even now, I hear some weird sound (like gravel hitting the inside of the mudguard) from the front when breaking.

But don’t let that put you off. It’s very uncommon to have issues with the ST3S, and overall I’m happy with the bike, just not as worryless as I was with the MTS which never had a single problem.

2) I believe my dealer did do one factory-required change. Just don’t remember what it was. Of course, I’ve heaped DP parts on it.

Oh yeah. Get the DP mufflers and ECU. If not, you’ll find it “hunts” around 2500 rpm and when riding slow you’ll get a slight jerking back-and-forth cos of fueling problems. The race cans smooth everything out perfectly.

3) Panniers are good. Strong enough to sit on without deforming. Big enough to fit a helmet inside. Locking mechanism is OK, but a bit fiddly in the rain with gloves.

4) I have the DP rack and topcase. Looks good without the case, still good with it, although it sticks out from the back quite a bit. Plenty of room for 2 helmets. Has the padded backrest with is well liked by the lady.

5) No comment as I don’t have them.

6) I can’t comment on the cost of the 10000Km service since I’ve only just had the 2500Km one done, but that was about US$150. Oil, filter, etc. Will look up the service receipt for details.

I’ve narrowed my next bike down to either a Triumph ST Sprint, or the at this stage favoured Ducati ST3s ABS.

If somebody can answer a few questions on the Ducati for me, would be much appreciated.

1/ Are there any inherant issues/faults that I should be looking for ?
2/ Any factory recalls that should have been carried out ?
3/ How good or bad are the panniers ? I’ve been told the locks are ordinary, and the shape diminishes the “real” carrying capacity
4/ Does anybody have the factory rack and topbox, and if so, opinions please
5/ Does anybody have the Becker or H&B panniers and topbox fitted ? And if so, opinions please.
6/ Service intervals on the ST3s ABS. I’m told these are critical for longevity, but are fairly expensive, especially the 10,000 kilometer ones that involve doing the valves. A VERY reputable mechanic who is not at a Ducati dealer, but who has serviced many of them, told me that every time he’s checked the valves on them, they have been OK, but it still takes time, so costs money. Any thoughts please ?

Cheers from OZ