I have about 3000 km's on my '11 MTS12S (my first Ducati) in the 7 weeks I've owned it. It's started without problem every time, even after sitting for a week at a time on a couple of occasions. After riding I4's for many years, there certainly is a bit of adaptation required. To be sure, it likes to run above 4000 rpm but is certainly manageable below that with proper gear selection. Yes, it will shake the wind screen and instrument cluster if you accelerate from below 3000 rpm quickly in 4th gear or higher - but the gearbox is reasonably reponsive so it's pretty easy to down shift as may be required. Having said that, I am switching from the standard 15t front srocket to a 14t because the bike won't go slowly enough for some of my riding, and I'd like to be able to ride 1 gear higher around town. The 4 fuelling maps available on the MTS12S (and the std. MTS12) cover a broad range of responsiveness and available power and works well for me whether riding my favourite twisty pavement, gravel roads or double track - no clutching in 2nd gear required and relatively vibration free, and smoother at higher rpm. And, the 24000 km interval for major service is a big plus. Sorry you had such a bad experience on your rental last year - obviously, I'm happy with mine.
