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Yet another purchase advice thread

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  Turbinepilot2 
#1 ·
I've already read some old threads about this very subject, and got some general advice, but I'm still hoping for a nudge. Maybe one that's more custom-fit to my situation.

Forgive me if this gets long, I've got a lot on my mind with this decision.

So I'm ready to buy my first Ducati, which will also be my first non-cruiser. My riding experience up to now has been 3.5 years on a 1995 Honda Shadow 600. Most of my riding is city streets, but in my city, that can still easily mean stretches of several blocks at 50-60 mph, especially on the early morning commute. I'm looking to buy a bike that I will ride until one of us dies (me or it), not a bike that will keep its resale value so I can replace it in a couple of years.

I'm looking at two bikes, both at the same dealership.

One is a 2007 S2R1000. Red with the white stripe. 7300 miles on it. Mostly in beautiful shape, a few barely noticeable scratches in the paint on the fuel tank, and the shifter lever is bent inward a bit, leading me to wonder if it was maybe once ever-so-gently dropped on its left side.

The other bike is a 2008 S4rs, Tri-colore. Yeah, that one. It's in pristine condition, not a scratch anywhere that I could find. 19k miles on it.

Now I'm somebody who really likes vehicles with personality, and the Tri-colore, well, it's seriously winking at me. But it's a scary beast. My riding is probably more suited to the S2r, light and agile on city streets, and occasional (once or twice a week) short hops on the highway (20 - 40 miles at most). And if I got the S2r, I KNOW that the only thing that would keep me from being perfectly happy with it, is...knowing I could have had the Tricolore. ARGH!

Well that and one other thing. The dealership OF COURSE doesn't have any maintenance records on either bike. They say that they did a valve-check on them when they acquired them (and it makes sense to me that they would) and that both bikes are within specs and don't need an adjustment. But at 7300 miles, I'm just betting the original owner of the S2r sold it when he did to avoid having to do the 7500 mile maintenance. (It is 7500 on that model year, right?) Well, regardless, I'm betting that that bike hasn't had any scheduled maintenance yet. While the Tricolor is nicely broken in, and, in my mind, has been meticulously maintained, because wouldn't you if it were yours???

Both bikes have fair asking prices on them, not great, and my not-so-subtle inquiring in that direction has led me to believe that they are not negotiable. However, the prices are not so fair if the bike needs a $1000 scheduled maintenance in the first thousand miles of my ownership.

Here's what I think I'm deciding between: a basic run-of-the-mill Ducati (yes I'm smirking as I type that) that will be fun and easy to ride, and cheaper and easier to maintain. Or the legendary limited-production beast that's going to hate me everytime I get into stop-and-go traffic, and might occasionally try to kill me just to be sure I'm paying attention, but which I will be as proud to ride and own as a king on a throne.

Please somebody tell me something! And thanks for reading my ramblings.
 
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#3 ·
On either of them, you'll want to replace the cambelts unless you known that has been done within the last 2 years.

The S2R1000 is a better choice for practicality, for your usage.
So the question is whether the S4Rs tickles you enough to make up for its lesser practicality and higher maintenance costs.

The lack of maintenance records is, for me, a big minus. Honestly, I'd skip both of them if they are lacking records but still wanting high prices. I'd keep looking.

PhilB
 
#4 ·
For absolutely no real reason, GET THE S4RS and never look back!


That's just me talking. I have lots of riding experience and lots of motorcycles and lots of Ducati tanks in the garage. My opinion isn't worth much but I can tell you which bike I own is a bag of giggles and a helmet full of smiles.

I enjoy my other bikes but in all honesty the S4RS is what really brings it out of me. I love how smooth my Sport Classic with the 100DS runs. You can sit back and enjoy it. My 900SS is pure sex in how easy it is to push the thing hard and fast. It just forgives so much. The M600 left me blah. The 2 M750's I had for a short time were really nice rides. It's the Aprilia 1252T that brings me bat **** crazy. 1002 miles on the clock as of last night. I'm going to wear the front tire out long before the rear on that thing.

So it's the 125 and the S4RS that make me do stupid things. Don't get the S4RS if you don't want to be stupid. It's funny how it's damn near 10 years old and I have to convince the picture takers that it isn't a brand new one off special build.



You should probably get the S2R instead.
 
#5 ·
*sigh* Good responses, all of you.

I kinda think maybe I know what to expect from the S2r. I'm a little less sure about the S4rs. Am I really going to hate it in traffic? Like, what kind of scenario could happen on the S4rs that would make me wish I had bought the S2r?

As I do more reading, I'm beginning to think that the S2r might be just as twitchy at low speeds as the S4rs, and that the difference between the two only shows at high speeds. Is the S2r much easier to handle than the S4rs at low speeds, or is the difference barely noticeable?
 
#6 ·
At normal riding speeds, there won't be much of a difference. At the top end, the S4Rs will have a lot more power, about half again the S2R1000, but if you try to use all of that, you'll start to run into chassis limitations.

The main differences you'd notice are:
a) The S2R1000 is prettier due to not having a radiator, and
b) The S4Rs is more expensive to maintain, because the valve adjustments involve more valves.

PhilB
 
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#7 ·
Coming from a 1995 Honda Shadow 600, you're going to be blown away by the torque, agility, and light weight of either.

The S2R is not twitchy in my experience unless you put in a lightweight flywheel. IDK about the S4RS.

Lastly, IMHO this gen of Monsters is the best city bike ever created anywhere and at anytime. You really can't go wrong with this decision.
 
#8 ·
Either one will have you in the poor house if you don't learn to do the regular maintenance yourself.
I personally like the looks of an air cooled Ducati, but the S4RS Tri-Color is one of the most beautiful Monsters ever, I wish I could buy one just to ride on Sundays and keep forever.
Order the LT Repair Manual for whichever bike you buy, get the tools you'll need and find a fellow Ducati rider nearby that will let you look over his shoulder or look over your's so you can get an idea of what's involved in regular maintenance. But patience is the best advice when working on a Ducati.
Hell, get the S4RS. You'll wish you had within 6 months.
 
#9 ·
I'm going to say the s2r is the practical one for what you want to do with it. But my heart and soul says get the s4r because it's a collectible and gorgeous bike. Coming from a shadow the s2r will feel crazy powerful and the s4r will get you in trouble if you don't respect it. I would say it depends on the price you can get for the bikes. Personally I wouldn't want a bike that's damaged or has been laid down without a huge discount on the price in order to fix the parts at no cost to you! Also like another said I would have the dealership put brand new belts on and do an oil change as part of the deal if they won't budge on the prices at all. There is always wiggle room at a dealership. That's where they make all the money is on used bikes. Bring cash and they will negotiate. Or wait until the fall when they don't want to store the bike for the winter.
 
#10 ·
More great responses, thanks!

I'm going again on my lunch break today to take a longer, closer look at both bikes. But here's how I'm starting to feel about it.

That radiator on the S4rs IS damn ugly, and I wish it wasn't there. But everything else about the bike is pure sex.

The S2r is priced fairly if it were in perfect condition, but the little clues make me think it isn't, and it's also 200 miles away from the 7500 mile service; Still I was thinking I might go with it if I could get the service for under $400 like I've seen in other forum threads. So I called my nearby Ducati dealership and asked how much they'd charge for that service, and they said $1200 (gulp) but they'd be replacing the belts, the spark plugs, valve adjustments, and it'd be a 6 hour job. I was too stunned to delve into options, I just said "ok" and hung up. Adding $400 to the asking price is still pretty decent, but adding $1200 to it...well that's pushing me towards the S4rs, which is about 4000 miles from needing its next service.

I've never done any serious wrenching on any of my vehicles, and while I might be inclined to try it eventually on my monster, if it's as easy as everyone says it is, I sure won't be ready to do it in 200 miles.

So as I head towards decision time (want to take one home Saturday morning), I'm starting to lean towards the TriColore. If they both handle about the same at low speeds, I'm not sure the radiator is going to be ugly enough to sway me back to S2r.

Is it a definite thing that I'll be able to get a much cheaper service that will be sufficient at 7500 miles? From what I've read, the service they want to do is overkill, as most of that stuff isn't recommended until 15000 miles. Then again we're talking about a bike that I have no previous service records on, and I'm inclined to let them do whatever they want the first time I take it to them. I'm too new to this Ducati stuff to argue with the experts... and I want my bike to last me a long time.
 
#11 ·
I just bought an S4RS this spring. Yes , the radiator is damn ugly. No, I never look at it when I'm riding. So, maybe the S2R is more asthaetically pleasing if you're buying the bike just to look at it. Either bike has way more power than you're used to, so with either one you'll be real happy that way. Mine has a pipe and reflash, so I can't vouch for the stock manners, but mine is very easy to ride. Not like what I was lead to believe. Clark Kent. But as you go over 5000 rpm it turns into Superman. Nobody needs that, but some like it. I do, but I'm used to my Hayabusa. The S2R is going to be a huge upgrade for you in every respect, power, handling , weight, looks, pride of ownership. You will love either one. When buying a Ducati, go with the heart, not the brain.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Decision made.

Done and done!





I thought about hijacking my own thread to post my initial impressions of my first ride on a Ducati, but I'm thinking it might be more appropriate to post a new one.

Argh, my images shouldn't be broken.. they are properly shared via these links. I'll see if I can figure it out.
 
#15 ·
I have a 1999 996 and a 2007 S2R 1000. While I love both, I prefer the air cooled S2R 1000 for street riding. The S2R has WAY more power than you'll ever need, and sounds unbelievable with an Arrow full system... I would go as far as to say it sounds better than my 996 with a Termignoni system.

The air cooled 1000DS engine in the S2R is a FANTASTIC engine. 4V water cooled ducs are a dime a dozen ;-) It's going to get harder and harder to find a low mileage air cooled 1000 engine in the not too distant future. I'd get one now while people are still willing to part with them.
 
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