[ducseven]

Hello,
I have an interesting decision to make, and would like your feedback,
I have a 95 M900 with 14500 on the clock, runs great looks great, some extras slip-ons, carbon etc. Just ordered a full exhuast system from Indigo Sports also. Was looking to do some other costly upgrades...pistons, carbs, flywheel, wheels.
BUT.............
Just heard back from a guy with a Foggy S4 1600miles, spotless..... will let it go for low 10k....comes with all the goodies....

Now I love my M900, I am kinda partial to the old Cagiva script and the hand assembled bikes. (Just sold my 95 916 last year with 3800 original miles)
I cannot ride the Superbikes like I used to when I was younger so Monsters are the BEST....
So I guess the arguement would be to combine the best of both worlds: Monster comfort with 916 power.

Any feedback is as usual appreciated.
THANKS,
Rob

(BTW, also have to ship the bike to me in Los Angeles)

 

[Stu Pedaso]

Are you going to sell the 900 to fund the purchase of the S4? If not, I say keep the 900 and also get the S4. That way you have a back up for those special occasions- like when I come out to visit you on my tour of the south this winter. I am staying on Gmans couch in Texas (gotta share with his dog though) I can make it out to LA in a day or so after I leave there.

 

[ducseven]

At this point I won't have to sell the 900....but we also have my wifes M750 Dark. I might be able to talk her into taking mine, it's charcoal black. (kinda the same).
To keep 3 bikes seems kinda much, been there done that. This seems like a good deal for the Foggy.
Any time your in LA we can hook up and ride, my wife loves the Rock Store for breakfast on a Saturday morning.
Thanks

 

[ScottRNelson]

I think I understand your delimma, assuming you will have to sell the 95 to purchase the Foggy. I didn't really like the Foggy based on the photos I had seen, but after I saw one up close, I decided it's a beautiful bike, plus you get the extra performance.

I'm still trying to figure out how to get a Multistrada and an 888. But I don't want to get rid of the Monster that I've owned for six years either. I'm trying to figure out how to have a garage full of bikes.

I can't help you decide. Do you want a bike with better all around performance, or do you want to stick with the bike you've known and loved for all these years?

 

[peter2]

If my opinion matters, I would strongly suggest getting the Foggy. You'll have the extra performance and you won't lose money (and might stand to make a couple of bucks) should you change your mind after having the Foggy for a while. Based on its extremely limited production, I can't see the Foggy going down in value.

 

[peter2]

I think a Foggy will hold its value better than just about any other Monster.

 

[Speeddog]

I don't know about the price, as I haven't been looking....I'm just happy riding my S4.

When I bought it in February, I could have gotten one of the 2-valvers, but I wanted a more modern motor and more power. I had a [email protected] XV920R, so I'd already done the 2-valve air-cooled thing.

The Foggy will have more power stock than your 900 would have with all the mods you mentioned. Don't know what kind of suspension bits you have, but the Foggy is likely better there as well.

Aesthetically, I prefer the simplicity of the 2-valvers. The cooling system parts on the S4 are not handsome, but that's the price I decided to pay.

Come visit us on the SoCal Monster Hooligan Assoc. We're organizing an Angeles Crest ride this weekend, we'd love to have both of you join us-
http://www.ducatimonster.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=SDMHA;action=display;num=1063079750

 

[s4strati]

i'd say not to bother with the foggy. not that it isn't a good bike, but if you're considering it, why not buy a used "regular" S4? i've seen them selling for a measely $8k or so. no real huge differences between the "regular" S4 and the foggy except for the full termi system. yes, the full termi system's nice, but saving money is also nice. it'll still be a significant difference to your 900.

personally... if i still had my '98 900ss (and hadn't yet bought my s4), i'd be holding out for a year or two for 999 prices to drop. i'd be looking to buy a 999 to strip down into a "monster"-like bike. that would be pretty sweet i think. so if anybody wants to buy my s4 for about $14k or so (hahahah!) i'm open to offers! i promise it's practically ridable ;D

 

[CRASH!]

As soon as you decide that the bike is to be ridden, you'd better get "investment value" out of your mind.

If you're prepared to have a garage queen, then you can afford to ponder resale value.

That's not what Rob's contemplating here.

I'm with Strati, if I wanted the 4V water-cooled ponies, I'd go for a standard S4, but since I'm an air-cooled Monsterite, what do I know? :-/

 

[ducseven]

Thanks for your feedback!
Let me pose this question....
First of all, I haven't seen a S4 for under $9000 (cycletrader.com, today 7000 miles, lowest priced one)
ALL others are over 10k and even with a great negotiation and without insulting anyone, maybe $8500 IF I'm lucky. And that's the only one that low.
Most foggy's that I've seen are over $11k and I've only seen a few. Most are over $12k, one just sold on Ebay last week for $11750 in Florida. So I figured for $10400 with 1600 miles I would spend the extra $ and get something that is a cool piece of Ducati History and an Awesome S4.
(Besides my wife said I could)
So the question is..... given the above info does it make sense to anyone else, because it will NOT sit...
I WILL be riding it. ;D
THANKS Again,
Rob

 

[chris]

three ducatis for 2 people is a little below proper care free riding, but an acceptable ratio allowing for the occasional "outage". ;D :

 

[Duc_N_Har]

You can't never have too many motorcycles!!!!!Thats what garages are made for!!!!

 

[niuginisbk]

Rob,
Forget about the engine mods on the Monster. All the $$$$ in the world will only get you 95 HP max (that's with extensive work), i've got the same bike & looked into it in depth. I've got termis, 41mmFCR's, open airbox, K&N filter ect.. & at the moment i'm looking into a S4R cause i want faster!!

Might throw a lightened flywheel at it as the last Bolt on exercise, but i personally don't think it's worth putting Pistons, getting the intake port angle changed ect......

The old two Valver runs like a dream, but if you want the ponies, buy another bike!

 

[RAT900]

" I am kinda partial to the old Cagiva script and the hand assembled bikes."

amen

 

[s4strati]

one more thing to consider if you decide you want to stick with your '95. along with a piston kit, look at what you can do to lighten your bike. for how your bike performs, remember it's not the power it puts out, but the power-to-weight ratio that's important. the 2v bike flat-out won't put out the power the 4v'd bike can, but it's got a weight advantage that can be capitalized upon. go for lighter wheels to start with, light clutch, flywheel, get some lighter brakes, etc...
remember norm's bike from last month? you may not want to go _that_ extreme, but you can use it as an inspiration to hack of whatever's not necessary and/or replace stuff with lighter counterparts.
i've shaved over 20 lbs off my S4 and most of that weight's rotating mass. should make a world of difference if i just get the damn thing on the street ;P

 

[mmoore]

Well, it looks like the 4V vote is almost unanimous, so of course I'll be the contrarian.

First off I'll say that I've never ridden an S4 or any 4V duc, so this opinion comes from a standpoint of perfect ignorance on that score.

It may be that I'm getting older & wiser (probably not) or the roads I like to ride, but I find that top speed and even acceleration are not issues for me. I find my pretty-much stock 900 plenty quick. Now, the roads I typically like to ride resemble goat trails and go up and down small mountains, so for this sort of riding more HP and weight isn't really an advantage; more the opposite. Instead I find myself wanting better suspension and a lighter bike.

Maybe the weight disadvantage is offset by better suspension on the S4, but again, I don't know firsthand. I just think there's a case to be made for a lighter, simpler bike even with a HP disadvantage.

 

[Fillmore]

I'm going to jump on the "lighter and simpler is better" bandwagon.

This is an interesting article on tweeking the weight and HP of a 2-valve bike. Specifically, check out the table at the end that lists HP to weight ratios of some common bikes.

http://venus.13x.com/roadracingworld/issues/jan01/troll.htm#table

--Fillmore

 

[MonsterHooligan]

First of all, I haven't seen a S4 for under $9000 (cycletrader.com, today 7000 miles, lowest priced one)

Screw Cycletrader! DML Classifieds RULES!
http://www.ducatimonster.org/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=380&query=retrieval ;D

 

[infoage1]

oh and I have dropped somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 lbs off the bike so I am about the same as a stock 800 at this point. I think I will go by a scale when i get the bike back and see where it's at.

I'm at 400 lbs right now (wet, no gas), and I can see my way to 385 lbs some day with a rear mag, alloy clutch, smaller battery and a lighter wallet...

 

[infoage1]

Where did you weigh it Tom? I was thinking over off Gothard they have a cement dump with a drive up scale.

I used a doctor's type beam scale that I zeroed before I started. Using a little ramp, I weighed the bike one wheel at a time. Admittedly not perfect, as the bike wasn't quite level (2"), but I had just put a Nichols FW on, and was curious where I was at given the various cumulative mods. If you ever get your bike back from "Dealer Hell", bring it over, we can block up the non-weighed wheels and get more accurate. Tough to do by myself. Also, as I drained the tank by siphon, I figured there was some residual gas in the tank that would offset the out-of-level issue. If I do it again, I will drain the tank.