Post by Iconic944ss on Sept 21, 2011 2:28:54 GMT
Well I actually wrote this for another site but since I've almost forgot what its like to ride my SS, this will have to do for a while....
Photo taken while stalking the A68....
Good News First
Well, it sadly has to be this way as there are quite a lot of character 'features' on my Ducati ST4s that simply need to be put down as failings really.
I was quite lucky when finally deciding that I couldn't suffer the back pain of riding my tiny 750 Laverda, that the previous owner of this Ducati, happened to be looking for a summer project to p/x it against - fortunate for both of us.
Ducati made the ST4 series between 2002 and 2005 before moving onto the 3 valve ST3 range which was withdrawn in 2008, following a decline in purchase numbers & Ducati withdrawing from the Sport Touring market at that time.
Moving on from the 916 engine based ST4, the ST4s utilises the 115 bhp 996 engine and managed to extract a little more power and torque than the superbike, due largely to the free-flowing standard exhaust system. Its a good tourer that wants to pretend it can play with some of the sports bikes, for a little while, anyways.
The ride is very plush, with Ti-nitrided forks and a full Ohlins shock in the rear, with remote preload adjuster that can be reached on
the move (at a push), all the major suspension tweaks are available. The standard braking was good but mine was getting tired and has been uprated now with 4 pad calipers.
Rider protection is adequate and the simple control lay out allows all the presented info to be processed without resorting to pushing buttons and changing displays.
The jewel in the crown for me, really is the engine. 5th & 6th gears are all that are needed for ANY speed over that needed in town, some snatching on the chain is a pain at lower speeds but a twist of the throttle, and maybe a bigger rear sprocket is all thats needed to cure that aliment. The grunt at midrange rev's is impressive - at 5000 rpm, 80 mph can be seen (allegedly) and a further twist of the wrist for additional rev's brings a mighty surge that is a bit indecent for a bike with touring pretensions.
Ok, time for the downside...
After praising the engine it must be said it makes a fair fews vibes, even for a vee-twin!
Service costs are high for the SBK engines and if anything out of the ordinary happens, like the surface of the valve arms cracking up then your bank account will go the same way.
The bike is very bleak with adjustable controls, handlebars, pegs and seat are all essentially fixed unless the gentle owner cares to dip into the Ducati Performance catalogue or get inventive. I've had to fit a tall screen extension to protect my giant 5' 10' frame and still, ones hands are left in the wind wake from the edges of the fairing - I'm looking to try and fit some universal handguards next for when the cold winds arrive. Oh, thats NOW!
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be owning my ST for, I'm glad I had one but an owner would need to have a love of v-twins and probably Ducati's in particular to enjoy time in the saddle.
My eyes keep wandering towards the Triumph Tiger 1050 - still out of my price range I think but I have a canny sense that it would be, for me a better all-round bike than the Italian Stallion.
Ciao
Photo taken while stalking the A68....
Good News First
Well, it sadly has to be this way as there are quite a lot of character 'features' on my Ducati ST4s that simply need to be put down as failings really.
I was quite lucky when finally deciding that I couldn't suffer the back pain of riding my tiny 750 Laverda, that the previous owner of this Ducati, happened to be looking for a summer project to p/x it against - fortunate for both of us.
Ducati made the ST4 series between 2002 and 2005 before moving onto the 3 valve ST3 range which was withdrawn in 2008, following a decline in purchase numbers & Ducati withdrawing from the Sport Touring market at that time.
Moving on from the 916 engine based ST4, the ST4s utilises the 115 bhp 996 engine and managed to extract a little more power and torque than the superbike, due largely to the free-flowing standard exhaust system. Its a good tourer that wants to pretend it can play with some of the sports bikes, for a little while, anyways.
The ride is very plush, with Ti-nitrided forks and a full Ohlins shock in the rear, with remote preload adjuster that can be reached on
the move (at a push), all the major suspension tweaks are available. The standard braking was good but mine was getting tired and has been uprated now with 4 pad calipers.
Rider protection is adequate and the simple control lay out allows all the presented info to be processed without resorting to pushing buttons and changing displays.
The jewel in the crown for me, really is the engine. 5th & 6th gears are all that are needed for ANY speed over that needed in town, some snatching on the chain is a pain at lower speeds but a twist of the throttle, and maybe a bigger rear sprocket is all thats needed to cure that aliment. The grunt at midrange rev's is impressive - at 5000 rpm, 80 mph can be seen (allegedly) and a further twist of the wrist for additional rev's brings a mighty surge that is a bit indecent for a bike with touring pretensions.
Ok, time for the downside...
After praising the engine it must be said it makes a fair fews vibes, even for a vee-twin!
Service costs are high for the SBK engines and if anything out of the ordinary happens, like the surface of the valve arms cracking up then your bank account will go the same way.
The bike is very bleak with adjustable controls, handlebars, pegs and seat are all essentially fixed unless the gentle owner cares to dip into the Ducati Performance catalogue or get inventive. I've had to fit a tall screen extension to protect my giant 5' 10' frame and still, ones hands are left in the wind wake from the edges of the fairing - I'm looking to try and fit some universal handguards next for when the cold winds arrive. Oh, thats NOW!
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be owning my ST for, I'm glad I had one but an owner would need to have a love of v-twins and probably Ducati's in particular to enjoy time in the saddle.
My eyes keep wandering towards the Triumph Tiger 1050 - still out of my price range I think but I have a canny sense that it would be, for me a better all-round bike than the Italian Stallion.
Ciao