my weekend loaner

[RedNigel]

So yesterday I borrowed my brother's '02 Ducati ST4S. Its basically a 996 that is set up for sport touring with a fairing and panniers. Now, I have owned a couple of liter bikes, but this is the most spirited thing I have ever been on.
I was terrified for the first 2 minutes, then I pulled over, put in my earplugs that I had forgotten and was fine after that.
I mean, OH MY GOODNESS!!!
My first thoughts as I was riding were..."is my NT THAT slow, or is this bike THIS fast??? It accelerates like nobody's business and ( iknow someone will disagree) but it does not vibrate at all. It feels like a sewing machine.
I never got out of 4th gear and was loafing down the turnpike at 80mph. Its like the bike is just doodling along...waiting for you to pull the trigger

In spite of all the thrills though...its still a sportbike and I realized very quickly just how spoiled I have become riding behind a fairing and sitting up fairly straight. It was real windy and I took a beating, but it was a thrill nonetheless

 

[tawilke46]

I really like the way a Ducati looks and sounds. I have never ridden one, though at one time 15 years ago our local BMW dealer sold them. I found the clutch pull to be very stiff on Ducati's. The arthritis, especially in the left hand fingers, makes pulling that clutch lever difficult.

 

[RedNigel]

I have to say it is the most impressive machine I have ever been on. The acceleration was instant, smooth and exhilarating. I cant even put into words the way it feels and sounds as it spools up. The temptation to wring it out is very hard to resist.
The dry clutch doesn't like to be modulated, and it sounds like a farm implement at a idle, but MAN, what a piece!

If I had the budget, I would be at the dealer right now, buying a Multistrada

 

[JohnC]

Don't know much about Ducks but:
90 degree V-twin gives you perfect primary balance and a fair amount of power in a relatively light chassis gives you a lot of performance. I am a little jealous.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I did one of the Cycle World/Ducati Demo rides on a Diavel last summer and was way impressed. The Diavel's seating position wasn't bad, the bike's performance was awesome, and the engine and transmission were flawless.

I don't know if they sell panniers for the Diavel, but if they did, it might work for me. The Multistrada is a beautiful bike, too, but just a little tall.

Money, dealerships, service costs and reliability are the big things. I've got a buddy who had an ST2 and it cost him $8-1000 every service. The ST4 has stretched those intervals, but it still ain't cheap.

I'll be looking forward to riding behind you tomorrow, Clay!

 

[JohnC]

Money, dealerships, service costs and reliability are the big things.

And I am on a self-imposed Honda/Yamaha budget. Plus, dealerships are everywhere.

 

[Phil Tarman]

And it turns out I won't be riding behind the Duck tomorrow after all. RedNigel took another ride on the ST2S after his last post and decided that he'd be permanently crippled if he rode Jacksboro and back.

We'll meet at Spearfish.

 

[U20417]

I did one of the Cycle World/Ducati Demo rides on a Diavel last summer and was way impressed. The Diavel's seating position wasn't bad, the bike's performance was awesome, and the engine and transmission were flawless.

Test rode a Diavel last summer myself. Was getting on the Interstate here in OKC, looked back and saw a big bunch of traffic in all 3 lanes. Decided I would goose it and get in front of them...no problem. Looked down and I was doing 102mph. Took the next exit, turned around, and took it back.

While I thought I had grown out of the fly by the seat of your pants riding of your teens and twenties I did feel that rush I used to get, and thought to myself I lived through it the first time, but probably would not in my late 40.

But man...what a bike!!!

 

[charlie b]

It is fun to be on a really fast bike every now and then. But, I would get into WAY too much trouble with one of those hooligan bikes.

 

[RedNigel]

The ST4S is an amazing piece, but its still a sport bike, and my neck and butt just wont tolerate the aggressive posture required to be on it.
While I enjoyed playing with the power, I was reminded of all the reasons I switched from a sport bike to the NT
I will probably ride it to work next week just to show it off and then be glad to have my NT back when its ready