deftones156

So, as I was waiting for my new tires to be spooned on the 954 on Friday I decided to look around at the test bikes that my local Duc dealer has. Last year they had pretty much every model (save for the S and R designated supersports), but this year there is no 749 and there is definitely no 1098. Seeing as how I had some time to kill, I decided to take the Monster S4R for a ride.

First off, as naked bikes go it's a pretty good looking bike. I realize aesthetics are highly subjective, but the Marchesini wheels, steel braided brakes line, nice paint, etc. make for an attractive package. Well, the sales guy threw a plate on there and fired it up for me. Having ridden the 999 last year, I had a bit of an idea what I could expect from the engine--or at least I thought I did. I put her in gear, started to let out the very stiff clutch...and killed it. . Long story short, I found out throughout the ride that you have to give it some decent revs before you can even think about letting the clutch out.

As expected, the suspension set up straight out of the box was pretty spot on. It felt deliciously easy to throw it around in corners, and it felt planted no matter the lean angle or road conditions (I rode pretty conservatively since the bike/tires had 12 miles on it/them when I took off). The front brakes were good, but they didn't have a huge inital bite. Very progressive though. The back brake worked.

The engine felt quite different from when I first experienced it in the 999. You still need to be above 4k to go anywhere, as below it'll bog down. In the 5-9k range there is ample torque, and it hits immediately. I don't think I got out of 4th gear throughout my whole ride. It's revs quickly, but that means it also hits the rev limiter quickly. The bike hits the rev limiter in first gear at 60mph, and with the rather muted stock exhaust I didn't realize that I had wound it up that far. I would definitely call it a deceptively quick bike just in the sense that you don't feel like you are going as fast as you are--plus 0-illegal comes pretty quickly. It really didn't feel as bonzai as the 999 did to me, or any I-4 SS bike either. Then again, racing isn't its primary purpose. It's still plenty f-in fast though, it's just that it redlines at 10.5k (If I remember correctly).

The ergos were a bit...unexpected. It has a nice upright seating position for your lower body, but there is actually a bit of a reach to the bars--nothing uncomfortable though. It's a bit smaller though, and being 6'1" I would certainly get a little cramped after 45 minutes or so. The HUD was nicely laid out as most Ducs are, but there were two things that really bugged me. One, I was wearing SMX-Plus boots (size 45), and I had a hard time fitting the toe of my boot in between the peg and the shifter. I got used to it, but it was something that I had to consciously remind myself about. Two, the heel of both of my boots was turned out (so I was riding a bit pigeon-toed) because they were hitting the passenger rearsets. No amount of adjusting would change this, and the only solution I saw is to remove the passenger pegs entirely.

Overall, I would say that this would be a very fun around-town hooligan bike, or a fun track scratcher for someone who has a bit of money to spare and is looking for something different. Great suspension, good engine, decent ergos make it a fun bike. However, I also think that this would make a poor commuter (on the hwy) due to the complete lack of wind protection. Though it's not Brutale small, it's on the smaller side so 6 footers beware.

Though it's not really my style as I prefer the sportbike positioning/ergos more, I had a blast riding it around for a while!

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CBRVFR

Always good advice.

Good write up. I'm surprised that the torque is lacking below 5000, and that the suspension was well set-up for a larger guy.

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evl_twn

Was that at Corse in Saukville? I'd like to have a go on one of the new Multistradas when we're up there for the AMA weekend at Road America.

deftones156

Yeah, like I said you pretty much have to be above 4 grand. From 5k up you'd better hold on though!

The suspension felt good to me, but caveat emptor on two points. One, I didn't push it that hard, so that may have something to do with it. There was a bit of nose dive under harder braking though. And two, it's entirely possible (and probable) that I don't know my ass from my elbow when it comes to decent vs good vs great suspension set ups. It was, however, a very flickable bike!

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"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."

deftones156

Yep, Corse Superbikes in Saukville (30 minutes north of Milwaukee for the non-locals). Great people, awesome shop!

High labor rates though...

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"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."

CBRVFR

I'm proposing legislation in our township that would require the owners of Multis to provide sufficient warning of an impending daytime ride to allow people to bring their children inside. Or put a bag over its head first.

__________________
"...the TV also never took away the screwdriver and shoved it up the repairman's ass."

Our own Mr.2nd Amendment, explaining the difference. Perfectly.

Rich Herald, the Gentle Giant

evl_twn

Yeah, they're not the prettiest thing out there, but supposedly they're a fun ride.

CBRVFR

I've heard the same thing. It would be nice if they'd put a modified , beefed up Hypermotard-style front on it. It would point up the 'adventure' capabilities of the bike and increase sales, IMO.

__________________
"...the TV also never took away the screwdriver and shoved it up the repairman's ass."

Our own Mr.2nd Amendment, explaining the difference. Perfectly.

Rich Herald, the Gentle Giant

evl_twn

I'd _really_ like to get a ride on the hypermotard, but I doubt they have one as a demo.

deftones156

I don't know if they would have one as a demo, but I was told that they'd have one into the store sometime in June. The KTM supermotard (Don't know the model exactly) was in there. They didn't have those as test bikes, but they'll pretty much let you test ride anything there as long as you are serious about buying.

I tried to convince them that I was serious about buying the MV F4, but they didn't believe me for some reason...

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"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."

SerialThriller

Thanks for the review. I'm considering the S2R 1k as my next bike but I haven't ridden one yet. Assuming the ergos are the same as the S4R, now I'm wondering how my 6'3 frame and big feet will fit on it.

deftones156

Don't take my review as gospel, because everyone's level of comfort is subjective as well, but I found my 954 to be more roomy than the monster.

Hopefully you have a shop close to you that will let you demo a Duck (or is that a company policy that all shops do that?)

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http://www.gighive.com/the-buzz/

"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."

SerialThriller

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the ergos. My main concern now is that the nearest dealer is 180 miles away.

HondaGalToo

I loved the 1000cc dual spark air cooled engine that my Sport 1000 has. Really nice street engine. As much as I like the performance of the superbike engines, there's just something that looks very right about the air cooled, finned engine in those bikes, especially the naked Monster. No radiator, extra plumbing, just the engine.

Too bad I didn't like the ergos of the Sport. What a rack. It's gone to a better home!

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deftones156

Well, I went for a short ride (70 miles) on Saturday, and before long I found myself back at the Ducati dealer. Lately I've been lusting over naked bikes (especially the speed triple), so I wanted to give the Monster another go to see if anything had changed for me.

I'd say that my initial review still holds true, and the flickability of the bike is still surprisingly great to me. I say surprisingly because I'm not used to sitting more upright and having the bike feel so nimble.

Anyway, I liked it more this time around, but the one thing I cannot stand is how the passenger rearset on the left side forces my heel out, and the exhaust on the right side forces that heel out. I could solve the problem on the left side by tucking my boot heel under the rearset, but then I couldn't shift. Hmm...not much of a solution. On the right side, there is NOTHING that you can do about it unless you custom make some exhaust pipes. I asked the sales guy about it, and he acknowledged the problem and said that basically unless you had smaller feet you were kind of screwed. He mentioned that some adjustable rearsets would probably help, the question is how much though? He did mention a possible redesign for '08 though?!

On a side note, I went a rode a Speed Triple after that. I can't really give a proper report cause the dealer was in the middle of town, and the sales guy actually said "Try and keep it to about 10 minutes or so," when referring to my test ride. Umm...okay, I'll go down 3 stoplights and turn around.

Basically all I can tell you is that it's super-comfy (noticeably taller seat height than the duc as well), it has a crude feeling gearbox, the brakes lacked feel, it was loud (stock cans) and the popping on decel was awesome. It seemed quick in the little I got to twist the throttle, and I can't comment at all about handling since I was in town.

I know it was a short ride, but afterwards my infatuation with the Triple began to wane. In fact, I haven't really thought about her, I mean it, since. I know those two bikes are very different from my 954, but frankly I didn't like either one enough to get rid of the RR!

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"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."

evl_twn

Go back to Corse and get some seat time on a Brutale

phobe

Dude... get the SuperDuke so I can live vicariously through you. Then come to Grattan 08 and let me ride it.

Lots of cool naked bikes out there but that is the one I would get hands-down.

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deftones156

Those are even worse than the older R6's used to be. They just aren't made for adult-sized people! Even if the Brutale is one of the sexiest bikes out there, IMO.

Phobe--I'd like to ride a Superduke, but I feel like I'd get in soooo much trouble on that thing if it were actually mine. The sales guy there said it sucked on the hwy (go figure), but it was hands-down the most fun hooligan bike he'd ever ridden.

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"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."

phobe

More fun than a hooligan CBR125?

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Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc

Heavy-Dee

I saw a Hypermotard at my dealer the other day. Sharp bike and I'd love to have one. Like has been said; it seems more of a standard then a motard.

What about the Z1000? I sat on one and it felt really good. I'd have to replace the exhaust immediately, but it looks like a great bike.

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Epic Fail

deftones156

My old roommate had an '03 Z1000, and after he took off 20lbs of exhaust it looked a ton better. The engine was a cracker for sure, but I wasn't much for the riding position (the handlebars are way high), the brakes weren't all that great, and the suspension is not very adjustable. I know he had a good time on it, but he sold it rather than upgrade a ton of suspension bits, brakes, etc.

I can't comment on the new Z's though, perhaps those have better components on them??

__________________
http://www.gighive.com/the-buzz/

"My friend said to me, ‘You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."