Ducati Monster Forum

My first few impressions, from sitting on it....

Leg room is at least as good as on the 696/1100, and better than on the Monsters.
The seating position is (1-2 inches?) further forward than on a SuperBike and 696/1100.
For me, 6'4", the new bikes feel too short - on the StreetFighter I see the front of the forks in a normal riding position :-\

There will a market for different slave cylinders - very hard clutch lever.
You'll want to weld/hammer/other bolts/carbon fiber the right heel guard - stock is about an inch out from the pipes and forces the heel way out.
At the seven/eight o' clock part of the clutch cover, it is much closer to the clutch basket. It seems that the open clutch covers can be less wide.
Passenger foot peg assemblies are hard to unbolt. Left side bolts are obstructed by the shock reservoir.

I still hate the fairing attempt and the head light looks weird and unDucati'sh.
Red isn't an obvious choice, black looks a lot meaner. (before modding)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter006.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter008.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter012.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter015.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter011.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter010.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter008.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter007.jpg)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/StreetFighter014.jpg)

Thx for posting up some detailed pics.  I can't believe that the exhaust mounting bracket is part of the passenger pegs.  Nonetheless, I would still ride it like I stole it (which is probably what I would have to do to afford one)!

D*mn..it took awhile for the new 696/1100 to grow on me..but that piece of bulk is just..   [puke]


Maybe ditch the headlight..high mount pipes and lose the belly pan?

man, that bike looks SICK!!!

thought the clutch lever is only very heavy to you because you ride a S2R800, its pretty standard across all dry cluch bikes.

Yeah...I dont know...the more pictures I see the less I like it.
Very complex plumbing exposed and nothing to love...really.
I wonder if I have the chance to see one in reality or even sit on one.
Never understood why people did not like the S4R...but this looks...just complicated..

So what this thing is, a 1098 without the fairings?

 [puke]

Pretty much.  Different radiators (two stacked so the profile is thinner), SBK-ish frame but different geometry and the same angled love-it-or-hate-it styling which leaves me leaning more toward the latter...

I have to agree.  

AFAIC.....It actually looks more "Monster" than the new Monster does.   But it sure ain't the minimalist look that sold me on the original Monster design.  Way too much plumbing and odd parts going in all directions.  Right now it looks more like a Triumph design what with parts bolted on willy-nilly everywhere.

It is,  as trouble pointed out,  a 1098 without the fairing...(and that can't be a bad thing!)  Not sure about the exhaust vs. heel room issue that stopintime noted but all in all I actually like it.   [moto]   It just needs to be a bit cleaner looking and a bit more "sensuous" in an Italian kind of way.  Maybe plop a Monster-style tank on it instead of the 1098 tank and throw in a few curves here and there......I think then I'd consider adopting it into the Monster family.



P.S.  The headlight is certainly different but I like it a LOT more than that ugly protrusion on the 696/1100 bikes.

Tank and headlight bother me the most from what I can tell so far.

it just doesnt flow

Looks great in person, like a shit ton of fun.

The thing that grabs me, negatively, is the damn ends of the radiator. The two i saw (red and black) had these funny silver cheap aluminum ends, shown in the above pictures.

Then it dawned on me. They come that way from the factory on purpose, so that you'll immediately turn around and buy some DP  carbon fiber to replace them.

This thing has potential.   [thumbsup]  I can see a bunch of stuff about it that I don't like, but that's what makes it a fun project. What would you do with it?

At first glance, I'd get rid of that gold/magnesium colored clutch cover.  Why that color??  The magnesium/gold cylinder head cover would get powdercoated or painted black.  The belt covers would be matte black or I'd replace them to get rid of all those curves on 'em.  They're too complicated looking.  The sides of the upper radiator would also go black.  I'd yank the lower cowl to see how it looks.  I might replace it with something more flowing or just repaint to minimize the chunkiness and all the different edges.  That heat shield on the right would be gone, as would the passenger pegs.  I'd find a way to do a minimalist exhaust bracket.  I'd either get an aftermarket shield or wrap that exhaust in black exhaust tape and just deal with the heat.  I hope the aftermarket exhaust options are good because currently, it hides too much of the SSS.  I like the burliness of the exhaust, and would like an option that keeps it.  The traction contol wire on the front would should have less free wire before it gets ziptied to the brake-line.  It's a little thing, but it'd clean up that mess a lot.  The mirrors would disappear as would the rear fender.

That's just a first pass.  Without spending too much $, I bet you could clean it up pretty easily.  And I'm sure someone here will.   [evil]

I have to give them credit, it can't be easy to take what is normally hidden behind full body panels, and make it look acceptable. I think they did a pretty good job. Both Motorcyclist and Cycle World did test rides this month. It looks like it will be a real kick to ride, although I still rarely use WOT on my S4RS.

The thing I don't like about ducati in general is they seem to be abandoning the red frame

In person the tank and headlight don't look bad at all, they just aren't very photogenic.  I was worried I wouldn't like the tank and headlight in person, but after wandering into my shops  maintenance bay and seeing one in person I'm in love.  What I don't get is the white sides of the radiator?? I was thinking it was just some protection for shipping, but on the above demo they were still on?

The one I saw in person din't even have oil in it yet.

I saw the base model. The belt covers are huge and dominate that side of the bike, they would definitely need to be switched out for carbon fiber way to much plastique otherwise.

I saw one today as it was being uncrated and I have to say that I REALLY like this thing.  Over all the bike looks very nice.  I noticed the radiator covers as well and they look cheap considering all the Carbon on the S.  After sitting on the bike I fell in love with it as it feels very nice, but it is quite tall.  This is not really a concern for me beign 6'2", but others may need taller shoes.  A few other things that I liked about the bike are the SMALL switch controls, the tank design, and that fact that it fits like a glove.

I'll give ya the headlight, but that tank is 100% Ducati beautiful

Stu needs to alter one ;)

Which means I'll never get to own one.. I'm only 5'3".  I actually was looking at a Sport Classic first but it was just way too tall for me. =(

It looks really nice but too "busy" for me.

Thanks for taking the time and write + post all these pictures  [thumbsup] I hope you are having a great 17. mai (norweigian national holliday).. and congrats for the win in Eurovision (If you care about these things..)  [roll]
I agree with PizzaMonster, this has the potential to look like a 'real' (classic) monster - but there would take some heavy moding..
I'd like to see it with a clssic round monster head light for starters

 [puke]

Maybe not sitting still, but I bet it would flow nicely through the curves. And, with 150hp, the straights too.  More bike then I would ever need. 

my GF said the exact same thing when I showed her the pics and I agree. It's quite nice, but not my thing as far as looks go.  However, I would like to ride the wheels off one for a few days. [evil]

Yep an air cooled bike would be much easier to make clean the 4 valves with rads and piping, just can't neaten it up, I'm worried about where the charcoal cannister will go on US bikes, on the hypermotar it's sticking out of the side and looks awful.

Chris

Seems to me that alot of people are compareing this to the monster. Fact is that it is a totally different bike. Take the lower fairing and black it out and shorten up the headlight cowl and I think the bike rocks. Price tag is a little out of my league and I'm sure the insurance would not be pleasant, but if money where no object, I would definately have one in my garage.

Not my cup of tea.  I'd rather go for M1100S or 848 ways.  But hey, to each his(her) own. 

Maybe someone will do some seriously nice mod to make it looks good.  Then we'll talk.  :)

When I first saw it, I thought it looked pretty awesome.  Then I looked at it more and changed my mind.  Now I'm back to thinking it could look good, but with a bit of work.

I don't understand why Ducati continues to insist on cluttering up the rear wheel of the single sided swingarm bikes.  Give that thing an under tail exhaust and you will clean up the rear end significantly.  Maybe it is just me, but when you only have a SSS back there, I think it looks best if the exhaust is up and out of the way to show off that rear wheel.

But the battery location under the seat makes an underseat exhaust hard to do. I've seen some photochops of shorty exhausts which looks pretty good. I think if they were smaller size as on the brutale it wouldn't be so bad. As big as these exhausts are I'm assuming you have to take them off to get the wheel off. On the brute, you just undo a couple bolts and pivot it up.

Chris

They should have called this the new Monster S4 something.

I've been reading reviews and it seems that this bike is a bit of a spork. Not quite an urban street bike like the monster and hypermotard and not quite a superbike like the 848 and 1198. It looks great though. I can't wait to read what some people here think about it.

You know, lots of people seem to not like the headlight, and personally I'm not a fan of the Brutale headlight, but this one is far more angular and sharp looking. I like it. It gives the bike an aggressive look.

For anyone who's been wondering, it sounds unimpressive for the look that the exhaust imposes on you - sounds just like a 1098.

It really needs an open clutch, exhaust, tail chop, mirrors off and a black frame,...then it would look perfect.

I like this bike much better than the S4*. I agree that it will require some modding, but who really keeps even their Monsters fully stock. I think they did a pretty good job with the radiator, espcially when you look at the oversized radiator on the S4's. I like that they designed a separated liquid cooled bike. It's what they should have done from the beginning. It does look like the Brutale, so headlight would be one of the first mods.

It's my understanding the clutch cover is magnesium and slightly deeper to allow for the addition of sound deadening material!

Chris

I'm glad I bought my Superduke R... [thumbsup]

My version looks better.

(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc19/silentbob_pics/P4028502.jpg)

I've decided I like the forks and front brakes. [thumbsup]

You people have no vision - "it needs a round tank" or "paint stuff black" or "whats up with that headlight".  :'(
Time marches on and you people stay behind. Try having an open mind or maybe even a look to the future, or at least a look at progress...
This new bike is sweet - you people just don't have the vision to accept it  [laugh]

^ Says the guy with the picture of a classic bike for his avatar  ;D

Jury is still out for me, but it's got potential. In fact I see more potential in this bike than I do with the newer monsters.

+1

Hey, have a little diversity friend, I didn't say I didn't like classic bikes - I do!

But one can still accept the future, embrace progress,
 and appreciate the SF for what it is... I love it.
I also think the new monster makes the old monsters look very very dated. ( but I still love those bikes too.)

I always thought the monsters were supposed to look old/vintage-y.. that's why I bought mine--cuz it's a classic looking bike (look that never get's dated IMO) with a snarling engine! I guess thats why I never got the new monsters.. they don't have the classic look anymore.

But the streetfighter, on the other hand, is SUPPOSED to look futuristic and different. It does that to the T.. and whenever you introduce something radically different than what people are expecting, there's mixed reactions.

^

Funny thing, I bought the 696 because it looks different than all the previous models.  [drink]

I'll have to see the Streetfighter in person before drawing a final looks conclusion.  It's out of my price range anyways.

I was just yanking your chain, hence the " ;D"

It's odd, but what really attracted me to the monster in the first place... was not exactly it's blandness, but that there was a lot of room to do more.

A blank canvas, it you will.

I'm not seeing that as much with the new bikes. Since they come a bit more "styled" there's more personality, and therefore more effort will be involved in changing them to something different.

The SF is not for me. In 10-15 years that will look horrible and 'out of style'- its all over the place. In 10-15 years your average monster/916/1048/and even 999
(maybe) will(is) still be timelessly good looking.

2010 Ducati Streetfighter Motorcycle Crash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6tvdYR4dA#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)


oops

So how much kronor is that mofo?

275,000 kroner ~ US$ 42,000  [roll]

BTW, this is the best pics I've seen of a streetfighter yet.  Mebbe its the Termis that does it.

(http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=306273&d=1242935956)

Termi's definitely help, but I think the black color makes the biggest difference. It cleans the bike up and makes the plumbing stand out far less.

-1 on gold frame! Black or nothing IMHP

The Termis look really nice on it. They are shorter.

I think it's because the plastic covers down in front aren't so noticeable in black as in red.

What's up with the wheels though in that pic?