Athelstan,
it was a brand new bike from P&H in Crawley.
I ran it in ensuring I kept the revs down for the first 600 miles, then
allowed 1k extra revs per 100 miles.
Not strictly to the book as the book says 7k5 (I think) until 1500 miles,
but although I used higher revs they were not for sustained periods.
I didn't really give it any stick until over 1500 miles.
I can't see any signs of oil leaks (although the inspection cover on the near side casing seems to have a trace of oil around it).
The bike doesn't noticably smoke, and doesn't get particularly hot either.
Like I say, these two days we were riding exceptionally hard using lots of high revs in 1st/2nd/3rd and lots of engine braking.
We don't really cruise and take in the view.
To give you a feeling of how hard, my rear disk is blue, and I had the ABS on the rear kick in a few times
Okay, awaiting the flak about using rear brake, but believe me two up with luggage it is a little friendlier on the pillion (and my arms/wrists !) to use rear as well as front brake. It also helps to keep the bike stable when braking late into bends.
I have another trip planned to France in late June so will keep an eye on the oil usage and if it uses lots again then I'll see what the shop has to say about it. There are a couple of other ST4S's going on the same trip, so we will be able to 'compare fluids'
Just a thought, your not confusing my posts earlier this year with my 996 are you, as I only got the ST4S a couple of months back (now has 4k3 miles on it).
The 996 is generally very reliable, but one trip on it last year saw me having at least one problem a day (lost rear brake, bolts falling out, oil pressure switch, hole in oil cooler, trouble starting, etc, etc).
Thanks for the concern anyway. Hopefully its nothing, but if it is, its under warranty (I hope !)
Cheers,
John.