The other good thing about the ducati panniers is that they are close to the bike which makes filtering easier. I think the mirrors are the widest part of my bike with the boxes on.

The ST2 is known for being breathless, due to the two valve heads. The 4 valve ones are so much better. I wanted a ST4S but the ST4 came along at the right price and i'm more than happy with it.

All the four valve engines suffer from the rocker problem though, ask around on here and you'll get tales about that! Mine needed three last time and a mates 4S needed a couple after only 6000 miles or so.

Downsides? Lumpy at low speed, expensive to maintain - erm thats about it as far as i can see!

Thanks Paul and, err, bdg :lol:

I know what you mean about the vfr being clinical. Trouble is it does its job very well (if a bit boring) and after riding on the back of it the wife is choosy about what seat she sits on.

Not heard of a sargant seat. Any links to info about prices, who sells them etc ?

Handy to know the panniers are well tucked in. I use soft throwover jobs at present, but the pressure is on to have hard luggage as they are easier to deal with.

Pete, that st4s web site is superb. Wife called me to bed at 12:45 am this morning as I forgot to go to bed (too much to read on that site).

Thanks guys, decision made for me.
Just need to get a trst ride and see what the wife says now.

Cheers,
John.

Seat
 

Sargant seats supplied by Calamander
01874 636666
www.calamander.co.uk

price around £290 but very well made and much more comfortable.:frog:

John, I can confirm what BDG says, 20,000 miles on my '4S, no comfort problems even on 5-600 mile days. I have the 4 pad calipers on mine(standard on 999 range, and first used on 996R) fabulous brakes. Don't bother with ABS it just adds weight and no the standard brakes are not linked. My '4S was doing 200 miles + to a tank last summer, 3000 miles round europe 2 up with panniers and tank bag, that was at 110 cruising so economy is good. The things I would recommend are 14 tooth front sprocket-makes a HUGE difference and the above fuel consumption was after the mod, and some wonderweb on the seat to stop your wife crashing into you when you hit the brakes-they are that good! Set the suspension up for your style and ENJOY those passes-we did, and the 'Ring 2up!:devil:

John

For what its worth my opinion is that the 4s makes mince-meat out of a vfr , which is a bland
mondeo man thing , if ever there was one.
I have had a ST4s for 18 months, done 24,000 miles in 14 months, then buggered my leg running afetr a pigs bladder.
The 4s has never let me down, ie by the side of the road, has been used a commuter all that time,
occasionaly wheeeld into the shed at weekends,
and has had
- three new lcd dispalys under warranty
- ecu , under warranty
- slid down the road on black ice, repaired absolutely fine.
- One smashed headlamp, stone thrown up, gobbled a fair few B'stone 010's,
been round France, and the benelux countries,
mostly at 110 mph , with approx 170-180 tank range, stopped using any oild at approx 8,000 miles, is wired for widder jacket and heated grips , and yes, has a ******* gell battery. When its really cold I connect a spare car battery via some
35 A leads with bullet connectors, wired in situ.
Bloody brilliant., tool. 14 tooth sprocket and decent pads are essential , as Monty says.

Downside ? Servicing costs. But once you have tried one the handling will make most other bikes
seem gahstly. Yes, 996 and 999 pilots luurve their bikes ( at the w/end , or track ) but for everyday use the 4S is hard to beat.

Over & out.

Hey Monty, are you a closet Ulysses member ?

You can compare the features all day John ..
 

.. however there's really only one question you want answering - do you want a love affair or a marriage??

Love affair or marriage???

I guess if it's as good to ride as it is and it keeps making you want to come back for more, you'd be a fool not to marry it.

If, however, you only want to ride it now and again, then it must be a love affair as you sure as hell wouldn't want to live with it.

John W - are you gonna look for new or 2nd hand?

P.S.

The above post does not apply to my first wife............she was a **** ride!!!:lol::lol:

Ah, now that's a tricky one to answer :)
I started out looking at a s/h 2002 bike,
Which is fine by the wife.

Having seen the prices of some new pre-reg'd 02 & 03 bikes they are looking most likely now though (seen a couple listed at 6k5).
However, I've been tempted by the look of the new 04 bike. :roll:
The stumbling block here is the extra dosh, as this is more than the wife wants me to spend on the bike. We have decided though to test one of each and then decide if the 04 bike is worth the extra dosh to us. Also depends on what deals I can get on an 04 bike.

I should also add I might put it through the company to get the vat back. Doing this on a s/h bike is harder to do.

Henners, fair point you are making.
I have the 996 for solo fun. The vfr is currently used pretty much exclusively for two-up touring, and the occasional WVAM observing. That's what the ST4S will be used for too.

Been ringing around trying to get a test ride on both, and it seems most places don't get their 04 demo bikes until 1st March...

Oh, did you guys know the 04 bike uses different panniers ?
Apparently they fit like the Yam ones do - clip into the bodywork. Is this correct ?
One of the places told me they can't get the accessories yet, which would be a real bugger for us.

Cheers,
John.

Accessories
 

Johnw

Unfortunately u will be just about to trade it in against the '07 model when the accesssories finally become available knowing our beloved manufacturer.

Me, cynical, naw.:devil: