Considering ST3 - Whats life like with a Ducati ?
 

Hiya all,

I currently have a Fazer 1000, which I have had for just under 3 years and 19K from new.

Had a short test ride on an ST3 from Lincoln Ducati recently, and really liked it, although the clutch was quite heavy and the engine seemed quite tight (500 miles).

As far as I can tell, and the reasons for wanting to change are :-

- Noise :devil: (My Fazer sounds like a sewing machine)
- Image (Im shallow, what can I say)
- Different characterstics of engine compared to 4 cyl.
- Quality of suspension (better than Fazer ?)
- The new black colour :)
- Pillion Comfort
- More mechanical feel ?

Disadvantages I can see are (feel free to comment!) :-

- Servicing costs :(
- Servicing costs
- Servicing costs
- Dealer network (fewer dealers)
- More 'agricultural' feel
- Less reliability ?
- Quality of finish less than Yamaha ?

I guess this is really a heart rather than head decision, but would at least like to be aware of any disadvantages first.

Also, do any of you guys in Midlands meet up regularly ? Would love to come and natter to a few owners. (whats that non main dealer servicing place near junction 28 of M1....).

Any advice/guidance appreciated.

Cheers.

RBW.

P.S. Anyone fancy a Silver Fazer 1000 ;)

I forgot to mention, the ST3 I tried had the dry clutch, not the new wet clutch for 2005

I moved from a Yamaha R1 to a 749 so some similarity.

I will just address a couple of the disadvantages.

Servicing costs, for me this is a lot higher, but should not be such a big jump on the ST3. The more miles you do the less the difference.

Dealer network (fewer dealers)
True, but if you are in the midlands you have at least 2 excellent places that should be in reach.

More 'agricultural' feel, not sure what that means, but for me on a 749 it is better suspension, better handling better engine (although less power obviously)

I think the finish on mine is better. I got loads of stone chips on the R1, much less on the 749, but I know others have had problems. I keep my bikes clean so no corrosion on either.

Rob

Interesting change from R1 to 749, I guess thats a similar parallel to a Fazer -> ST3.

RE: Agricultural feel, you mention better suspension (agreed), better handling (agreed), better engine ( well, I guess that depends on your definition of better ;) ). You mentioned the R1 obviously makes more power, and Im not really searching for outright power, more usable power and torque.

What I was trying to get at, was that a Jap in line 4 is very smooth (characterless perhaps), and a v-twin against it feels very different. Also, a jap in line 4 is worryingly reliable and stable (e.g. you dont notice much difference in performance between 10 miles and 10,000 miles on the clock).

I guess I just have an itch to scratch for a v-twin, and a Ducati.

Interesting comments on the finish, I too keep my bike pretty pristine, and dont tend to ride in the worst weather, its good to hear your experiences and opinion.

Cheers.

RBW.

I can assue you that the ST is a very capable bike whether on Track or Road. It torque engine is well happy pudeling along with the mother in law on the back or "giving it some "out with the lads. On the servicing side ,it may be more expensive, cause you will no doublt do more miles on it because of the grin factor. Oil and filter's are no more to buy for a Duke than a Ho Ho Hon ( no I can't say it ) . 6000 miles is what the book say's , earlier than that in reality. Belts on a ST will be about £120 every 10,000 miles or two years. On the reliability stakes, thats a slur that Ducati have had to live with from the early days of dodgy electrics. Anything mechanical, much like our own bodies is liable to break down ,some people live to 90 with out break down, some less,depends on how you look after yourself, much like a bike really . We have in the club some very talented people who service our bikes and serve us well, I would say that in its self is worth the "Risk" of Ducati ownership. The ST3 has not been out long, but if it goes as good as the ST2 and Im sure it will, then buy one and join the DSC ASAP . Regards 4D

If it helps I have an ST4S which has 21,000 on it in just over 3 years, no major problems-it had an ECU fault which Ducati fixed under warrenty. Lots of my miles have been 2 up with panniers, and quite a few have been on the track.
I think the main difference between a Ducati and a UJM is that the Ducati feels like a motorbike whereas the UJM feels like a car-bland-to me anyway.
I also have a Yam TZ250 which feels NOTHING like a car...:lol:

John

Don't do it because once you've made the switch there is no going back. Once a duke gets under your skin there is nothing else to really compare with it - everything else will feel soulless. So save your money and stick with the rice burners:lol:

Also you have to put up with the reprobates in this club!!!:lol:

What Monty said!
Except my 4S is rarely ( never? ) used with a pillion.
Whereabouts are you RBW?
If you want a chat, call in at Cornerspeed on a Saturday, there's usually a few of the Notts mob knocking about drinking Nelly's tea & coffee.
Click here for location & contact details ......... Cornerspeed
Cheers
Andy

I guess the better engine is a close call as the R1 engine is excellent with almost any amount of power available at any RPM while still very controlable. This can seem a little bland on the road as don't need to make any effort as at most speed several different gears are fine.

I prefer the delivery of the 749 it just seems a touch more controlable, but that may just be because of the lower overall power. It does seem smother when coming back onto the power from a closed throttle.

Of course the ST3 is a different engine, so I guess you should to get a test ride booked and see what you think.

I\'ve just bought a ST3 ..
 

.. although I have owned 998/916s up to now. Its not got the grunt of the Faser - about 20bhp less - but it is a far more composed ride and the pick up is better from low revs. Wind protection is much better on the ST and the finish on all my Ducatis has been superior to every Jap bike I've owned including a VFR750.

Servicing is at the same intervals and will be twice as much - say £300 more over 12,000 miles. Unsure what you mean by agricultural, do you mean the engine/clutch noise? If so the wet clutch on the '05 models will quiten things down. I used to get numb hands on my Jap 4 cylinder bikes through vibration but never have a problem on the L twin, very smooth.

As you say it's a heart thing. You become part of a big family with Ducati as the 57 folk who flew to Italy on Friday will testify, even the CEO talks to you :D Give it a go for a year and if you don't like it trade in just before the first service and it'll cost you less than the Faser - can't ask farer than that :saint:


http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-...3/Img_0327.jpg

Gits...

Couldn't you just say "It's crap, don't buy one.."

:lol:

P.S. Im in Notts (West Bridgford), so Cornerspeed is just up the road, will have a ride up one Sat.

OK ...
 

Yamaha Faser 1000 - "It's crap, don't buy one.."

Fair enough?? :lol:;):P

West bridgford...Not another toff!?
5h1t...you're not a T,T,T...Teacher are you?:o:P

Hehe kwikbitch, sorry to disappoint... and less of the 'Toff' please ;) .

RBW.

ive had yamahahahahas, hon hon hon you know what i'm trying to say,suzis and now on my second duke, the mrs has a duke to :cool:

never had any problem with them. :cool:

the saying goes;

once bitten for ever smitten :cool:

RBW
the non dealer place, as you mention it is Nelly, Neil at Cornerspeed, absolutely top guy, and a few of us meet most saturday mornings at his place or at the Unicorn at Gunthorpe Bridge Tuesday evenings, is it first or second tuesday of the month, can never remember, maybe thats why its deserted when I turn up:o:o
hope to meet you
rgds
mort

We just hide round the corner till you've gone, Mort old bean :lol:

no comment Andy:devil::devil:

I bought an ST4S in December and even though weather has kept me off the road more than I want, I have still enjoyed it for the 850 or so km I have ridden it. Good low end torque, wonderful supsension (better than ST3) and a pleasure to ride in various modes. Just rode my first pillion the other night and she was impressed...wants more. She liked the sound, like the feel of stability, like the acceleration (only shifting at 6000 rpm for first 1000 km), liked the seat. I live in UJM land, but I have had at least 15 people comment on the looks. Rode an ST3 before buying my 4 and I liked the engine feel, perhaps more tractor light. Technically, the 3 valver sounds pretty interesting as a sports tourer. Probably a good buy and good fun in so many ways, including joining groups like the DSC.

The only thing that worries me about the ST3, is the lack of adjustable suspension on the forks. (Mad dog bianchi mentions it above). I dont really want or need the ST4s, and am sold on the 3 valve motor - so will I regret it ?

The St3 seems to have a similar amount of torque to the ST4, but obviously less power...

I presume the forks could always be swopped for ST4S items, but has anyone done that ?

Do any ST2 owners find the suspension a limiting factor ? (I'd ask about St3 owners but guess there arent many out there).

Cheers

RBW <-- Skoda driver, so can't be a toff.

Well, suspension is a step down. No Showa in the front or Ohlins in the back. I put an Ohlins on the back of my SS and that was worthwhile, but only after I had put some miles on the original. WOuld be nice to have so you can adjust for rider load. Not having it in the front is a negative point, but not something you can't live with for awhile. A swap in the future is possible, if you really feel the need....best thing about it is the ability to adjust for a variety of riding styles and venues....track days, touring, sport riding, wheelies (LOL) etc., but not having it is not lethal and shouldn't spoil the fun of having a Ducati.

MDB is right, suck it and see. Jools has done the Calofornia Superbike school on his ST2 and most folk would have a job keeping up with him on road or track. If you're not happy with the fork after doing some miles get Maxton to 'personalise it' to your exact requirements for £200.

Ooooh! Only just read this thread. That's a very nice thing to say about my riding Henners, but it's not just me...my riding buddy Glyn is just as quick as me (if not quicker) so it's either something about the BHC region that breeds quickish blokes on ST2's (could be that we get to learn from some really good riders), or the ST2 is really a very under rated bike indeed.

I think it's a bit of both, but more down to it being a very good bike than it is down to the rider. ST's really do handle very well indeed, although my 2001 bike has fully adjustable forks - I think ST2's switched to 'pre-load only' sometime around 2002 and that carried over to the ST3. If you're really concerned about adjustable suspension then fork legs come up on eBay all the time, but to be honest the adjustability of forks and suspension only serves to confuse most people anyway, so I would be inclined to stick with what I had if I had an ST3 and get it set up by an expert company for my weight and riding style. The Desmodue series racing bikes also have non-adjustable forks and as Neil Spalding at Sigma says, you'd be surprised at what you can do with different spring rates, thinner or thicker oil, more or less oil etc.

The ST2 might only put out 85-ish bhp, but it's very, very useable power. You can use most of it all the time instead of being worried that it'll suddenly come into it's powerband and spin up into highside city. It's also just about as much power as most people can sensibly use on the road, unless you're a straight line point and squirt merchant, although it could probably do with another 15-20 bhp and breath a bit better at the top end - just like an ST3 in fact.

RBW,

I have an ST3 for the last 8 months. Just going in for its 6k service in a couple of weeks. It takes about 1k to fully loosen up. Reliability has been 100% so far. Had it over in Scotland and Wales this summer and intend to do France his year. The standard suspension settings have proved bang on for solo riding. Had plenty of Jap machines before a dedicated Ducati dealer opened in Dublin. None are a patch on the Duke. Tried out an S4. More powerful at the top end but not as easy to drive in town. Suspension was better at the back end on the 4. I commute every day by bike so I went for the ST3. No regrets and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Mick

What is life like with a Ducati you ask. I have just finished my first year with a Ducati and here are my findings
1) It is great fun
2) It can be frustrating
3) it is not cheap but is worth every penny
4) It can improve your biking social life. well at least one of the 2 clubs can. I will leave you to decide whiich one I mean
5) You have to get used to telling people the clutch is meant to sound like that
6) You have to explain to your non biking workmates that they don't all cost at £17000

Its a Fact Ducati's make us look younger, thats why we buy them.

lol im only 24 dont need to try and look young unlike the average age of this place (*cough* 60) :lol:

:devil:

/ian

Thanks for all the feedback, I've been away for a couple of days, and very interested in the recent replies about suspension and the ST3.

Hopefully I might bump into one or two of you up at Cornerspeed one weekend, although I might wait until the weather improves a bit ;)

Cheers all.

RBW