Ducati Monster Forum

I had my S4RS on the track for the first time about 1 1/2 weeks ago at CMP. It was sort of a last minute decision to go with a friend that was running his R6 for his first ever track day.

To provide a little background, my bike was nowhere near ready when I went. I ran stock ride height with stock suspension settings on Michelin Pilot Powers. After two months on the street, I realized the front was too light, the sag was probably off, and I needed a steering damper in a big way. Statler helped me thru PM's for set up suggestions, including not dropping the front for fear of smashing the fender. (you were right! I left it alone and still blew thru the travel, scratching the fender on the radiator) I didn't have time to order a damper, couldn't get the ride height adjusted (I won't get to that adjuster without removing some parts first), and the spanner I have won't work on an Ohlins shock. With all this in mind, I decided to take my time getting up to speed and enjoy being on the track again.

The Michelins aren't bad tires, they heat up pretty quick, turn in well, and provide good feedback. I thought they felt a bit too firm compared to race rubber, but they did as they were told and slipped in a predictable, easy to control fashion, i.e. never stepped out in a big way.

This was the first bike with handlebars I've ever had on the track and I was leery of how they would work. They actually did quite well and helped my get the bike turned and held down in the corners. They do make it a bit harder to get a full tuck on the bike though. Overall, the ergonomics of the bike worked pretty good for me. The small tank and slender profile of the bike allowed me to move around freely. The seat was fine as I tend to scoot forward against the tank entering turns. The stock rearsets were okay and provided plenty of clearance at my pace with a soft setup. I could easily drag a knee and only touched a toe once on each side, late in the second day as my form was getting lax.

The light front end I mentioned earlier was even more evident on the track. It felt like the front wheel was dancing on the pavement everytime I upshifted and some friends told me I was power wheelie-ing quite frequently coming out of a couple of corners. Even worse, it took a lot of effort to keep the bike down in the turns and I ran all corners wide. The tighter my turn in, the worse I'd blow the exit. I've definitely got to get the rear raised and a steering damper.

As I've been saying, the suspension definitely needs some fine tuning. However, it still soaked up bumps extremely well, felt really stable in the fast sections, and the bike never really got out of hand as far as tank slappers or excessively spinning the rear.

Two definite positives: the power and the brakes! Compared the the sv650 I used to race, the monster really shortens all the straights. Plus, the brakes are "flick you over the freakin handlebars phenomenal". Several times I thought I would surely lock up the front under heavy, late braking, but the bike held up fine. The power this bike makes feels pretty linear and strong, although the upshifting felt a bit harsh (maybe due to the shifter - me). Leaned over while in the lower gears, it feels a little choppy getting on the gas from off throttle.

Overall, the bike exceeded my expectations. I'll probably never enter it in a HWT race, but it's a dandy of a track bike. With some proper chassis and suspension settings, a steering damper, and better rubber(?), this bike should be capable of some good lap times and serious fun in the corners. Later, I may try some aftermarket rearsets for a more rigid feel and additional protection. I'm also wondering if this bike isn't aerodynamically challenged being naked and all. My next track venture takes me to Roebling Road and its long front stretch which should tell me what the top speed is really like.

Well, I can attest to it's top speed manners. And the wind protection is awesome compared to the naked Z1000 I was riding before. That is, if you still have the fairing/windscreen on it. I have run an indicated 160 without a sweat. But I do have a damper and my suspension is dialed-in tits. Once you get your bike set up and dialed in how you like it, it'll be a blast.

I thought that it might top out around 160 +/-. On a lot of roadrace courses, it's hard to reach that speed between corners. Also, I've been trying to behave on the street these days. The front straight at Roebling Road is just over 1/2 mile long, without counting the exit and entrance at the corners on the ends. I should be able to find out for sure there.

i know the monster geometry out of the box is all wrong for the track and raising it's butt may certainly help here but that's also textbook street/wrong shock settings.  sounds like you know this, but be sure to get it set up for you at the same time.

Yep, put the rear up 1" and it turns in better and finishes the turn.

If you don't have a Termi kit, do yourself a favor. [thumbsup]

The Pilot Power race mid compound's are great too.

LA

LA, I've got the full Termi kit with the airbox and ECU. Makes a world of difference. Have you run the Michelin race tires on the track & street? Do you bother with tire warmers? I liked them when I was racing, but I always used my warmers and rarely ran them on the street (tried using my take-offs a time or two). At my last trackday, I was surprised at the number of guys running race rubber with no tire warmers and getting decent life out of them. Maybe they weren't running very fast or pushing the pace, I don't know.

gm2, I'm definitely getting my suspension setup corrected as I get the ride height adjusted. I went to the track fully aware of the stock/street settings and adjusted my riding accordingly. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too bad stock as I slowly upped my pace over the two days.