Ducati Monster Forum

So I am getting ready to finally pull the trigger on a track mule. I am looking for something to take once a month next year and do track days on. I have kind of narrowed it down to getting one of two bikes. I am not looking at really being the fastest on the track this year for sure and just want a dependable low power bike to get better as a rider on, without having the pressure of binning my S4R when I am out on a track.

At the moment there is a well sorted out SS750 that has been set up for the track and the shop I take my bike to, has been the one doing all of the work on it so I know I feel safe with the bike not being well sorted out. I know it doesnt have adjustable forks, but I really don't think besides having them set up initially I will be fooling with them too much.

My other choice is a yet to be found SV650. There are for sure a ton of track SV's out there and I know they are a great bike, but just curious if the money was equal, which bike would you get.

I'd get the SV. Water-cooled, two-valves-per-cylinder, and many of the club-leagues have classes where they're legal...so there are a lot of track-prepped SVs out there. And you can always swap out for a GSXR front end if you need better suspension.

I love my Supersport at the track...but I don't think I'd want to maintain it with monthly track duty under its belt.

Oh, and I completely understand not wanting to bin an S4R at the track. I did a track day in '07 where my primary bike broke down. I have DESMO Q with me, prepped and teched but I just didn't have the heart to take it out there...

SV is going to have more steam.

As long as the motor is mildly worked-on, they're quite reliable from what I hear.
Also I hear that the early models are less likely to have crank problems, but not sure whether that's for a hotted-up motor or near-stock.

SV is for sure not as sexy, but parts are cheap so it's a lot less stressful to bin it.

I really liked my SS for the track.

If the SS you're looking at has an adjustable length rear shock and the forks worked...I'd go with that.

I am on the fence because I feel with a well sorted out suspension on a lower horsepower bike, you are going to get more learning and skill out of it. The end result of what you are looking to gain it seems is to be a better rider on the street while mounted on your S4R, or am I wrong?. So the quandry is this, push your skill set to the limit of track rat duty and end up riding hotter and faster on the street, or riding a steed to solidify your skillset for your current street bike. If the latter, then get an SV and set it up so that the ergo's and all are as close to your Duc as possible. You feel out your limits and push things and if you bin it, parts are readily available all over the place for not as much. There is less parity between your S4R and the SV in terms of power in comparo to the SS and the direct translation of what you pick up when applied will show that.

I chose a track bike that was as close to my street bike as I could find for exactly that purpose, and while I push my limits on the track with it, what I pick up and learn translates well in all of my riding. I have done a couple different schools and learned where and how I can push my limits and comfort zone and how to recover from situations where I might have previously panicked and/or done the wrong thing.

just my initial .02 FWIW.

You said price being equal, right? If so, I would get the SS. I've won a couple of championships racing my 2-valve Duc, and never had an issue. You can really beat on the 2-valve motors and they just keep delivering the fun. I've seen a lot of 2-valve Ducs racing with no issues at all. If you do the valves, and belts once a season, the reliability is better than the new gen. SVs for sure. If it's an old gen. SV, that has NOT been built, then the reliability would be comparable to a 2-valve Duc.
I am going by your statements, in which you say that you are doing trackdays. If you plan to race, don't race the 750. You will not have a chance in any of the classes that it's legal in. If you race, think about the SV so that you can be competitive.
Either bike will be fine for learning the track. The SV will have more power and cheaper, more plentiful spares. But the SS750 is a heck of a great platform to start with. (great chassis with great components) But it all comes down to comparing two actual machines, so without knowing how the SS is set up, and what SV you are comparing it to...all of this matters very little. [beer]

SV.

SS.    if you aren't racing for a check the bike is not a tool but a luxury and a hobby.  Buy with your heart for what makes you sweat when thinking about it.

and that is being said by a man who has put his nicely modded S4RS on the track more than once...

Buy the SS, they sound waaayyy cooler than an SV.....  ;D

Of course they do.... 8)

So, I the bike had been set up at the place where I get all my work done anyway. Anyway his point is that the 750 is so overbuilt for what it is, its hard to break them.

Again, I'm not looking for anything fast, I actually for the first year or two would rather try to get everything I can out of corner instead of messing around chasing other people. Just looking for something I don't have to mess with too much and can mainly focus on my skills as a rider.

When I get to the point that I feel like I have made the bike as fast as it can go from a riding perspective, it might be time to  get an 4v Duc, but I don't really think I need to rush.

Thanks for all the opinions!

I bought a 996 for the track. Smart? Hell no. Fun as hell? hell yeah!

If you really want the duc, get it, you'll have more fun on it. Yes, it'll be more expensive if you go down, but if you really want it, and buy the SV, you'll regret not being on the bike you really want to be on.


+1. Listen to the man, he knows what he's talking about.

Another point to consider is that you already have experience working on ducs, and it will be easier for you to do all the maintenance and work on it since you already do it on your bike.

I went the SV route.  Lots of people have them, parts are readily available and happen to run into one that already has suspension (penske triple clickers/cartridge emulators) race fairings, clipons, rearsets, sliders, and fairings. I probably need to lose 10 lbs for the suspension to work optimally but that's my incentive to get in shape for next year.

Also, resale of a 2nd gen SV (I have a 2004) is fairly easy for a track bike.  They are also fairly forgiving with setup.

i actually have a similar question... I am a trackday noob.

I've seen a 2001 750ss with a couple things wrong and 19k miles on the odo. The stuff wrong is an easy fix for me and I am not worried about my ability to perform maintenance so lets leave that aside.

Reliability would be a factor.

The duc is under 2k with a chance for some more negotiation. It is the full fairing version with a clean title and could be sold as streetbike provided I didn't wad it up before I was ready to sell.

Is it practical to think that i could find an SV with a clean title for the same amount of scratch and similar resale value?

Thanks in advance

Dunno about SV prices...

the Duc is a good price depending on mods.

well?   

We went with 04 SV650 and first track day on it coming up May 17th!   My issue will be getting used to clip-ons, coming off Monster with Rizoma bars  :-\   And, prolly doing worst thing I can do-swapping between bikes same day, but mostly be on Monster since having to share SV with hubby in same class for time being  [roll] 

EVERYONE told and still tells us SV for track, gonna find out soon!

be sure to get the suspension set up for you -- by someone who knows what they're doing.

good luck & have fun  :)

well, we swapped stock SV fork springs for RaceTechs AND put heavier weight fork oil in-guess will see improvements very soon-Track day 17th of May!   ;D

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/heathergln/TRACK%20DAYZ/SVnoforks.jpg)

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/heathergln/31dd8244.jpg)

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/heathergln/15708342.jpg)

now to get Monster ready too after this Sunday's ride. Will be crazy riding BOTH, but I will mostly be on 696, get few laps in on SV, this time. 

 [thumbsup]


and what the heck's going on with that windscreen?  jedi training helmet? 

it's anti-radar coating, haven;t you got one yet?!!!!!!!!!    ;D


OK GUYS, to tape or remove headlight on 696 for track this Sunday, hurry n answer pleez??!    [bow_down]

Remove. A 2 minute job that can save you 600 bucks? no brainer

+1

Remove everything they want taped up.

You'll save a bunch of money if you go down. 

Also, +1 vote for the SS!

I really like my extra naked SV. 
(http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/Monkeyrobb/Motorcycle/1-2.jpg)

I really like that also  ;D

like friend of ours
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/heathergln/TRACK%20DAYZ/FSB%20STD%20may%2009/may1709135.jpg)

When I decided I had too much money into a lot of stuff on my M900 that would be hard to replace I went looking for a track bike. I was not worried about my own skills or self control but the others who I watched that lacked the skill and mental maturity, thre is one or two at every track day. I thought about the SV, but thought it had a few chinks in it's armor, it was designed as a street bike that became a track bike soley because of the price of admission, and well it just seemed to lack soul. So I found a good deal on another Ducati, 2v. The Ducati is a performance bike, engine, chassis are designed for performance and is as comfortable at the track as it is on the street, and of course it has soul. Me it would just have to be a Ducati but do what moves you, life is short, enjoy it. Just my $.02 - Gene

someone pleeez post up pix AND VIDS if you have tracked your Monsters?!!   I am dying to see one ridden right n WELL on the track-something I can aspire to  [bow_down]

forgive me if there are threads of this already, but please point me to them if you can?  TKS!

here is a couple of my old pics of my Monster track pregnant dog...

Fall of '06

(http://www.mad-ducati.com/Gallery/bsandusky/G381/JON_4038.JPG)

Spring of '07

(http://www.mad-ducati.com/Gallery/bsandusky/G445/4-10VIR9.JPG)

and I have some more on another computer...the bike has since changed looks again though...

nice ride.  did the fairing make much difference?

it did indeed...but the way the bike was set up at that point, the fairing stays rigged into place were a bit hokey and shakey...I had a bracket made to clamp onto the steering head downtube and run a normal fairing stay with a SBK upper only and I think that is actually even better...

[thumbsup]

pretty cool :D

[bow_down] MY HERO!!  Are those rearsets stock?  Look further back. MORE PLEASE? Got vid?  I wanna be YOU when I grow up! 

in the 1st pic, the rearsets are stock...in the 2nd pic are CycleCat's and that is what is currently on the bike, although the passenger peg hangers/fixed position crash sliders portion is now gone as I went to a high mount exhaust that wouldn't work with the CC back half of the rearsets as a whole....so I have the front only and I have them adjusted upwards and back a smidge from stock position for clearance.

as far as Vid...unfortunately I have none...as of this point...

My girlfriend and I started doing track days on our Monsters a few years ago. It was fine to start, but we quickly wanted other bikes for track days.

We ended up getting SV650's for the track (here's a link to one of em (http://www.no1special.com/SV650/working-on/mySV.html)) and ran those the last year or 2 and now are moving on/up to i4's. 

This is my girl's (Industrialgrrrl) blog about it so far:

http://industrialgrrrl.blogspot.com/ (http://industrialgrrrl.blogspot.com/)

I know we've got more pictures/videos of the different bikes at the track, but that blog's got a bunch.

The main reason we stopped tracking the Monsters was cause we invested waaaaay too much time/effort into trashing them... plus they were not the greatest to hustle around a track sometimes... <-- don't get me wrong they're still a ton of fun, but you get spoiled by the current crop or true sportbikes abilities.

I run Jap. bikes at the track because replacement parts are usualy cheaper.  The SV makes a good track bike but you will max out the stock suspension quickly.  I rode a friends with heavier fork oil, a 636 shock & pilot races & was horified by the front tire skiping at turn 4 of RRR.  I currently ride a RC51 at the track but am thinking of switching to a SV650, I am tired of killing a set of tires every track day.