Ducati Monster Forum

Hi all,

I currently have a BMW F800S that I've been enjoying for a couple of years now. 90% of my riding is commuting (twisty road though, so get to have fun coming and going every day). Came across an '08 S2R1K and thought the bump in performance would be nice without losing any of the capability/practicality I currently enjoy with the F800 - plus I've always wanted to own a Duc but shied away from them because of the high-maintenance reputation.

So after burning out the search function on the other monster board and learning everything I could about the reported surging issue I was all set to go trade in the F800 for the S2R. Then I came across this board and began searching in earnest - first thing I came across was the fuel tank swelling issue. Yikes! Now I'm on the fence but thinking increasingly about just sticking with what works.

Any inputs from the herd here? Are my fears unfounded? The F800 model had its issues as well but only the problems were generally reported on the forums - 90% of the folks were too busy riding to routinely post about how wonderful their bikes are.

The S2R has 8 months of warranty remaining, so I'm thinking that even if I encounter any issues I'll have some upfront protection. If this thing leaves me on the side of the road though or the tank porks up like a menopausal chick I won't care how beautiful a bike it is or how amazing the 2V engine is - I'll be kicking myself for getting rid of the BMW.

Sorry for the long first post, thanks for any inputs...

Cheers, Vick

The tank thing is not universal. I have a 2007 M695 with a plastic tank, and mine hasn't had any problems. If you're looking for an issue-free bike, might as well go with a Jap bike.

I'll sell you my `06. It has already had the tank replaced.

And I've already spent the money fixing what also came wrong from the factory.

What else could go wrong with it?

I have an 08 S2R1k...runs great.  I have not had any issues with it.  good luck!

Your quote "90% of the folks were too busy riding to routinely post about how wonderful their bikes are." also goes for Monster owners.

It is a wonderful bike, some say the best bike Ducati has ever made, others say the best engine Ducati has ever made.  Yea, some claim to experience tank swelling, some don't.  No one I personally know has had a problem with swelling (knock on wood).

It is a great bike definitely worth a look/test ride.  Follow your heart and you will end up with the right bike for you.

I have an 07 S2R1K. No problems here. A very different beast than your F800 but so much fun.

Tanks are under a 5year warranty per federal regulations.  If something goes wrong like swelling they should replace it.  If i am wrong please correct me but this was my understanding.

  Buy the bike and ride the piss out of it.  For every person who has a problem that you hear about there are 99 others who don't and never say a word.

Well, the swelling tank won't strand you - so don't worry about that.

If your crunch the numbers, the F800 and S2R1000 are remarkably similar on paper. Similar power and weight. Both are twins, and have near identical brakes.. so it comes down to a lot of the qualifable differences, not the quantifiable.

Any way you can get a test ride? Though the data sheets are similar, I'd be the character of the bikes is rather different... hard to know w/o hopping on

Vick,
    I have an 08 S2R1K and love it--no problems and the modding is half the fun.  Moreover, when you ride into a parking lot filled with Harleys and Japanese crotch rockets, you will be amazed at how many people will come over and drool over your bike--it gets kind of embarrassing.  Buy that thing, ride it like you stole it, and never look back.

I've got an '06, and it's been great. Dead reliable, never had an issue with the gas tank (or the surging thing either, for that matter). I think the internet blows a lot of these things out of porportion.

It's a fun bike that I think you appreciate more as you get used to it. They don't seem all that quick at first, but you can really make surprisingly good progress on one when you want to. I use mine regularly for trackdays, and find it a very relaxing bike to ride quickly. The seating position is pretty good on the street, too. I'd rate the handling and brakes as the strong points of the bike, but you will find lots of other people on here saying they're crap. See my above comment about the internet. Maybe it all depends what you are comparing it to, too.  [drink]   

I've got an '07 S2R1K, no swelling, no surging, awesome bike. Buy it!  [moto]

I've got a 695, the tank is beginning to swell.  It's been a slow progression.  5 year emissions warranty will cover the tank replacement. 
 
Make sure you check out the opening and closing clearance of the front tank latch and the alignment of the bottomside rubber frame bumpers when you look over the bike.  If those are all good, tank's fine and that baby is just sitting there begging to be abused.  [moto]  ;D

Check out the Plastic Tank Problems thread (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25074.0).

Not all of us with swelling tanks have gotten replacements yet.

and not all of us with plastic tanks are having problem with swelling tanks.  Just moved up from a 620 to a S2R1K.  No swelling tank and love all the upgrades in parts and performance.  You will really enjoy the S2R and the possibilities for mods!

+1 i went 3300miles on a 695 with no swelled tank and currently have almost 15k on my 1098 without any swelling in the tank.  It depends on your dealer too when it comes to the issue but i digress this is for another thread.  Just get the bike you will not be dissapointed!!

Thanks for the feedback all. It's about as I suspected - there are some issues but there are plenty of happy owners that will pipe up when queried. I'm not afraid of "personality" in machines provided it's offset by some other attribute. I had an Alfa Spider a while ago, that had so much personality that I didn't shed a tear when it burned itself to the ground.

I should have some time tomorrow to go take a ride on the S2R. I already know I'm going to love it but I'll report back afterward. As one poster noted, on paper it and the F800 are very similar but I imagine that the extra torque and air-cooled engine will make for a very different ride.

As for the swelling tank issue, I have no doubt that it's ethanol related. I fly general aviation aircraft, many of which are certified to run on pump gas (generally down to 87 octane, compression dependent). Those that are certified to use it though are prohibited from using mogas with ethanol for a few reasons...one is lower energy content by volume, another is that ethanol absorbs water (further reducing the energy content and causing corrosion), and another is that ethanol is suspected to be incompatible with the various seals, gaskets, and other materials in the fuel system. Unfortunately ethanol is more of a political agenda than anything and has resulted in the nonavailability of pure gas in most US markets...

S2R1ks freakin rule...buy it...mod...ride it...love it


that is all
nothing follows

I have an '06 S2R 1000 - no issues.

I'm happy thus far with my S2R 1k.
I agree with you as far as the ethanol. There is 1 gas station in my area that offers pure gas (or so they say). I go out of my way to fill my bikes up there, as do lots of local boat owners (which is pretty much everyone down here).

+1 more with no issues. I never test rode my S2R before I got it. Somedays I wish it had 30 or 40 more ponies on tap. As for all the other problems, never had any. There is a guy in Toronto Canada, that will drop a 1098 into my Monster for $6k.
Mighty tempting, and if I do the mod, I will be riding this puppy till the wheels fall off.

OK, so I went to see the bike today to look more closely to see if there was any evidence of issues with the tank and then take it for a ride. The pics below show what I found. With the left rubber resting squarely on the tubing the right rubber was clearly out of alignment by 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. Swelling or just the how it came? The front latch seemed to function normally and was not in contact with the ignition and there was no other evidence of distortion anywhere else on the tank.

So then I took it for a ride. Bottom line, as you all know, it's a really fun bike. I wouldn't say night and day difference between it and my F800, but definitely a step up in performance - power felt very similar (lots of torque down low and didn't need to be revved), just more so. The Duc did feel lighter with quicker steering, their weights are similar so I imagine its something different in the geometry.

I'm still on the fence. I really like the Monster and am tempted to pull the trigger unless you guys that are familiar with the tank issue confirm that this one is doing what theirs have done. If that's the case I don't think I want to jump right into warranty claims that will likely become a recurring theme...

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_hF4Q659w4Fk/Sy1rsS44WHI/AAAAAAAAG1Q/_rvXjeyk510/s512/monster%20tank%20rt.JPG) (http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hF4Q659w4Fk/Sy1rslZ-ASI/AAAAAAAAG1U/_lkTTKYjuFc/s512/monster%20tank%20lt.JPG)

Wow your shock resovoir is up there on the frame?


My only complaint about the s2R1k.... it would be PERFECT if they could somehow manage to squeeze 100rwhp into it.
and no, i do not want a 4v. i want the snappy 2v torque.

that NCR it looks pretty interesting now... lol other than that i love it for what it is. The monster is a sort of jack of all trades master of none bike. however its really well balanced.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't he buy that bike and then THIS (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=32815.0;topicseen) tank, send the tank to ducpainter (or take it to a local body shop) and have the bike he wants without having to worry about the tank swelling again?

+1, I was just in the process of posting the same comment.  It seems like a steel tank on the S2R bikes would fix any tank worries.  Plus it is a great excuse to start customizing right away.   

Let's see some more pictures of this S2R1000.  It has a least one desireable upgrade that we can see. 

It's pretty mild on the upgrades - Ohlins rear shock and steering stabilizer (costly, I know), carbon fiber front wheel cover, and bar end mirrors. It's a repo so no idea if the front suspension was modded. Had just over 590 miles total as I pulled back into the lot, basically brand new...

(https://lh5.ggpht.com/_hF4Q659w4Fk/Sy2qnuG9OcI/AAAAAAAAG2M/N7HYi8olIGw/95548657_2thumb_550x410.jpg)

That bike is screaming for a full Arrow or Zard exhaust, a tail chop, and for a relocation of that remote reservoir.  The reservoir looks terrible way up there on the frame. 

Vick,
   Buy it now, kill if you must [thumbsup]

The ohlins shock an steering damper are HUGE upgrades. If the price is reasonable I'd get it. If you don't care abou the suspension upgrades you can sell 'em and pay for your exhaust. Hell, I'm thinking about an ohlins shock for my s2r. But I'll bet if you ride with those components, you'll wan to keep 'em.

I have an 06 s2r1000 and after 32,000+ miles I am still thrilled with the prospect of throwing my leg over it each time i walk out into my garage.

tank swelling and warranty be damned. ducati has a good history of covering factory defects/ poor material choices on bikes that are out of warranty (valve seat issues from a few years back), I would not lose too much sleep over the tank thing.

Over the miles the only problem I have had is avoiding tickets.

the thing runs like a clock

(http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/45021/2695231860081642538S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2695231860081642538KOdWzt)

(http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/46088/2636151400081642538S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2636151400081642538nnqyOx)

(http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/11129/2311689860081642538S600x600Q85.jpg) (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2311689860081642538RAifyQ)