Ducati Monster Forum

Ok so everyone will probably think im crazy and stupid but here it goes. Ive been on dirt bikes my hole life, and my uncle gave me a old ninja 250 to practice on when i was 16. I have been riding the ninja for 2 years now, so yes im only 18. But ever since i was 12 and my uncle had a ducati ive been obsessed and in love. They are just works of art. So once i got my first job when i was a freshman in highschool i began saving. Also i may add i was lucky enough for my father to of bought me a car so i did not need to worry about saving up for a DD which i am very grateful for because otherwise this dream would not of come true. So 4 years have passed since i began saving, i got 2 years of practice on the 250 (even though one of the years were technically illegal cause i was 16 but i only road it in my uncles rural town) and i finally found a bike i fell in love with and had enough cash to buy.
I went into my local dealership to just look around for the fun of it. Well after browsing all the new stuff  [popcorn] i walked over into the used section. My dealership sells triumph, ducati and mv agusta, but also has a used section. So i walk over and see a 2006 s4r with the limited color combo red with black stripe which i had never seen untill this point. I look at the odometer and see 600 miles!!! So i stopped looking at it figuring it was too much cash. A sales rep walked over right away and began saying how great of a steal it was, he told me it was 8000. Which was a little out of my range. So i brought my dad back the next day being the negotiator he always was and he talked him down to 7100. I had 7000 dollars on the dime to spend. My dad spent the rest. This was the happiest day of my life. I have something only some people can dream about at the age of 18 and being that i spent my hard earned cash on it minus the 100 dollars and tax my dad payed, it feels mine! So i just figured i would let you guys know about my new bike. I picked it up last week and its been frigid where i live so i only got in one ride when it was 40 degrees out and boy is this lady fast. It felt like it could rip my arms off if i wanted it to. The sound, the finish, the feel of this bike are all second to none.

This is officially my first love!!!

Congrats on your new bike and welcome to the forum!

Glad you have a few years under your belt, but that said, the S4R can be more than a handful. I hope that you have a more level head than I had at your age! Be safe and enjoy the hell out of it. Even with your experience, if you have not taken the MSF class, there is probably a few things to be learned there. With your experience the intermediate MSF would probably be  a great choice as well as getting some track time so you can learn how the new hotness feels at speed without the worries of street riding.

Oh, and pics (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=109.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=109.0)) or it never happened.

Yea that is the only reason my dad allowed me to use my money on it because he knows ive always had a level head, trust me its scary and i havent even had it over 5000 rpm, and i dont plan on doing anything more untill i get some much more needed seat time. And im way ahead of you, i scheduled my msf course last week for march 24-26 lol.

Oh and about the pics i took some as soon as i got it but i took them with my camera which is a piece of junk so im kind of embarassed at how lousy the pics look. And even worse i had to take the lousy pics inside the garage because it was snowing out. But ill see if i can figure it out about posting them.

Kewl!

Do not drink and ride that bike.  Drinking will give you the courage to be dangerous on that bike.  110 mph will scare you when sober.  110 when drinking will seem natural. 

Congrats!  I bought my first Monster 10 years ago (almost...).  Been hooked since!

Please, please, please.....be careful.  The S4R is a lot of motor-bike for even an experienced rider.

All the best!  [thumbsup]

Well the pictures like i said they would be are lousy because they had to be taken inside the garage since it was snowing out. But heres a link for you guys with just a few pics ill get the rest uploaded soon! Hopefully it works

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47220158@N02/?saved=1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47220158@N02/?saved=1)

Looks like quite a bit of cf was already put on.  Nice!!

Congrats on a fantastic bike!  I know people have said it already but I will say again - please be careful out there.  When adrenaline kicks in (and you have plenty of it), you would be surprised at how much risk you are capable/willing to taking.

Congratulations bud.  It sounds like you have an understanding of how potentially dangerous an enterprise motorcycling can be.  You're ahead of the game somewhat maybe. I got my first at 20 years old.

Your dad is crazy too, maybe.

My 16 year old daughter is lusting after an 1100 monster .....bad. She's been riding dirt bikes since 9 years old, but I can't bring myself to help her get on a street bike.

Enjoy your new ride.  Discretion is the better part of valor.  [thumbsup]

NEVER let anyone ride/pilot your motorcycle.  You probably already knew that.

LA

I appreciate all of your concerns for my well being, and i will absolutely be careful, she has a ton of torque down low which is great so even at low rpms its more exhillerating then any I4. This bike just has so much soul to it.
Anybody whos from Warren county New Jersey or the Pocono PA area let me know, im looking for people to ride with and show me around the area since im new to warren county  [moto]

Congrats, the bike looks great. Like everyone else said take it easy and ride your own pace. Take the MSF course, don't ride with a bunch of hoons and make sure you're properly geared up every time you ride.

Congratulations ....... & enjoy it & respect it at the same time

Wowwww..... I remember my 1st S4R ride 5 years ago ...... bike just wanna jump & scare the s**t out of me .....

i know right, the first twist of the throttle the first time i road it i understood why ducati called it the monster. It just felt like it wants to stand right up!!

Congrats!!! great bike you got there  [thumbsup] listen...that bike can climb trees,get use to the power coz it can hurt you.Ride safe and enjoy [thumbsup]

Sweet ride! [thumbsup]  Congrats on getting your dream bike. [moto]

SUHWEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!
congrats  [thumbsup]

That bike is gorgeous.  The king of all the monsters.  Have fun, be careful. [thumbsup]

I have to say how nice it is to hear you talk about earning it yourself - kind of a lost concept in the new socialist environment.

Congratulations, sounds like you deserve this bike.

Thanks white stripe

Congrats on the bike buddy.
Were in the same boat, i worked my butt off for my monster that i pick up at 18 in 2007. You ll learn a lot in the msf course, I still think about the stuff I learned.  Id recommend saving up for some good gear and if your trying to ride in the winter heated gloves make it possible.

Im in Jersey too but down by LBI and Atlantic city. So if your ever lookin to head south a bit give a heads up.

I won't bore you with the 'be careful' stuff since so many others already have (but please, be careful).

Congratulations and give yourself a pat on the back for me.  I'll bet you will appreciate and take care of the bike more since you worked for and earned it.  Also, count yourself lucky that your dad "let" you get it.

When I was 18, after working summers and after school jobs since I was 12, I found a car I really wanted.  A '72 Dodge Challenger with a 340 Magnum.  Now keep in mind I turned 18 in 1974.

My dad crushed my hopes by saying "You worked hard for your money and I'm not letting you throw it away on that car.  You WILL save your money for college."  Which I did.

Finally, line others have also said, DO NOT let your buds talk you into letting them take it for a spin.

good deal man , have fun and like the rest be careful [thumbsup]

Thanks for the kind words dennis. I wouldnt even let my friends ride my bicycle back when i was younger so i will definately be fine in that department  [thumbsup]

OH and BTW, Dodge challengers are my favorite muscle car of the early 70's!!!    ;)

That's the very first thing that came to my mind. This kid actually saved his cash, worked for it and earned it. You really deserve to have that bike. It is quite the impressive ride, but the fact that you stuck with your dream and earned it yourself is even more so. With that attitude you should be able to accomplish anything you put your mind to in life. You're off to a great start. Now go out and have some fun ....... 

I know RIGHT!!! But the weather sucks right now and its torture lol  [bang]

congratulations! enjoy the bike but be careful out there!

SWEEET!!!! Kid, i got my first Ducati, the baby 695, just now at age 37. It feels like i was your age not too long ago. Count yourself blessed! ;)

Also, knock out the MSF course quickly, but just as quickly, i would highly recommend one of the Superbike schools. MSF is to Superbike school, like kindergarden is to high school! ;)

Jay
07 M695

ive heard to take one of those courses, what do they teach you during that class opposed to what they teach you in the msf

Hey baller30,

Welcome!  You didn't happen to buy your new pride and joy from Jack Trebour in Ledgewood did you?

I am pretty damn sure I was hanging out there when the previous owner brought that bike in to sell it to them.  And I don't think he was the original owner b/c when I asked him about a few of the mods, he gave some vague, incorrect answers.  That was in the summer of last year IIRC.  I'm glad it has a new home.  Good Luck!  [thumbsup]

yup trebour was the dealership. Everything seemed to check out good when we did the paperwork and transaction. And the bike runs great so far. But hopefully even if he wasnt the original owner there is nothing wrong. The sales rep gave me a story the the owner selling the bike was just trying to get out of what he owed the dealership because he financed it (i think). The reason they said he had to end his ownership so quickly was supposedly he got a job for the secret service for the president lol and was away from home 300 days a year. Yea i know its a wacky sounding story but that is what henry told us.

The bike was just so clean and i loved the red and black i couldnt pass it up.

Hey, I'm not knocking anything about that bike, I've seen it first hand. ;D 
The service manager, Joe, is first class and will always take care of you.

After you've taken your MSF class and gotten some seat time on 'er, pm me and we can meet-up for a ride. [moto]

Congrats.  I hope you either budgeted for protective gear or already have some.  If not, time to start saving again.

A ninja 250 to an S4r is a significant jump (as you've likely already noticed).  A Ninja 250 is really forgiving if you're sloppy with the brakes, the throttle or shifting.  An s4r is much, much less so.  I used to race Ninja 250s and have ridden that same model s4r a bunch.  Here's some stuff to keep an eye out for.

Brakes.  The S4r front brakes are much, much more powerful.  The 250 has a lot of initial dive because the forks suck, not because the brakes work.  You can also squeeze the hell out of the 250 brakes without much happening.  The S4r is very different.  You'll get more initial braking (though possibly less fork dive) and you'll get to what feels like max braking much earlier.  Be gentle with them for a while, and practice emergency stops.  The S4r brakes are a lot easier to lock 'em up.  The s4r front

Engine braking.  Related to brakes, you'll notice there is a lot of engine braking on the S4r.  This is totally non-existent on the Ninja 250.  When you roll off the throttle, the bike will slow noticeably and the front end will dive a bit.  If you let the front end come up and then apply the brakes, it'll dive again.  If you roll off the throttle and stab the brakes at the same time, you can overload the front.  The short version:  try to be smooth.  For now, roll of the throttle gently (don't snap it shut like you would on the 250), let the bike settle, and then brake.  On a 250, it doesn't matter.  You can snap the throttle shut and brake at the same time and the bike isn't going to get too upset. 

Throttle.  The 250 throttle is sloppy and doesn't do anything.  A 250 rewards going WFO early and often.  DO NOT DO THIS ON THE s4r.  It's not just about keeping it in low RPMs, as you've suggested you intend to do until you're comfortable with it.  It's about how fast you get it up into the RPMs.  You have to be more fluid with the throttle on the s4r.  Think about gently rolling on and and rolling off.  If you wanna go fast, wait until you're up and down and have some speed before you get on the throttle hard.  The part that is likely to bite you is the initial throttle input.  Be gentle initially, let the bike get some speed and then you can roll on harder.  That said, be careful once you've already go the throttle open a bit.  Once you're moving a bit on the 250, applying a lot of throttle doesn't do much.  It feels like the more you give it, the less happens.  If you're already doing 40, it doesn't take off like a banshee.  The s4r is NOT like that at all.  If you're doing 40 and you act like it's got a 250 throttle and open it up quickly, you're gonna feel like you're doing Mach 1 in about half a second.  That's fine if you're on an open road.  But be aware when you're in traffic or in the twisties. 

Also, the Ninja 250 allows you roll off the throttle mid-turn pretty much with impunity.  Be very careful not to do so with the S4r.  As I said before, there is a lot of engine braking with the S4r and rolling off the throttle mid-turn will slow the bike down a lot and upset your line.  You can still roll off the throttle if you need, but you have to be GENTLE.

Suspension.  You're going to feel a lot better on the S4r.  It's a lot stiffer bike.  Occasionally, you'll feel the bumps more, but they won't unsettle the bike the way they do with the 250.  The Ninja 250's frame and forks are so flexible that they often absorbs stuff that you'll feel with the s4r.  But don't worry about it.  You'll feel some bumps, but the bike will stay planted.  Find a friend (and some help online) to set your sag.  Or have a mechanic do it for $20 or $40.  Best adjustment you can make.

Turning feel.  The S4r will feel a lot heavier (that b/c of more rotational weight.  And cuz its heavier) and a lot faster.  That said, you might also feel like it 'carves' through turns better and that it falls into turns better.  Some of that is tire shape.  A lot of it is better suspension and chassis.  Starting a turn on a 250 will be easier, but once you've started to get it leaned, the S4r will fall into the turn better and track the line better.

Shifting.  The s4r is the exact opposite of the 250.  On the 250, you can be sloppy as hell with your shifts and how you use the clutch.  Shifting gears feels all buttery.  The S4r has a heavy clutch and gear shifts will go "CLUNK."  Take some time to work on your clutch release and on shifting really affirmatively.  You can easily upset the bike with too quick a clutch release.  Basically, like everything else, the S4r is going to be less forgiving and a bad input will give a noticeably bad response.

I hope some of that helps.  If there's any take-away, just to remember to use gentle inputs on the s4r (brakes, throttle, clutch).  And enjoy your new ride.   

 [moto]

Wow, Spidey i EXTREMELY appreciate everything that you said, that was very helpful in explaining many things ive been noticing about the bike, especially with the suspension. The toughest thing im working on right now is the engine braking. Especially when i down shift. Im nervous about locking up the rear wheel.

Oh and about the gear, i just bought the kevlar jeans because i want a more relaxed pant, but since i know there nothing compared to leather i also bought a pair of the knox knee and shin guards for a little extra protection in that area. I also bought a pair of A* gloves and an AGV rossi helmet. Im still working on the leather jacket though, im having a hard time finding one that fits right.

Don't forget earplugs, and the whole atgatt thing.

Trust those of us who have slid down the pavement.

It's a lot easier to lock up the rear wheel on the S4r than the Ninja 250.  Two things that will help.  First, work the clutch on downshifts.  Don't jump dump the clutch.  Let it out so that it engages a bit, but don't let it out all the way.  Let the engine slow down and then ease it out the rest of the way.  You probably did this some on the 250, but the clutch is much sloppier (and easier on the hand) and there wasn't really a need.  The 250 engine spins up quickly enough that it's a lot harder to lock up the rear.  It'll take a bit more practice--and hand strength--to get your technique down on the s4r. 

Second, once you've got that down comfortably, you can teach yourself to blip the throttle (give it a bit of gas) on downshifts.  It'll cause the engine--not the bike--to temporarily speed up as you downshift and will reduce the likelihood of the rear wheel locking up.  That said, wait 'til you're smooth with downshifts before you start trying to blip.  I don't want you trying to gas it on downshifts before you've gotten comfortable with how sensitive the throttle is. 

And remember, if the rear wheels locks up or hops for a bit, it's no big deal.  Keep the bike pointed forward and just ride it out.
Which reminds me -- careful with the back brake on the S4r.  It's sensitive.  Ducati rear brakes are known for operating in one of two states:  disengaged or fully locked up. 

Good luck.   [thumbsup]

thank you so much for all the advice and i will use every bit of it spidey. And i know i already locked up the rear wheel with the back brake the first ride out lol. But it was fine i just know not to panic. But again thank you spidey

Quick question ill just add onto my thread.
When i bought the bike it came with two little ferrari sticker emblems on each side as you can see. Idk why the person who owned the bike put them on since a ducat is not a ferrari lol, but i want to take them off. What is the safest way to get a well stuck sticker off of your ducatis paint. Like a blow dryer or heat gun maybe?? Im not sure so any help would be appreciated. Also once the sticker is off whats the best way to clean the little glue that is left on the paint?

 [thumbsup]

And Goo Gone for the remaining adhesive.  Best stuff there is.

thanks guys

Do people still blip the throttle on downshifts? On older bikes, i thought that was more or less required or you'd get get a big klunk. That's what i was told 20 years ago when I test rode his sport bike. Sort of a habit now.

However, now, being in a new "green" world, i wonder if it's not only not necessary but also needlessly reduces fuel mileage.

I can only give feedback on keith code's class. i only took the beginner level but there are more advanced classes available, too. all i did was show up with a helmet and gloves, and they took care of everything else: leathers, boots, bike.

basically, you'll learn how to go fast on a course. on the first run, i was going wide on turns, almost into the gravel, and generally pissing in your pants a bit!

by the end of the day with several techniques to practice with, i was going as fast as i wanted, much faster than in the beginning of the day, with 10 ft of margin to the gravel. thus, clearly, my turns were no longer my bottleneck and probably more of a mental limit now.

all that of course, transfers to civilian riding! ;)

Umm...yes, people still blip the throttle on down shifts, even those of us with slipper type clutches.  The whole idea is to match engine speed with the speed of the rear wheel before letting out the clutch to avoid  upsetting the chassis on down shifts.