Ducati Monster Forum

Can someone tell me the difference between these two bikes?  Are the motors different? Reliability issues?

I always thought the IE was the fuel injected version.  I could be horribly wrong though.

mostly so.  They are both Fuel Injected.  The S2R is the sportier version.  I believe some suspension upgrades and most importantly the SSS.  I don't know what the performance differences are and don't feel like looking it up.  The S2R is way sweeter looking and I really enjoy mine, well until I wrecked it.  Now it awaits for insurance money.

Basically the same motor.

S2R has the single sided swingarm and slightly different frame.
2-piston front calipers and 300mm rotors on the S2R, M800 has the 320mm rotors and 4-piston calipers.

S2R have plastic tanks, M800 steel. This may not be 100% correct, but I'm pretty sure.

In '07, they switched to 7mm valves, again, not 100% sure.

Only reliability issue I'm aware of is a few bad rear master cylinders.

S2R rear sets are higher.  The S2R tanks are all plastic >:(  The Handle bars on the 800Ie are higher.

In terms of reliability they should be the same.  The only differences are cosmetic/external.  The engines should be the same.  The S2R is just more sporty in terms of styling and seat position.  If you get an S2R just be careful with the gas tank because the clear coat is really soft and so it can get scratched VERY easily specially when hot.

I currently own an S2r800 and I used to own an 03 M800 sie so I am qualified to answer this question. You basically sacrifice a lot of quality components to get a single sided swingarm, marchesini wheels and magura handlebars on the S2R.

1) Something that most people arent aware of is that the brake master cylinders (both front and rear) on the M800 are of higher quality than the S2R. Also, the piston inside front brake master cylinder smaller on the S2R. I know cuz I kept the brakes from my old M800 and put them on my new S2r. This goldline calipers are better but because of this drawback they are not as good as on the m800.

2) M800 does not have the ATPC simulated slipper clutch like the S2R.

3) Front axle on an S2R does not have pre drilled hole if you plan on changing to from the stock non-adjustable to adjustable. The old M800 just had these slots even though the forks were non adjustable.

4) Rear Tire is smaller on the M800 making it much easier to turn in. I'm not sure about the front.

5) Instrument cluster is permanently sealed. S2R has a screw on the back.

6) M800 instrument clusted does not have vibration dampening in the needles - leads to more failure. As a result they fail more often.

8) Emissions canister on S2R is attached to the front head, M800 had in on the rearset.

9) S2R Rear brake is upside down, making it hard to bleed

10) M800 bolts are all coated to prevent corrosion. (Has this yellow-ish hue to them) S2R bolts are no longer coated.

11) Cable from the fast idle and the throttle go to this half moon assembly that actuate the butterfly valves , on the M800 this is made of corrosion coated metal, on the S2R its made of plastic.

12) Tank, was already mentioned. 03 M800 had an aluminum swingarm, 04 M800 had a steel one.

Thats all that I can remember off the top of my head.

pretty good for off the top of your head. I learned a thing or two or twelve to be exact.

Half of those items are lessons learned from swapping out parts. My M800 was salvaged due to an accident. Before I parted out what I could, I bought an S2R 800 and swapped all the "good" components and my aftermarket goodies onto my new  bike to save a couple of bucks. You easily  forget that the axle on the S2R is NOT pre drilled when you've just finished putting your front end back together and then notice the problem. Especially when you just sold your old M800 axle a week before.I ended up having to drill them out myself.

Thats why I'm very very clear about the differences.

BTW, the ignition coils are different on the M800 and S2R. Front cylinder ignition coil on the S2R bolts to the airbox, on the M800 it bolts to the frame. You'll know what this means if you install a TPO Beast Kit..

Hmm.. i always wondered what the diff was too.  I would have liked the goldlines on my S2R, but the only real design issue I wish it had was the dry clutch.  In my simple-minded universe, the SSS and the wonderful sweep of the termi's makes up for the crap parts.  Like a beautiful woman; a man will suffer her many foibles and weaknesses.

Great information, thanks.  I always thought my swingarm was aluminum, but lots of sources say all the M800 swingarms are steel.  Guess a magnet would have cleared that up...


Not to nitpick, but the front cylinder coil on my M800 ('03) mounts to the airbox.

thanks for the input on the differences guys.  I already have an s2r 800 but I have a friend that found an 03 800ie on craigslist. 

So now for the question that I'm probably better off not knowing:  Is there any big bore kit or high compression pistons available for the s2r 800?  I want more power...

The '03 M800 Sie came with an aluminum swingarm, the Dark (M800 ie) had a steel swingarm.  in '04 they all had steel swingarms.

The '03 Dark also had no front fairing or rear seat cover.

Scott

Short answer yes.

Link to thread (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=6256.0)

I stand corrected, you're right. their profile was different making it a pregnant dog to install for the beast kit, which was designed for the 03 type ignition coil not the new S2R kind.

 [laugh] [laugh]