Thanks guys for all the responses. So, as far as maintenance costs, are they very costly to maintain. I remember the old Ducatis being known for needing alot of maintenance, but I thought those days were gone. Like say the first maintenance at 7500mi, what kind of money are we talking about for the 4 valve vs. the 2 valve. The guy at the shop was telling me that he liked the air cooled bikes better too, something about the throttle response. So is that the main difference between the s2 and s4, 2 valve air/oil cooled vs. 4 valve liquid? I would think that the liquid cooled would be more reliable. Any probs with overheating in the air/oil cooled?
What makes the s4r "hard to tame"? Do you mean just because of it's power to weight ratio or is the handling hard to get used to? Honestly, I'm really looking at these bikes specifcally for great handling.
Thanks for all the responses.
RD -
Welcome! This place is a goldmine.
A couple of things about the S4R, since I do believe you're lookiing at mine.
FYI, I'm not selling it for any other reason than I'm moving to Denver in 6 weeks and am trying to lighten my load. I found out today that ForwardAir is only $495 terminal to terminal, so it's not by any means a catastrophe if it doesn't sell
The bike you buy, whether it's 2V or 4V, is highly dependent upon the comptency of the person(s) servicing it and the way in which the owner treated it. You
do not want a bike that has barely been ridden and more than a few years old, as all manner of "bad things" (seals, gaskets, etc.) happen. I bought a bike a couple years ago that was a "washed frequently and put away" type of bike, and ... Yeah, it was an interesting experience for sure.
Anyways, back on topic. The 4V motors put out considerably more HP than the 2V - not trying to start a fight here with the aircooled crowd, just stating facts - and my bike today was running around 160 degrees F when I was taking it around Concord, Carlisle, Acton MA today on backroads. Another thing to note about the 4V is that yes, they require maintenance every 6000-7500 miles, just as the 2V. Eric @ Clubhouse motorsports (in the lakes region) has been the one responsible for all of the valve services on the bike, and no matter what duc you get, he's the guy to see about it. For reference, the valves portion of the 6k service for my bike was ~$375, which isn't bad at all. A few bucks more than the 2V, sure, but again I'd rather have the extra HP.
The '07 S4R has a testastretta (narrow head) engine which has some advantages, but not the low end grunt that the 996 has.
Any questions just let me know - you really can't go wrong with either a 996 or a 998 ('07) based monster, it all comes down to what turns you on. If you're looking at a bike at Seacoast I have nothing but awesome things to say about Jesse + Co. they won't steer you wrong
Cheers,
Adam
Here are dyno charts on the S4R and the 1100 for comparison - they're on different dynos, but it gives you a good idea of the power curves of both.
M1100:
S4R:
( Keep in mind mine has an open airbox, a full arrow system, and a PC3 that's tuned in - so it's more than this)
