Thinking of being unfaithful.....

[Betty]

I managed to get one of the last Goldline upgrade kits for the S2R 800, Night and day difference, still not as good as the Radials on the S4R, but pretty damn close
All up for the front brakes it was $900

Which is less than they were retail (can't remember exactly but was quoted over $1000) ... and at retail it was still a lot cheaper than the component parts.

[Nickati]

Now come on play fair ... different baseline you're talking about there.

But regardless of the relative abilities of machine and rider ... sometimes it may seem more hard work than it is worth. If you are starting to struggle with the machine it is time to make changes so you can start enjoying yourself again (or increase your enjoyment nearer to others).

Thanks Betty for the vote of confidence! OK so the baseline is different but still a Ducati and still a step up as a whole on what I was riding prior. Yes better brakes, Yes better power, Yes better handling. It is still me that needs to step up my game but I'm getting there.

I do agree that if you add better brakes you'll grow into the power. You can never have too much power ! Just because you have it doesn't mean you have to use it.....

[MonsterDorf]

OK, I tend to totally disagree with pretty much all of the above. My S2R has had the fork oil changed and dropped by 10mm and the rear end simply adjusted up a bit (to counteract my somewhat hefty build) and I have no problem keeping up with most people in the twisties, smooth or bumpy. I've dueled with Loony plenty of times and more recently went head to head with Bevan around Mt Lindsay & Hinze dam in the wet. I also remember a somewhat memorable day doing McPass & Fitzroy Falls.

I think we can under rate our bikes somewhat and believe that in stock form our Ducs are pretty damn good for road use - all of them. I can still remember riding Kawasaki Mach 1's, Suzuki 550's and the like, no brakes, no suspension, cross ply tyres and go like stink - them were scary days.

During my "High Speed Cornering Course" at Eastern Creek I took turn 1 at max warp (around 160Km) on my trusty CX500 and tank slapped my way past half the field, you want poor suspension, give that a go.

Now get out there and ride your bikes.

[Brett76]

I feel your pain having had the same dilemma recently. With more than a little help from these good people my plan form my S2r800 has been all about getting the bike to a better place set-up wise prior to affixing any shiny bits:
Exhaust - Arrows full system
Suspension - Sr21000 Showas up front (resprung for me), Ohlins for the back (again resprung as i am a little heavier than your average Italian motorcyclist)
Brakes - currently embarking on this one as per previous post

I cannot wait to get these 3 locked in as i an a little envious of all the sweet looking bits & pieces.

[Nickati]

No under rating of my bike here MonsterDorf it's me who is needing the modifications !
Yes I also agree Get out and Ride them !

[Brett76]

or save the cash & spend it on hookers & cocaine - see which form of unfaithfulness is more expensive

[techno]

Thanks everyone for the imput. Some good stuff here.

I've not ridden a 1000 monster but have ridden a supersport with the same motor. It has more stomp but thats not really what I'm looking for. The suspension felt like the bike was on rails and thats the feeling I'm after. I have to say that the suspension is OK on smooth roads but throw in a few bumps and I'm floundering.

If I upgraded to another bike I'd probably go a few steps up to make the move worthwhile in all areas. More leaning towards upgrading the 800 if I can.

I have been watching the for sale section and Ebay for bits but they seem hard to come by as competition is fierce. Everyone seems to want to upgrade.

I am thinking:
- new brake pads (about due anyway).
- front springs and fork oil change (due anyway).
- better quality rear shock (from S4R or SBK but I'll have to research what fits). Possibly the Ohlins that Cairns Duc fitted to his as the Aus$ still has a good exchange rate.

This is prob going to be a long term thing in the end. Its good to know others have been down this path.

[brad black]

i have a customer who bought a new custom penske shock (direct i think) for an ss based project and it cost him au$600 or so landed from memory.

fork make over will really help, not sure i'd go as far as adj showa because once they're set up you don't need to adjust them.  are tehy showa or marzocchi?  i have showa non adj on my old 600/750 that have been reworked and they're good.  it actually has cut down original springs i think, done based on a spring calc that turned out to be quite accurate when checked.  they're about 0.85.  i was experimenting, and am also an eternal tightarse.

you should be able to do brakes pretty cheap.  there's someone local selling chinese made disc now for very little on ebay, guess that one's a personal preference.  but 749/999 4 pad calipers and 996 snowflake discs should come up fairly cheaply.  even basic steel carrier discs.

i get to ride a few customer s4rs and while they make me smile like a git for quite some time afterwards i'd not want to own one as there's only so many multigear wheelies in suburban areas and general excessive speediness a licence can handle down here.  but they really are so, so nice.  s2r 1000 isn't anything like it really, but it's still faster than the 800.  a nicely tuned 800 is good tho, altho i don't think i'd get too enthusiastic with one engine mod wise - the clutch basket in particular doesn't seem too strong (durable maybe?).  and that atpc clutch is very nice and light.

[Spider]

my 2c

I've gone down two routes:

new spring/oil into adjustable showa
new sr4s ohlins with new springs

the springs are the things for me! at 18-20kg heavier than the 72kg Italian rider it all had to do with less brake dive, the big shiny Ohlins didn't really do much (other than have some radial monoblocs on the front).

depends on the sensations you're getting with the bike...I do now that the rears are not looked upon highly in the shock game, which is why it's almost cost effective to buy the Ohlins rear with custom spring rather than have good people spend hours trying to improve the stock one!

brakes....get the pads! reckon they are a great step up. so it doesn't have to be expensive...I sold my adjustable showa's and brakes (goldline brembo's) for....$1000 I believe! (but that was to a good bloke!)

[bikeless]

fark i miss my bike , tecno forget the super bike ive been there and unless your happy at 200 kays there shit in the low speed twisty,s i was far more conferdent on the s2r than the super bike on bumpy roads with the wide bars you had so much more control and when the back end left the black stuff it didnt matter cause if you have more power and better brakes and suspension you will use it all of it and the roads you ride on you will be painting the faring every year just my 2 cent get the street fighter there awsome 

[Betty]

OK, I tend to totally disagree with pretty much all of the above.

I don't know if you do MD because the next thing you go on to say is how you have modified the suspension on your bike ... and you have also upgraded the brakes and also like we are saying, ability is a big part of the equation. What you are really saying is that you can make changes to the bike without spending huge amounts of cash.

I have no understanding of the older Japanese bikes you have mention but I think that is missing the point a little. If you realise you are struggling (relative to your riding mates) because you have a lesser suspension and braking setup then its reasonable to want to make changes ... that's what you did.

So I don't think anybody is under-rating the S2R800 but we are quick to acknowledge that of all the Monsters it has one of the worst brake and suspension setups stock ... its all relative.

[Betty]

brakes....get the pads! reckon they are a great step up.

Have you ridden an S2R800 with stock brakes and an S2R800 with stock brakes but better pads?

Where do you notice this 'great step up'?

[suzyj]

One of the problems with just doing the trade in for a bigger bike is that you'll only end up with exactly the same bigger bike that everyone else has.  There will also be no way it'll be exactly what you want, so your wallet is likely to be very thin for a goodly time.

If it were me, I'd be more keen just to work with your existing bike, so you end up with something that's uniquely yours.

[CairnsDuc]

I changed the pads in my S2R's OEM setup, and I will say it made quite a bit of difference, If I wasn't riding the Gillies
Range all the time I dare say I would have left them as is with the Sintered pads, but with the heavy braking required
on the Gillies and the heat/humidity here in Cairns the black Brembo's would start to fade towards the bottom of the range.

And the Goldline kit for $800? kinda helped I was working for a dealer at the time, and I managed to squeeze a 10% discount
out of NFI also. 

[Spider]

Have you ridden an S2R800 with stock brakes and an S2R800 with stock brakes but better pads?

Where do you notice this 'great step up'?

4 pots (goldline) with stock and changed to Ferado. sure, they aren't the 2 pots, but a better brake pad is a great step up! it's affordable, easily found and can really alter the riding experience. not all of us need monobloc Brembos and 330mm rotors....I think it's about achieving a balance and good brake pad selection can help.

springs and pads....for the money can you come up with better performance?