695 to S4RS upgrade

[JustDucky]

Oops.  I can't believe I never realized only the 2R's came with the 5 spokes.  I thought the 4R came with 5 spokes and the 4rS came with 10 spokes.  I apologize for furthering the misconception.

Taft-Thanks for setting the record straight.

[WetDuc]

So the bottom line is still the same?  The S4RS is the baddest monster out.   I know...

[Uncle Mofo]

IMHO,Unless you are the magical weight that ducati sprung the bike for (205 lbs front, 165 lbs rear), you will need to rework the suspension that you just paid out the ass for when you bought the bike.

Mine was sprung the opposite rear 210 lbs front 165 I since upgrated the front for my weight new internal kit, and springs. 

[Moronic]

IMHO, I wouldn't waste the money on the s4rs, and here is why.  Unless you are the magical weight that ducati sprung the bike for (205 lbs front, 165 lbs rear), you will need to rework the suspension that you just paid out the ass for when you bought the bike.

The S4RS comes with the same wheels that the s4r does.  They are cast, and heavy.

For the money, you can buy the s4r, buy good suspension that is setup for you/your weight and come in under the premium people are asking for the rs.  Unless you've got to have gold forks on the front, I'd look elsewhere....

Some good, practical points here, and more could be said on the suspension side.

For one, adjusting spring preload on the the stock S4Rs shock is painful even with two Ohlins C-spanners - and that is also after changing the plastic collar on mine to aluminium. That is okay if you only ever want to do it once, but it is nice to be able to adjust for baggage, etc, and as this is quite a long-travel rear suspension design you also have some leeway to adjust ride-height while retaining acceptable sag. So, choosing an S4RT and fitting the DU 333 Ohlins with the remote preload adjuster, as Taftonomous has, upgrades you past the stock S4Rs.



AND you can pick your spring weight when purchasing (tho a bit hard to know what you want without trying).

For two, the stock Ohlins fork seals are notorious for leaking early. Mine lasted about 28,000km/17K miles. New seals weren't expensive but shop labour to replace them was. Hope the new ones last longer.

For three, I've been told you can't buy parts for the Ohlins fork - for example, a single new leg.

OTOH, I'm glad I got the 'S'. The Ohlins fork has a very nice, subtle action stock even if it is sprung a bit soft. It could be the T's Showa can be made just as good, but the Ohlins is already good. And overall, the finish seems nicer on the 'S'.
 

[jeff137]

Some good, practical points here, and more could be said on the suspension side.

For one, adjusting spring preload on the the stock S4Rs shock is painful even with two Ohlins C-spanners - and that is also after changing the plastic collar on mine to aluminium. That is okay if you only ever want to do it once, but it is nice to be able to adjust for baggage, etc, and as this is quite a long-travel rear suspension design you also have some leeway to adjust ride-height while retaining acceptable sag. So, choosing an S4RT and fitting the DU 333 Ohlins with the remote preload adjuster, as Taftonomous has, upgrades you past the stock S4Rs.



AND you can pick your spring weight when purchasing (tho a bit hard to know what you want without trying).

For two, the stock Ohlins fork seals are notorious for leaking early. Mine lasted about 28,000km/17K miles. New seals weren't expensive but shop labour to replace them was. Hope the new ones last longer.

For three, I've been told you can't buy parts for the Ohlins fork - for example, a single new leg.

OTOH, I'm glad I got the 'S'. The Ohlins fork has a very nice, subtle action stock even if it is sprung a bit soft. It could be the T's Showa can be made just as good, but the Ohlins is already good. And overall, the finish seems nicer on the 'S'.
 

I've been considering upgrading to a new Ohlins shock like you suggest. However, I also am considering trading up to a Multi 1200S with the electronically adjustable units.

[richard]

So the bottom line is still the same?  The S4RS is the baddest monster out.   I know...

Exactly. It has the 999 engine which was unbeatable in the WSBK with Troy Bayliss. Record proves its worthiness.

[WetDuc]

Oh boy....nice bike....
I love it, I'm committed, I have a few (actually one) lead on the bike I want.  Two more weeks of searching and then it's time to pull that damn trigger!

[smooth]

I've had my S4RS for two years now and like it okay. It handles well, has good ground clearance, plenty of power throughout the rev range, excellent brakes, lots of character, and good ergonomics. On the down side, the clutch pull is way too heavy, the suspension and geometry is not as stellar as I expected, and the cool shotgun pipes are not quite perfect. If you get one, definitely go for an aftermarket exhaust (preferably a full system), airbox mod and DP ECU. It really makes a huge difference in the power & sound. I had issues with the Termi system I bought from the get go. First, you've got to remove the bottom can to get the wheel off which kinda defeats the purpose of a single sided swingarm. Next, the mid pipe running behind the peg is burning my right boot very badly. When at a brisk pace, I ride through the curves with the balls of my feet on the pegs and can't help but contact the pipe with the rear of my boot sole. I consider this a design flaw on Ducati's part. Plus, the overall build quality of the Termi system was disappointing - sloppy welds with lots of splatter, but they make power.
Not long after I bought the bike, I did a two trackdays over one weekend and found the suspension seriously lacking. Over the weekend, I blew a fork seal and scratched the fender with the radiator when the forks would compress. (I didn't drop the front, forks all the way up) It didn't want to hold a line, especially on the exits - running wide til I ran out of track or let off the gas. I also learned it really needed a steering damper and it was a lot of fun on the track.
Next trackday, I had the ride height adjusted farther than recommended which made the bike dangerously unstable. I almost wrecked repeatedly and blew my first forkseal.
I tookmy suspension to Ohlins and had the schock checked and rebuilt and talked to them at length about my handling woes. Wound up buying a kit developed for the 1098 S consisting of various springs and better pistons and valves. Installed and set correctly, the bike handles much better now, but I had to spend a lot of money to get here, Pisses me off to have to spend so much to get Ohlins to act right.


Since, this pic was taken, I've added an Akrapovich Evo system and a NCR clutch cover. Overall, Ireally do like the bike, but I don't "love" it. I've hardly been able to ride this year, so I've been considering selling it. however, when I do ride or even look at it, I have second thoughts.

[smooth]

IMHO, I wouldn't waste the money on the s4rs, and here is why.  Unless you are the magical weight that ducati sprung the bike for (205 lbs front, 165 lbs rear), you will need to rework the suspension that you just paid out the ass for when you bought the bike.

The S4RS comes with the same wheels that the s4r does.  They are cast, and heavy.

For the money, you can buy the s4r, buy good suspension that is setup for you/your weight and come in under the premium people are asking for the rs.  Unless you've got to have gold forks on the front, I'd look elsewhere....

Hah! I found this out too - the hard way. Spent alot of money with Ohlins to get the bike handling better (they'll take all you're willing to spend!). Still, I haven't got front end confidence with this bike that I've had with others. At this point, I chalk it up to handlebars instead of clipons and a more "relaxed" geometry that doesn't work as well with aggresive profile front tires.


To the OP,  I'm not trying to steer you away from the S4RS. I was just surprised with the tweaking it took to get it to handle correctly and you should be aware of this if you plan to ride hard or take it to the track. Still, it's a great bike and I think I may have asked too much of it considering it's intended purpose and ergos.

[WetDuc]

They made a black on red S4RS?!?!?!?!?

[strat10]

I never looked back after buying my S4RS. Awesome handling, and turns heads wherever I go. If I can teach you one thing about these bikes is get the service history before you sign the papers! And make sure its not due for any maintenence!

[Bill in OKC]

They made a black on red S4RS?!?!?!?!?

No but they should have.  That looks really nice.

[muskrat]

two words............steering damper!  My bike changed dramatically when I installed mine, too bad I waited because I thought it was too expensive.  Also, if you get an exhaust remember you can swap the S2R "under-seat" exhaust and mount to the S4R (this is what I did).  I got a Marving mid-pipe and the bike now looks great.

[smooth]

They made a black on red S4RS?!?!?!?!?

No, It's actually a red model with the black/silver stripe bodywork. The dealership switched tanks and fairings between a red and black one for a "special" customer. I bought the other. Never saw the red body on black framed monster.

[WetDuc]

I love that custom black on red scheme!
So just as an update of my quest to find THE bike:
I've been hunting the internet for about 3 weeks now.  I have called almost every single dealership in the SE USA.  I have been keeping an eye on the FS section on the forums.
I have found many white and tricolore models so far, but not many black ones (and at this point I am sure I want a black one, not a red one).  This week I will be going full throttle on my search, it's my last week of vacation!
So the search continues...no bike yet.
Let me know if you guys know of anything, PLEASE!