Faster Monster's

[mattyvas]

I hate and Love riding faster Monster's.......
Went out for a tire scrubbing ride with Andy today.
It was the first hit out after the Stay Upright course, good chance to practice through the RNP.
After a quick stop at Bald Hill Andy offered a swap for a little while.
I think he just wanted me to scrub his tires for him....... But that's fine happy to offer the service.
Ended up riding over the Sea Cliff Bridge along the coast then back up Buli Pass (hit the rev limiter in 2nd out of the right hander...opps) and along the old Princes Hwy to Waterfall.

Many have been reading and know I have been thinking about swapping the 620 for something a little bigger.
I have to say the power is amazing........ the S2R1000 with his Arrows pipes DP ECU and open air box.
It is easy to ride slow as most monsters are but when it comes to getting down to boggie you have to be so much more committed.
Not moving your arse and weight around on the pegs means you can't carry as much corner speed as my 620 IMO.
I was having to move around much more to keep a smooth line, lots of fun for sure but the general riding position did give me twitch in my lower back.
Something that the 620 does not do at all, you can certainly see that she is the entry level machine and meant for the beginner to intermediate rider. Easy to ride slow or fast, if you don't want to move around on it you can still keep it running fast.

Just my little experience of the day, scrubbing Andy's tires and having a blast on a fast Monster compared to my baby Monster.

Thanks for the spin Andy, hope you weren't too worried seeing me fire off into distance and round some corners.

cheers
Matty...

[monstermick58]

Sounds like you had a whole bunch of fun Matty, does Andy's bike have the standard footpegs ? If not, and he has rearsets, they are adjustable and would alleviate to some extent your lower back problems, also take into account that being on some one else's bike does make you tense up a little, one of the relaxing techniques I have used, was to wiggle your fingers and wiggle your jaw, this relax's the whole upper body when on a bike, quite useful when putting some big distances in, I'm sure as you use your new found techniques things will become a little more natural.






                                             Mmick

[mattyvas]

Stock rearsets Mmick, my knees felt like they were up round my ears.....
So yeah I guess that could give the lower back some rest with adjustment.
As for relaxed, I'm always relaxed driving or riding anything else.
I have driven some pretty expensive cars and always enjoy it, if your too nervous you never would.

Was a blast, has the mind ticking over again.

[sydmonster]

I know how you feel, went from a weezy 600 to the 900ss in the same light bike! 3rd gear front wheel hops aloft the ground....
I know hoonin & squiding etc... but dam the power is nice - Chris

[DUCMONROB]

Welcome to the dark side Matty!

Yes mate the S*R range has more of a sports riding position. [moto]

I found the old 900 I had was more upright and I had a problem of scrubbing my boots in the corners.

The S2r has higher pegs and lower bars. Took a little bit to get used to but it is sooo good now.


My 2 cents

Rob.

I reckon you would have been going  with that extra power???

[mattyvas]

Man the first little overtake i did, I was exactly like that  Rob.
The 2nd I was  .
Then up Buli Pass, I was new tires...... Whatever.....
But I tell you from a short little ride I am tired, much more committed to the ride you have to be, says the Jedi in me.

[DUCMONROB]

You get used to the power pretty quickly.

After a while you think you need more.


Rob

[Dockstrada]

Man the first little overtake i did, I was exactly like that  Rob.
The 2nd I was  .
Then up Buli Pass, I was new tires...... Whatever.....
But I tell you from a short little ride I am tired, much more committed to the ride you have to be, says the Jedi in me.

Matty my opinion what ever it is worth, keep the monster she's a good girl and will keep you happy day in day out ,and further more you won’t get what she's worth to let her go.

If you have the need for speed go the other 116hp machine it will cater for your adrenalin hits and was designed with a specific application in mind. This way you have the best of both worlds.

IMO you riding capacity is progressing beyond the designed capacity of the 620 monster.

Ok there are some guys that can ride the wheels of them. Im not saying you cant be the fastest and the best on it, Just saying, that level of riding was not on the drawing board when they were designed this machine and its crucial components .this is why there are the other monsters models .

Some use a machine for its intended use and some go beyond its engineered capacity in this case component failure is more likely.

Most use the shifting spanner to turn a nut, and some use it for a hammer, shore it works but was it designed for that.

[bigiain]

Not moving your arse and weight around on the pegs means you can't carry as much corner speed as my 620 IMO.

Just so you know, there's a fundamental law of physics which says you can never carry as much corner speed on someone elses bike...

 

big

[R_usty]

You get used to the power pretty quickly.

After a while you think you need more.

Rob

Rob is correct - I started on a 620, had it for 9 months and did one Turismo and said - I NEEED MORE POWER - so I got a new S2R1000 and loved it heaps. I had it tricked up (rapid bike and all that) and it went hard - I remember following a guy on a 999 in Canbera. He was really amazed as I was on his tail all the time - He would get away when we reached 120k's plus though..... .

Then after another 9 months I upgraded to the S4RS and I really love it! . DP ECU and Arrow full system and about 140hp is great and it goes hard.....

But if a 1098 naked comes out I may have to sell up and move on.....

As they say - "absolute power corrupts, abousultely". I tend to agree which is why I am really scared of riding the DD16 as I might want one.....

Moral of the story - There is always another bike with more power that you want around the corner so enjoy the one you have and look forward to enjoying your next ride - Take your time in the upgrade process and get what you really want 

R_usty

PS - The great thing is that a lot of the bling you already have with fit then new monster (seat, mirros, grips, Bagster, etc...).

[mattyvas]

Very true that is R_usty, the bling can carry over.
I am not rushing into doing a swap just yet, after the ride again this morning and following Tricolore from the turn off to Wisemans all the way to the ferry my humble little 620 more than held it's own all the way there (cows aside).

Vince I will still look for that 116hp machine, seems to me to make sense. It would be two bikes for the cost of an S4RS.
One for the fun on the road and the other for the fun on the track.
I am really enjoying pushing myself and Monster a little further and learning heaps as I go along.

Big, I am never afraid to have a good blat on a different bike. IMO if you ride with a tightened rear muscle then that's when you'll make a mistake.

Thanks for all of your input, I am always looking but still very happy with what I have.

cheers
Matty...

[Dockstrada]

What ever you do Matty just take you time,You have a ride so there is no rush,and there are plenty of test ride out there [moto]

[Dockstrada]

As they say - "absolute power corrupts, abousultely". I tend to agree which is why I am really scared of riding the DD16 as I might want one.....

R_usty

I have no doubt that after riding the Desmosedici and the track I will find the S4RS down on power. but in my opinion they have 2 very different applications .The S4rs will always feel lightning fast on the road, as this is where most of my riding will be done with it  I will be very happy with it

PS.I am having all of my jacket sleeves extended in preparation for the Desmosedici’s 200 hp

[Andy55]

Come on now Matty I was perfectly happy to scrub my own tires in! We had gone through most of the twisties by Bald hill.  They actually felt better than the old ones from the moment we left Flywheels. I'm very happy with the Michelins. I just wanted to get a different perspective of a different lighter bike and yours certainly feels like it has a lot less mass. Indeed a very different riding experience. Thanks for the ride.

Andy

[bigiain]

I just wanted to get a different perspective of a different lighter bike and yours certainly feels like it has a lot less mass. Indeed a very different riding experience.

It's interesting - according to the Ducati website there's only 10kg of difference (168kg for an 06 620 vs 178kg for an 08 S2R1000), so your bike with a mostly empty tank is probably lighter than Mattys with a full tank. My guess is you're probably "feeling" the difference between a 180 and 160 width rear tire, and possibly the 60 profile front on the 620 compared to the 70 profile on the 1000 if you're both running "stock" sizes.

I suspect _some_ people would notice a 10kg weight difference, but I've gotta admit I've never filled my tank up (which takes 12 or 13kg of fuel) and then got on it and though "My god, I can't believe how different this is handling!", on the other hand though I can _always_ feel the difference between worn out tires and brand new tires, even if they're exactly the same brand and model. Having said that, I'm still not sure if I'm kidding myself when I think I can feel a noticeable difference between a 120/160 set of tires and the 110/150 I like to run instead...

rambling-big