Traded my S4r for a GT1000

[IowaS4r]

Took a vacation to Colorado last week; Estes Park area.  I took my S4r out there to ride on some interesting roads instead of the local corn field type.  The Monster was fantastic; I drove it for several hours many days, through high altitudes, super fast corners, super slow corners, and all types of fun roads.    I was in the need of a tank bag, so I went to the dealer in Loveland, CO.  Ended up test driving a GT 1000 as they had a demo, and I was always interested in driving one.  After 5 hours on the Monster, the GT was so very comfortable.  Nice seat and good upright position.  Plus, I always liked the old 70's types of bikes, as I grew up around standard types of bikes. 

An hour later I end up with a new gray GT 1000.  Dealer was great to work with, very good people to deal with.  Very impressed with the quality of the dealership.  So, now I am a man without a monster.  If thats possible.  I really loved my S4r, good all around bike.  But, I got a 1098 this spring, so I really did not need another fast sport type of bike, and I am interested in longer types of drives, with some baggage and maybe even a windscreen for the occassional drives.  And a comfortable one to drive for 8 or more hours.  So far, the GT fits the bill great. 

[dlearl476]

Did you get the "comfort" seat?

fwiw, I'd wanted a HyperMotard since I first saw one.  Last year I went to drop my Triumph for some work and the Ducati truck was at the dealership. Had a chance to ride a bunch of Ducs and at the end of the day, the GT1000 with a full Termi kit and the gel seat was my favorite.  I've missed a couple of good deals on used ones, but someday I'm going to have a GT.  Reminds me of a modern R75/5.

[Pancake81]

Thats great man. I love when you test ride a bike and it just fits thats special niche 

[eviltwin]

Congrats dude!    Let's see some pics of the new bike.  I (secretly) like the vintage look of the GT, esp the ones with some aftermarket goodies.

If you rode HWY7 from Estes to Lyons, you were on my favorite front range canyons in Colorado, and I am now jealous and slightly homesick.  Otherwise, 36 to Lyons or 34 to Loveland are great canyons also, but they are no 7.  

[DoubleEagle]

I also like the look of the older bikes . How is the power of the new bike ( I know you are breaking it in if it's brand new ) going to compare to the S4r ?

[somegirl]

Congrats, looking forward to the pictures.

[duc996]

Congrats! 

[DRKWNG]

Congrats man!  Slightly different circumstance here, but I am about to sell my S2R for a Sport 1000.

[Dockstrada]

Good going, sad to se the monster go but the Gt is a special machine ,i have a paul smart and absolutely live it rides great ,although the gt has a better riding position [moto]

[potomacduc]

The GT is a nice looking bike.  A buddy has one that he had painted black with gold double line logos and stripes, somewhat like a 70s Darmah.  The bike lends itself to customizing much like a Monster.

As for practical issues, he has the saddlebags and they work pretty well.  The broad rear portion of the seat provides ample room for a tail bag.  He had Sargent rebuild the seat on the stock pan for him and is happy with the results.  The main drawback for touring any sort of distance is a smallish (3.9 gal) gas tank, but that's not new if you're coming from a Monster.  There is also the issue of wind protection, but again, if you've got a Monster you're used to this.  The GT does look a bit more natural with larger screens than the Monster, so there's that option.   


I've ridden the bike several times and the power is solid and about what you'd expect for a 1000DS.  I always felt it seemed to be down a few hp to my MTS1000DS and a quick investigation shows that most dyno runs do show 5-7 ponies less when compared to other 1000DS engined bikes (S2R, SS and MTS).  A smaller airbox is the likely culprit.  Still, there's not much in it and the bike is a nice ride.  It's a bit slower steering than a Monster, but otherwise feels similar.  The heavy stock wheels are the likely cause.  My friend is considering Carrozzeria forged rims which whop off 23 pounds of unsprung weight.   As for seating position, I had an older Monster ('99 750) and felt immediately at home on the GT.  It's a bit more upright, but not much. One other note is that the GT has a wet clutch.  if you like dry clutches, you'll have to do without with the GT.   

Webbikeworld has a nice GT1000 blog if you're interested in learning about the bike and mods:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/ducati-motorcycles/gt-1000/blog.htm

[aaronb]

at the chicago bike show there was a dark silver gt1000 with saddle bags and a windshield and it looked great.  it was one of my favorite bikes in the ducati section.  the saddle bags really complete the look of the bike imho

[IowaS4r]

Thanks for the kind words.  I am trying to figure out how to post pictures on this website; I will get pics on when I figure it out.  My dealer had a set of bags on a GT but I think he sold them.   The fit and finish of the bags was unbelievably great.  I could fit a jacket, shoes, and a change of clothes in them.    I was looking at the comfort seat, but it does not have the Ducati logo spelled out and I really like the looks of that.  Shallow, but I really like how it finishes the rear of the bike.  Termis may be in the future, but I have dropped a lot on motorcycles this year. 

I did not take HWY 7 to Lyons.  I took Hwy 34 around Grand Lake, then to I 70, then 119 I think.  The tunnels and cliffs were awesome as were the winding roads.  The drive up Trail Ridge Road was especially cool.  Made it several times in a car, much different being in the wide open.  And much chillier.  Rest of the time I spent in the park riding around, except of course for taking 34 to Loveland to get the tank bag for my Monster.... Why would anyone move away from this area? 

As for power, the 1000 DS motor does not have the punch the 996 had.  It is fast, but not scary-cant-keep-the-wheel-down fast like my S4r was; at least not from the demo I drove; it was new so I did not whack the throttle either.  I had an 800 SS I bought in '03 and I forgot how smooth the two valvers build power.  I had to keep my Monster at 4K or it would not respond well to throttle input, then hit hyperspace from 7 to redline.  I can start from 3k on this one, and the way the engine builds power, it is very deceivingly fast.  No big rush and loud roar from the pipes.  When I get it good and broke in, I will be interested to see what the top end is like, but I have not gone past 6K on the tach.  But, I did not get it for the speed, I got it for more comfortable riding.  Easy to putz around on, the wet clutch is smoother .  But, mainly, a very very easy bike to hop on and tool around. 

[dlearl476]

  I always felt it seemed to be down a few hp to my MTS1000DS and a quick investigation shows that most dyno runs do show 5-7 ponies less when compared to other 1000DS engined bikes (S2R, SS and MTS). 

IIRC, the ECU is re-mapped for a little bit more low/mid at the expense of top end HP.  I imagine the GT is a touch heavier than those other bikes as well.  One thing it's not is underpowered.