How much would you pay for this?

[xcaptainxbloodx]

S4R for a first bike is a terrible idea.

best case scenario, you dont wreck the bike and are forever ruined by having that hellion as the only example of a motorcycle in your experience.  anything with less than 4,000,000 tq will feel like a child's toy and speed limits will exist only as a quaint reminder that some people actually go slow enough to comprehend signs.

seriously though, for a first bike an s4r is an exceedingly unforgiving machine.  if you want a monster look for something air cooled.

[Goat_Herder]

how much power/torque does a 135cc 2 stroke put out?  30HP?  You are going to quadruple the power output of what you regularly rode for 9 years with a S4R.  The first time you accidentally crack open the throttle, you will be miserable on it.  You are capable of riding it, I am sure.  But I doubt you would enjoy it as much as, let's say, a S2R or S2R1000, which has plenty of power on tap.

After 2 years on a Monster 620, with riding experience from childhood and teen years, I switched over to a S2R1000.  It took me at least 1 year to be comfortable on it.  I knew enough then that a S4R would be too big of a jump for me.

[MadDuck]

how much power/torque does a 135cc 2 stroke put out?  30HP? 

Not even close unless it was full race kit and even then maybe not.  I reckon about 15 HP max.   Jump to 100+ HP. No problemo.   

[Cloner]

That's still a make the beast with two backs-ton more experience that the average litre bike buyer who has a wad of cash and no, or virtually no, real riding experience.  make the beast with two backs sake, ya buncha gurls.

I guess I'm make the beast with two backsed.  The strongest bike I ever owned before I bought a Panigale was a GSXR-750.....a-la 1986.  MAYBE 90 horses at the wheel on a good day.

It ain't the bike, generally speaking.   

[caboteria]

Is it street legal?

Probably not.  If the Termi's are like mine they're stamped "For race use only" or something like that.  It hasn't been a problem yet for me, but you might want to ask the seller if he's still got the OEM pipes, just in case.

[NorDog]

That's still a make the beast with two backs-ton more experience that the average litre bike buyer who has a wad of cash and no, or virtually no, real riding experience. 

Yes, and we all know that always turns out okay.

My opinion?

1) Don't buy anything from the type of douche that writes that type of ad.

2) Don't buy an S4.

3) Buy a 600 or 750; get used to bigger bike with more power.

[scduc]

These type of post's always puzzle me. We Americans have this misconception that more power is always better. And while to a veteran rider who is looking for that extra "wow" factor this may be appealing, fact is for most of us (Human excluded) the lower HP bikes not only are less expensive, but truly are more fun to ride. As long as they aren't so small that they wine out on the freeway. That being said, I'd love to have a street fighter with my DS 1k motor.

[thought]

For your first bike and you really want a twin... I'd avoid duc's altogether and get a SV650.  Pretty much bulletproof, dirt cheap to fix up, a huge parts list to choose from, and it's just a fork swap away from becoming a solid trackbike.  Learn on that, beat the hell out of it, and then get a duc... repairing beginner mistakes on a duc is $$$.  But dont sell the SV, make it into a track bike... I still regret getting rid of mine :\

[justinrhenry]

Buying a small bike to start with just means you'll want to buy a larger bike within at least 6 months. Don't waste your money.  Buy a bike with a large enough engine to satisfy you. 

Of course you'll find other reasons to buy a different bike within 6 months of your purchase, but there's no helping that.

[Dirty Duc]

Every person involved in this thread has good input.  I have bad input. 

My first bike that ran? Ducati Monster S2R800. 

Did I drop it? yes.

Does that somehow detract from it's visceral appeal? No.  No.  No...

~1900 miles in 4 days... can I have some more time off? 

Do I have the slightest clue what I'm doing? nope.  I read nonsense on the interwebs and apply what works for me.  Maybe one day I'll hook up with a local club and get a clue. 

Twisties teach different lessons than traffic.  Both are valid.

[Cloner]

Damn.  Where are all my Hooligan brothers to offset all these mamby-pamby, do-gooder, wanna-be, nice-guy, non-tire-cookin', wimps?  Thanks, DD, for representin'!   

[bevel]

Every single motorcycle comes with two built in limiters - your right wrist, and your brain.

My advice is use them wisely.

I've been riding a SV650 for the last 4 years, and just put up 1000+ miles on an S4R1000 this past weekend without an issue. The S4 has so much more get-up-and-go, thanks to its amazing torque, but you can always reign that in between judicious use of brain and wrist control.

Buy what makes you happy and gets you out riding, but always treat it respect.

[muskrat]

+1
respect the bike and remember there are two kinds of riders:  those who have fallen and those who will.  I got lots of scars from pulling stupid shit when i was younger - too old now.

[Dirty Duc]

Damn.  Where are all my Hooligan brothers to offset all these mamby-pamby, do-gooder, wanna-be, nice-guy, non-tire-cookin', wimps?  Thanks, DD, for representin'!   

Yeah, I come from a long line of hooligans.  My great-grandfather apparently used to do burnouts in his Doble.

[OT]

1) Asking price may not be too bad - depends on how much titties and crack were used to make the bike (bacon's not good for one's health).

2) Demo'd an S4R in 2004 - never got it above third gear (around 70 mph) - bought the 1000s instead, saved $3,000, and still got plenty of bike for the road...with no fugly radiator.

3) Bet the S4R does really great burnouts...