No 2008 ST or S2R800

[desmo]

I see according to the Ducati website & a chat that I had with a dealer this morning that ducati have discontinued the ST range for 2008?
Also appears that the S2R 800 is no longer available

The only tourer option is the Multistrada.
Also another thing I spotted is that they are still listing the Monster 695 as a current production model & they are listing the 696 as a preview.

I suppose with an ever increasing model range, something has to give.
According to MCN on Wed, Ducati are doing very well with their profits & are the fastest expanding european motorcycle manufacturer.

I wonder if Ducati will discontinue the 695 when the 696 is available in the UK dealers? or will both options be available thoughout 2008 so they can better gauge peoples reaction to the new bike?

Does anyone know when the 696 will appear in the UK? I was told be a dealer this morning, that he thought it would be July/August.
I would have thought that Ducati would like to start sealing it in the early spring March/April?

Desmo.

[MilesB]

The withdrawal of the ST 'range' has been on the cards for a couple of years. If you want to 'tour' get a Hypno-retard or a GT1000. The Sportclassics have also superseeded the Sport/Supersport range that disappeared last year.

The loss of the S2R800 is not suprising either - as the 696 produces almost as much power, what is the point of having the two models? Again, this was 'predicted' last year, even before we knew about the increased bhp of the 696.

I suspect that the 695 - which was a 2007 model 'released early' in late 2006 - will continue until (a) they run out of 695 cylinder heads and (b) the 696 production is up and running. As one is a direct replacement for the other, it seems unlikely that they will manufacture both at the same time.

Now all we need is the promised 'entry level Ducati' that isn't a Monster that has been mooted for a while.

Miles

[scrumpster]

I was told the 800 was likely to stay and the 1000 go in the S2R range. The bike is completely different style wise to the 695,bad move I say!! No wonder they were trying to get me to buy Termis so urgently!!

[JamesH]

Now, I don't post hardly ever, but I felt I needed to put in my two cents on this.

I don't believe any major manufacturer builds what i'd call an 'entry level' bike for this country. I have a Honda VTR250, it looks like a mini-monster and makes about 30hp. All the manufacturers are now doing 600+cc bikes with 70 odd horses. These are not really suitable for new riders, and especially young riders. This I believe leads to greater chances of inexperienced riders killing themselves, giving rise to more public reaction that bikes are too dangerous and should be banned, and then everyones insurance prices will rise.

I will be looking to upgrade in the next year or so when i've left uni and I'd like to get something lightweight and with around 50-60hp that's only a couple of years old, but the market is not helping me to do this and be able to afford the insurance.

If Kawasaki do actually bring the 250 Ninja over here, then i'd imagine they will sell very badly, because in this country we have an unhealthy obsession with greater and greater horsepower. Bring back the 250 learner law is what I say.

Just one more thing, if you have an S4R or S4Rs, putting a power commander on to increse the Hp to an even more ridiculous level, and still expecting the same fuel consumption is just foolish, as a chemical engineer, I can tell you that it goes against the laws of thermodynamics.

James

[Thumper]

I had a VTR250, my mini monster as I used to call it, great bike!

I seem to think that Ducati will indeed run the 695 and 696 alongside each other, until the 695 parts run dry, that way they can guage which one is more popular, old style or new style. From that data they will then decide if they need to revamp again for 2009 or to build different engine sizes on the new style.

Its a shame the ST range has been discontinued, the Multistrada is hardly an ST4S.

Oh and MilesB, MCN was stating that the 848 is the entry level Ducati sports bike. Pfffft £9,000 for an entry level bike that has about 120bhp.... lunatics :fou:

[Lucati]

A friend of mine went to a Ducati dealer recently and paid a £500 deposit on a 696 - it's scheduled for delivery between April - May. I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress.

[1001001001]

All the manufacturers are now doing 600+cc bikes with 70 odd horses. These are not really suitable for new riders, and especially young riders. This I believe leads to greater chances of inexperienced riders killing themselves, giving rise to more public reaction that bikes are too dangerous and should be banned, and then everyones insurance prices will rise.


In OZ you have to be on 250cc (max) bike for 2 years (from memory) before being aloud to stradle a bigger bike, however it doesnt stop young and inexperienced riders from killing themselves. They are still riding fast bikes, in the 250cc cat you have the CBR, Aprilla, and you use to have the RGV which was a real widow maker. I am however in favour of the 250cc restriction for a couple of years.

I mean here you can be a 'never riden before' person to riding a 1098s in 7 days ... tis scary. A month or two ago a mate saw a 999 stuck in the back of a hatch back, rider was killed and was apparently on his first bike ! :worried:

[Lucati]

I rode a vespa 125 for 6 years, then did my automatic test and rode a 200cc vespa gran tourismo for 2 years and finally got sick of vespas and bought my 695 in April and have been commuting every day on it since then. I'm glad to say in nearly 9 years of riding I've never had an accident (touch wood!) but all three other blokes I did my Direct access with to get on the Ducati were first time riders, all three wiped out their bikes and one even trashed the loan bike from his insurer too! It's those guy's and the crazy scooter kids that drive up the insurance and bad press for the rest of us! Still, looks like a nice day to go for a spin today!

[neilbaldry]

it all comes down to common sence. like i heard once, the throttle works both ways! its not always the bikes being too powerful, after all, its the rider who decideds how fast to go. it went from a DT50 when i was 16, to a car at 17, then at 19 had an RGV250 then a VFR400.

tho back on thread topic. i think the S2R 800 is a great little bike, shame its ceased production. i mean with a comfy riding position, 70bhp (ish), slipper clutch and fairly rider friendly insurance, i'd say its a perfect 'big bike'.

and if i were about 30 years older, i'd go with an ST4, they too, are great looking bikes.

i thought the MTS was getting a facelift? or is that for next year?

[JerryXt]

i thought the MTS was getting a facelift? or is that for next year?

I hope they don't mess it up and make it ugly :D

[neilbaldry]

I hope they don't mess it up and make it ugly :D


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