S2r 800

[Chris Glynn]

My s2r was awsome, great handling good looks cheaper to service than an s4r, enough power to entertain a novice or a pro, awsome sound, the only bad point is the standard chain is a load of rubbish.

[slob]

What do you think of the brakes Chris? They were my only real complaint when I test rode one.

[Dave G]

Plus it has the looks over its overplumbed big brother.

[J.P]

Nohting wrong with plumbing.... :)

[markus]

by the time you've ditched some weight off the bike and thrown some sintered pads in there and give it a good bleed the brakes are just right for the bike and the power :)

Stick a z ring chain on there and it solves that problem too!

[gav]

I love my S2R 800 but I can't help getting bike envy whenever I see/hear an S4R or a triumph speed triple. Keep thinking I'm upgrade but then feel guilty for cheating

[makemdan]

I love my S2R 800 but I can't help getting bike envy whenever I see/hear an S4R or a triumph speed triple. Keep thinking I'm upgrade but then feel guilty for cheating

So get an S4R and a Triumph as well... Suzi SV's are good 2 and there's the Aprilias too. Oh, don't forget the Firebolts, they're a cracking ride as well. And the then teher's the new Morini which looks canny if a bit pricey. As long as its a twin its not cheating...is it? Ah but the Triumph is a triple so that is cheating

[Dave G]

I get a bit exasperated by the 'bigger is always better' view so commonly spouted from the biking press and followed blindly by so many, whats the point of the supposed top speed of an unfaired upright bike?, why do the snotty press judge everything (even harleys frechrisakes), by how easy it is to get your knee down or some other unrealistic bollocks,if thats your bag then buy a sportsbike and be done with it.
I think the S2R800 is the better roadbike than its stablemates, the engine is responsive and the light clutch a real boon that its bigger brothers dont have, when I got the sportclassic1000s the first thing I noticed was how heavy the clutch was. Yes the brakes aren't eyeball poppingly powerful but this is an easy fix by replacing the standard pads or even bolting on a set from an older monster and if you are a newer rider this isnt a bad thing anyway.
As an overall package it works really well and I'm still happy with mine.

I ran a 916 for seven years and a great bike it was,easy to ride fast and without realising it all too easy to get up to three figure speeds without feeling as if your moving much, at the same time I had an NC35 which though a bit buzzy, FELT really fast at 50- 80 giving the same sensation of speed and excitement at more forgiving and less illegal speeds.It was then I realised the sensation of speed I liked didn't have to be achieved by horsing it around the country on a superbike, thats when the monster came into view for me.

[Gilps]

Well I love my S2R. Ok so it's "only" the 800 but it will keep up with bigger stuff on a real world ride. Mine will do 130mph on a private road but on a run with mates I rarely go over 85 anyway. How fast do you want to go on a public road anyway? It handles well. I did change the brake calipers for something with a bit more bite and feel but many haven't and are quite happy.
As for the chain. The first time I needed to adjust mine was at 4000 miles and that was after a service at the main dealer where they overtightened it. I use Wurth Dry Lube regularly and that seems to have kept the chain working well.
I personally don't like the plumbing of the water cooled bikes but that's just a matter of taste. Mine sounds great without the cat and with Termis fitted so I never get envious of other people's bikes. I don't think I will ever sell mine as I can't think of a bike to replace it with that will do what mine does better.
I think it's a real shame that they no longer make the 800, and I reckon that once they have got rid of all the old engines that they currently fit to the S2R and S4R they will kill that range off. A real pity as I think they look so much better than the styling of the new 696.

[neilbaldry]

S4R
Triumph
SV's
Aprilias
Firebolts
Morini .

What about the TNT?

I totally agree with Dave G. Its more than enough for the UK roads. Who cares if it doesnt wheelie in third, or the brakes arent powerful enough to do a rolling stoppie for 500 yards.

What more do you want from a Ducati? Its got a slipper clutch, 5 spoke marchesinis on a single sided swingarm, a great user friendly engine, and round the twisties, it would keep up with most sportsbikes (going on the skills of most sportsbike owners).

AND its pretty insurance friendly!

[Arbeia]

I`d just like to say i had an s2r 800 which i loved then i got a m696 and beleive me,The m696 pisses all over the s2r from a great height (get rid of the standard cans),Once ridden forever smitten.

[Gilps]

I`d just like to say i had an s2r 800 which i loved then i got a m696 and beleive me,The m696 pisses all over the s2r from a great height (get rid of the standard cans),Once ridden forever smitten.

Apart from in one rather important area - looks!
Serioulsy though, I'd be interested to hear in what way is it better. Is it brakes, handling, performance?

[neilbaldry]

Personally, I prefer the classic Monster style, and the very very Ducati single sided swinger.

And surely its all down to personal preference?

[Arbeia]

Yes i agree on personal preference.
The front brakes are muchbetter,The handling is better,its more comfortable for long rides,Better forks,Better rear shock,Sounds better,better tyres as standard. and as my personal preference I think it looks better,more aggresive looking.
To see it in the flesh makes all the difference.

But when they put a bigger engine in, its gonna look better again.

[neilbaldry]

whats the tank size?

[Arbeia]

15 ltrs,bigger than s2r.

[neilbaldry]

Only by a litre!

[Arbeia]

Its still bigger. 1 ltr can make all the difference; )

[Dave G]

Time ,technology and Ducatis proven technical flair in engineering will no doubt ensure that the new bike will be leaps ahead of any older models.
Thats not why I bought mine though,I saw it and immediately wanted one, just like it did again with the sport1000S, neither the new 1098 nor the new monster do this for me,I find the new monster a bit of a design mishmash like the aprilia streetbikes and the 1098 is a style step backwards insofar as you could pass it off as a Fireblade or similar.

I'll stick with style over substance in this case! :D

[Arbeia]

The monster design was always a mish mash,thats what it was designed from,parts from other ducati models. The guy who designed the 696 also designed that lil cagiva raptor and if you see them both side by side they do have some striking similarities.
Infact the raptor looks alot like the old monster also.

[skidlids]

Interesting reading some of the views of the 800 S2R
I should be picking mine up next Saturday, it will be replacing my 600 Monster as my everyday bike.
I wasn't interested in a watercooled one as I can recall what it was like riding a unfaired Z1000 at 130mph back in the early 80s and besides I have several other watercooled Ducatis if I want to go fast, especially my 998R.
I wanted something that I could enjoy riding on a regular basis without feeling the need to dress in full leathers, something that had a bit more power than my 6000 and with better brakes. Not to fussed about the single sided arm as I have several bikes with them, but what I will need to replace/discard on it is the bulbous exhaust under the swingarm pivot.
I'll also be fitting adjustable Showa forks as I already have them to go in my 600 so they will be redirected as wil the floating SPS discs and the 4-pad calipers.
Must admit i'm looking forward toi becoming a S2R owner

[Gilps]

Must admit i'm looking forward toi becoming a S2R owner
Welcome to the fold Kev.

[skidlids]

Welcome to the fold Kev.

Shame I didn't have it for yesterdays trip to Sammy Millers, I never really have got on with the MultiStrada and dispite the 200 plus miles on Senna3's yesterday I can safely say they are not the bike for me. But someone had to ride two up so I volunteered I said i'd fit the Steel subframe to my 998Hybrid and take Trudi on the back of that forgetting that I had put it on the 748 I recently sold.
And as I didn't really fancy 200 miles two up on a M600 the Multi was the only other choice.
With the arrival of the S2R I'll have an ideal two up bike of my own.
Already got a few mods planned, but looking for exhaust recommendations, I don't mind keeping the standard cans for now but would like to De-Cat it

[neilbaldry]

Skid, for an exhaust option, check my ickle thread

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=29033

[skidlids]

Skid, for an exhaust option, check my ickle thread

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=29033

They are just what the Doctor ordered, I have seen a few systems from Zorst around lately, who sells them and what sort of price wil they likely set me back.
I doub't if I'll be able to buy a set for a while as buying the bike will alsmost clear me out when added to the DD racing, bike insurance renewal a month today plus tax on the van.

[Arbeia]

Very nice indeed! ;)

[neilbaldry]

www.zardexhaust.it I beleive is the makers site with all available options!

Cost me about £820 odd notes from spareshack.

They have just released, for the S4R those cans in a shotgun style...........

[Dave G]

http://www.ducati-upnorth.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7504


Or you could go the budget option.

[skidlids]

Quite happy to core cans if I was after the noise but sometimes as with the case with my 600 its handy to try and go unnoticed at times.
As I said earlier is that carbuncle under the swingarm pivot that is the only bleamish I can see on the bike

[Dave G]

Ahh the stealth option, I recently had to refit my original cans for the first MOT and was reminded that without that cat the standard cans actually sound quite good.

[Gilps]

Shame I didn't have it for yesterdays trip to Sammy Millers, I never really have got on with the MultiStrada and dispite the 200 plus miles on Senna3's yesterday I can safely say they are not the bike for me. But someone had to ride two up so I volunteered I said i'd fit the Steel subframe to my 998Hybrid and take Trudi on the back of that forgetting that I had put it on the 748 I recently sold.
And as I didn't really fancy 200 miles two up on a M600 the Multi was the only other choice.
With the arrival of the S2R I'll have an ideal two up bike of my own.
Already got a few mods planned, but looking for exhaust recommendations, I don't mind keeping the standard cans for now but would like to De-Cat it

How old is your bike Kev? If it's not got the Lamda gubbins then the Marving one works well. That's what I go tfitted to mine. Spareshack used to supply them.

[skidlids]

Ahh the stealth option, I recently had to refit my original cans for the first MOT and was reminded that without that cat the standard cans actually sound quite good.

A mate said the same about his Multi so sold the Termis on and kept the De-Cat pipe

Paul its registered 06 but not sure if its a 05 or 06 bike, and this is a new departure for me I'm at the bottom of the 800 S2R learning curve, same place as I was with the 583 engine bikes when I started racing in DD

[CK & AK]

I`d just like to say i had an s2r 800 which i loved then i got a m696 and beleive me,The m696 pisses all over the s2r from a great height (get rid of the standard cans),Once ridden forever smitten.


The 696 is a totally different beast to the M800's/S2R's tho rear wheel bhp its just about the same. The way the 696 has its weight distributed is the key for the totally different handling. (I have a 696 as well as us both having the 2 x 800 race bikes too)

That said, our 2 x 800's are piddling all over the KTM900R's as well as SV's etc on track this year - those who saw our last race meeting on TV from Snetterton will have seen that :D (and watch out for Mallory Park on TV soon.
To get them (800's) singing on track, uprate the forks, front brakes, add a rear Ohlins or Wilbers, lose the lights & all road going gear - add also a power comander & bobs your aunties uncle. Completely capable of consistent 51's round Brands hatch :cool: (might cost you a couple of quid to get the bits tho :chuckle:

AK's had a lot of fun in the past few months finding out exactly what he can do to get even more power out of them. Did you know that getting the heads gasflowed on the 800's adds at LEAST 6 bhp at the rear?

Skids - you'll have to pick AK's brain sometime :)

[Gilps]

To get them (800's) singing on track, uprate the forks, front brakes, add a rear Ohlins or Wilbers, lose the lights & all road going gear - add also a power comander & bobs your aunties uncle. Completely capable of consistent 51's round Brands hatch :cool: (might cost you a couple of quid to get the bits tho :chuckle:

That's basically what I've done to mine, apart from losing the road gear. It's why I'm interested to hear in what way the 696 is better than the 800. I just find it hard to believe the performance figures for the 696. I know it has better brakes and forks (although mine have been uprated). In what way is the handling different. Have they got more weight over the front?
I just can't see a 696 "piising all over" my 800 but I'm ready to be convinced otherwise.

[skidlids]

I'm sure the 800 will have enough power from now, not sure what they are rated at but think its around 72bhp which is a good step up from the 50bhp of the 600.

By the time I have carried out the mods to the frontend and sold the 600 it will have cost me £1800 to upgrade from a 1996 600 with 50bhp to a 2006 800 with 72bhp(ish), better suspension and better brakes.
That sort of money is affordable and easy to justify, so I'm happy, especially as I sold my 748 a couple of weeks ago for £2100 so I should still have a few quid left to put towards the renewal of the bike Insurance

[SazzaG]

I went from a 620 to an S2R800 earlier this year, and they just don't compare. I'm still surprised that it's speed at times! OK, the brakes aren't as good, but they're still perfectly fine for the bike.

I'm still getting used to the handling, as it feels quite different (a lot sharper) than my 620. I just need to ride it more...

One thing I do find though. I find the clutch a bit of a challenge in first gear - I can never quite find the biting point, and it has a tendency to move when I have found it. Is this because of the slipper clutch, and something I'll just have to get used to? It makes it very difficult to pull away smoothly...

[CK & AK]

That's basically what I've done to mine, apart from losing the road gear. It's why I'm interested to hear in what way the 696 is better than the 800. I just find it hard to believe the performance figures for the 696. I know it has better brakes and forks (although mine have been uprated). In what way is the handling different. Have they got more weight over the front?
I just can't see a 696 "piising all over" my 800 but I'm ready to be convinced otherwise.

any bike can 'pish' all over a bigger one - in the right hands :)
The 800 std is about 70/72 at the rear wheel and tho the 696 is quoted 80 at the crank, this also comes in at about 72 at the rear. (figures quoted are not Dynapro Dyno, but std dyno)

The S2R800 & M800 are both reasonably evenly distributed weight wise - whereas the 696 has the weight put slightly lower down in comparison - its certainly 'light' to shove about in comparison, tho on the scales there isnt much difference at all to the S2R when both are 'wet'.

Having just had both our race bike run on a Dyna Pro dyno last week, I'm taking my 696 there in the next week or so too - so will report back on direct comparisons for hp.

However, as I said before its also very much down to the rider (as Gilps & Skids will attest). If Clint or Bones who ride our racebikes was on a mini-moto - they'd still 'pish' all over me on whatever I was riding! :D

C:)

[neilbaldry]

- those who saw our last race meeting on TV from Snetterton will have seen that :D



And those who were there!

[skidlids]

Just had a thought
The S2R might be good for pulling the odd Wheelie :) something the 600 isn't really capable of.
Looking forward to trying that out on my private bit of road

[CK & AK]

Just had a thought
The S2R might be good for pulling the odd Wheelie :) something the 600 isn't really capable of.
Looking forward to trying that out on my private bit of road

aha - you must have missed some pics on here in 2005 showing a 583 doing doing some great wheelies :D

[S4Rs-Tone]

I went from a 620 to an S2R800 earlier this year, and they just don't compare. I'm still surprised that it's speed at times! OK, the brakes aren't as good, but they're still perfectly fine for the bike.

I'm still getting used to the handling, as it feels quite different (a lot sharper) than my 620. I just need to ride it more...

One thing I do find though. I find the clutch a bit of a challenge in first gear - I can never quite find the biting point, and it has a tendency to move when I have found it. Is this because of the slipper clutch, and something I'll just have to get used to? It makes it very difficult to pull away smoothly...

has rog ridden it ? if so whats his opinion. it was my first bike for 23 years and i didnt feel any problems with it.

[spikey_58]

I picked up my Brand New '08 S2R1000 on the 1st of Sept for the new Reg's. I traded in my Brand new 08 R1 with only 400 miles on it. I must say I am loving it thus far. My Termi's are on order from italy and will be put on at the first 600 mile service. I am loving the riding position as ive always had supersport bikes, and im loving how I can actually use 3rd and 4th gears on the road staying within the speed limit. I never got out of 2nd on my R1 unless on the motorway! haha.

The feel and throing noise dry cluth rattling engine is so Alien to me havign all in line 4's but its growing more and more each time I turn it on, so I cant wait to get my Termi's on it. The ease of use is great, and although i cant comment on the brakes much as its only done 48 miles so far, they seem alright for the style of bike and no doubt will get better with time. Very happy man at the minute, and may have been one of the best bike changing decisions I have ever made.

[desmo]

I swopped a Fireblade for my Monster & don't regret it for one minute, I find the same thing as you regarding the Monster, it's possible to ride at a sensible speed & still enjoy it