S4 buying advice

[manx999]

May have a chance of a 02 S4,anything specific I should be looking at or asking about
I am aware of the belt situation,how often do the valves need doing,just need to tie it in with the history
thanks in advance

[slob]

Shims every 6k miles.
I think an 02 model should have an immobiliser (and come with a red master key as well as a couple of regular black ones) unless it's a late registered 01 model.
Early models sometimes had issues with chrome flaking on the rockers but this would likely have been addressed by now if affected.
As with all Ducatis, higher mileage and regularly maintained will usually be better than very low mileage and large gaps in servicing.

[Darren69]

The S4 is generally pretty reliable, at least mine has been in the last 5 years of ownership and being the ST4 engine is capable of high mileages. At least as far as the quattro engines go that and the 996 S4R/ST4S engines are probably the best ones being the Testabassa (low cam versions)

I'm not sure if they were ever affected with the flaky rockers at least as much as the earlier 748/916 models, my own '97 748 included. I've certainly not heard anything like the problems with the rockers like the earlier pre '00 748/916's and most ST4s and S4s Ive seen have done a lot of miles. I'm pretty sure if there was an issue it would have been mentioned.

Only problems I have had with mine have been the rear coil stick breaking down leading to dropping the rear spark and the crank speed sensor giving some occasional error, both replaced and bike runs solid. The Coil stick was expensive (£150) but I have since found that they are the same as some GSXR being Nippon Denso which are readily available much cheaper, so I can't even blame it on dodgy italian electrics.

The crank sensor was replaced as a matter of course because I didn't want it to fail, and leave me stranded. I think that was £60. The rear coil stick failed I think because they generally tend to run quite hot in summer, no oil cooler and lack of air cooling to the rear head regularly saw temps of over 104c. I have since fitted and oil cooler and side pods to direct air to the rear head and the drop in running temperature at high ambient (summer) levels has been significant.

The infamous ducati reg/rec reliabliity can be improved by a relocater kit which puts it in the air flow as opposed to under the seat, again didn't have a problem it was just a preventative modification, but they do need a good quality battery for reliable starting as most big 900+ Ducati do.

[Albie]

Usually the front coil gets all the issues being the one exposed to the front wheel spray etc. Mine was replaced when it sort of fell apart when I did a revamp. Never had any complaints in my ownership and actually miss the old girl. They are still awesome and very enjoyable and reliable if loved like any monster.

[jerry]

when i first got mine a 2001 model in 2006 it had 5 flaky rockers ,, but that was probably due to the previous owner who only put 3900 kms on it in 5 years (japanese sunday rider and never ridden above 100kph ) i replaced all with megacycle ones ,,other than that it has been all over South East Asia and is really reliable,,,I have made many modifications , PC3, forks, ohlins shocks ,yoke ,bars, and more , coils are same as honda CBR600r and can be had very cheap on Ebay ,,,oil changes are essential and fully synthetic oil.. check tightness of Alternator and clutch nuts ...good battery is essential... and check the regulator connections for burnout and add a big heatsink ,,and turn it upside down for better airflow,

[Darren69]

I had read or heard somewhere that the flaky rockers was suspected to have been caused by a step or some treatment process in the manufacturing that had not been done.

[Darren69]

Anyway regardless of rumours and speculation on the actual cause. I found this advice from Neil @ Cornerspeed on the DSC forum which should help:-

nelly
13-Jan-2005, 11:20 PM
The rockers are still a problem. They do seem less frequent as the newer rockers go in as replacements though.
I think there have now been 7 or 8 part number revisions, so it's something that has been evolving.................
Mr S, they are a little more expensive than your prices though. £90 and £100 are closer to the mark for openers and closers. They've gone up again a little to as the 2005 prices kick in.

I think the key to preserving them, from an owners point of view, is to firstly let the bike warm up properly. Don't even get on it until the temp. gauge has moved. This is more about getting the oil to the heads as it can take time. Sigma have documented a test where it took 90 seconds before a feed reached the heads.
The temp gauge rule is purely an indicator to use to be sure it's had this time to get the juices flowing.
The other thing to watch is that the tickover, on the fast idle button, is not too high. I try and get it as low as is possible providing it will start from cold. If the tickover is too high, then at 2500rpm you'll bash the rockers, without oil, 1500 times more in the 90 seconds rather than if the tickover was 1500 rpm. Get it off fast idle as soon as is possible to. This can only help.
One thing that makes me cringe more than anything else is the Ducati owner who starts his bike in a crowded car park, and then proceeds to treat everyone to the Ducati symphony. Revving the nuts off it. Sounds great, but he WILL regret it.

The oil can, obviously, have a dramatic effect to. Only use good quality synthetic oil. I only use, as do others, 15W/50. Ducati recommend 10W/40, which although will flow better from cold, will also run to the sump quicker when hot, when you turn the engine off. The thinking is that the 15W will leave more "residual" lubrication over the rocker faces for the next cold start. Personally, I go along with that thinking also.
The other advantage of the 15W/50 is that oil pressure will remain good at high temps. but that's another story.

I've not found anywhere in the UK doing resurfaced rockers. There are a few treatments available that prolong the life, but personally, I'm not convinced by these yet. The most reputable that I know to is the treatment offered by Sigam Performance.
I'm looking at some from Germany soon, hopefully, that if good enough I will use.
I've also got a couple of ideas to solve the slow feed to the heads from a cold start. But these need work and testing before I even think about putting them up for retail.................

The keys are to let it warm up, let the oil get to the heads without revving it too high and use good oil. Do that and you've done all you can. It does work. there are good mileages on some 4V bikes. Mines got 18K+ on it and hasn't had one rocker yet.

[manx999]

Finally took the plunge S4 arrived this morning

[jerry]

Congrats MANX999 ,enjoy


Rockers are usually cheaper if sourced from USA i got a whole set of 8 Megacycle ones on a service exchange for the old ones for $400 in 2008 since then then have done 25,000 miles and no wear at all I also use 15/50w fully synthetic oil and always let the bike warm up . my S4 has 32,000 miles and also has some performance mods ,,

always make sure battery is tip top and that fuel filter is changed every 10-15 k its a Mahle one and can be got at motorfactors for half the ducati price .

[manx999]

thanks for the reply,it was at a local dealer 18 months ago,by the time I had made up my mind it had gone,looked elsewhere for a while and then it reappeared at the dealer as owner had emigrated
02 model,10k miles,high level termis,other extra carbon bits,may be a bit too much carbon if I am honest,original exhaust supplied,belts done,oil and filter done,warranty,all keys,books and history all for a shade under 3k
Any improvements mods recommended ?

[Darren69]

The S4 came with a fair bit of carbon standard:- Beltcovers and both mudguards and would have had carbon heel guards on the standard low level cans. There's loads of mods which can make improvements depends on how deep your wallet is really. Heres some of the improvments I've made to mine that have been beneficial.

DP slipper clutch
Ohlins shock
Forks re-spung
Full exhaust system (was standard on mine as its a Fogarty)
Dynojet Power commander with custom fuel map.
DP Rear sets
Lightweight flywheel
Billet yokes with adjustable eccentric
DP Steering damper (again standard on the Foggy)
Clip Ons with risers (couldn't get on with the standard bars, horrible imo)
Corbin seat - much improved comfort
DP style fuel lines with quick release couplings (easy to get tank off!)
All stainless or titanium fasteners and a fair bit more carbon here and there.

Probably some others I have forgotten and I have a fair bit of other stuff yet to go on and some still in planning stage!
Brembo Clubmans Full floating front disks and 4 pad calipers, maxton fork updgrade, complete carbon body kit custom paint etc lol

That should you give you some ideas, the PC and custom map made a huge difference to the engine smoothing out, the lightweight fly wheel and clutch improved engine pick up and engine breaking,gear changes improved too Is much nicer to ride with just those 3 things.