So far so good

[Cess pit]

Thought I'd share my impressions of the S4r monster now the first service is out of the way.

I can describe the monster in one word.....thrust. Thats how she feels when you wind on the power, just a big surge forward, almost any gear, any revs and this makes for some extremely rapid forward motion. Having fitted a 14 tooth front sprocket has aided this and smoothed out power delivery somewhat at slower speeds. I'd recommend the swap.
Up to the ton the small fairing works very well, even though it flaps about a bit, but beyond the magic century you really do have to hang on and tuck down, especially as the bike is still pulling hard well into 3 figure speeds.
I love the handling too. I would describe the bike as quite loose, though whether I'll get a steering damper in the future... I'm not sure as I quite like the feel. she does shake her head a little over bumps on the power but nothing alarming.
Standard settings on the suzzies seem fine for the road, on the firmish side but again I like that and the whole feel of the bike suits my style/skill level (pretty average).
Compared to a full on sports bike things appear a little more relaxed, less focused and well....just loose I guess.
The Michelin Pilot 2cts are brilliant for the road. Quick to warm up and very good in the wet. I find they give a high degree of confidence, probably because they seem to feed back such a lot of feel you know how far you can push. with the weather lately being so wet I can't remember riding so confidently or quickly in these conditions as Ive been doing.
Tank range varies from light on at 80 miles, very spirited riding to light on at 125 miles at a steady motorway 90mph coming back from Brands Hatch.
The bike is comfy, easy to potter about on yet capable of scaring you sh*tless if you push on, it is a really swift piece of kit, good handling in a very Ducati type way...slow in fast out with some pretty high corner speeds being maintained.
With the reduced serving costs to boot, I admit to being in love with my monster...bring on the bling !!!!!!!

[749_MON]

What did you have before?
I'm tempted to follow a similar route, but still a bit undecided, firstly as its such a change from a 749 and also with the rumours about a new M1100, it may be waiting to see what that's like and what deals may be around in the future on the S4R/RS

[Cess pit]

A long list of sports/jap bikes....including an 848, which was brilliant but very focused and uncomfortable for my back.
Ive read that Ducati want to return to the traditional monster...ie water cooled so maybe the likes of the S4r wont be seen again. Who knows.
The new monster 1100 should be a beastie though.

[andyrh]

An interesting write up

The front sprocket change is an interesting one, how many teeth does the OEM cog have.

I agree with the loose feeling with regards to the handling and compared to the 749 is very different, but no less assured in the twisties.

[Cess pit]

[

how many teeth does the OEM cog have.

Think it is 15 mate