R1100S instead of Duc?

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

My air cooled affliction started with a vw-based dune buggy in 1973, and today manifests itself in a '79 911SC that is morphing into a track car. To help complete the mid life crisis, I completed the MSF course and am looking for a bike after a long layoff (used to ride enduros way back when, and have thousands of miles on bicycles, racing both road and offroad).

My objects of lust have mostly been Ducati Monsters, but I've also had a soft spot over the years for R bikes. Since I want something for canyons, cruises, and the occasional track day though, I figured a Duc was the way to go. But more than one person has chimed in with R1100S. So what say this crowd?

bikpaintr · 03-14-2005, 10:33 AM

I say ride them both & buy the one YOU like the best.

DanGreene · 03-14-2005, 10:36 AM

So far, at age 52, the R1100S has been the best all-round fun motorcycle I have ever owned. The only down side at all was that I did not find it to be a good two-up ride.

johnnydanger · 03-14-2005, 10:50 AM

Hrm, tough call. The S definitely is more flexible in that it tours great, you can ride it a long ways without getting 2x4 crotch, etc. etc. I've ridden my friends Monster 900 before and after a 944 high comp engine kit. In stock trim the S and monster are about neck and neck accelerationg-wise until about 80mph where the S starts to walk away. Now with the 944 kit the monster is a bit quicker til a bit over 100mph and has 'lightening' reflexes as far as power on/off. It now really scoots whenever you tell it to which makes it feel a lot faster and in turn makes my S feel a bit lethargic.

As far as handling the Monster is a lot smaller and nimbler especially at slow speed. In turn the S is much more stable and solid feeling in the high speed twisties.

Both are fun, but I think the monster has the edge as far as its sporty nature and the S has the edge by a good margin as far as an 'all arounder'.

Tough call. Ride 'em both and see for yourself. As far as a track bike... dunno.

Dr. Curve · 03-14-2005, 10:55 AM

A stock R11S will totally trounce a Ducati Monster in the hard mountains with snakey curves and real world rough pavement. No brainer. You get our (collective) age and the main thing is to get a bike that............ does "it" the same way every time..........has a suspension that can take anything the road has to offer..........does not nose dive and lessen its wheelbase when you are having to brake into and sometimes thru the corner..........and has the serious torque to flat F-----g "pull-launch" you out of the corners when power is really needed to be "predictabily" put on the ground. The S has a shorter stopping distance (from any MPH, non-abs) than the Monster series, applies more peak torque to the ground for a longer part of its RPM range, holds a more percise line thru rough surface conrers and has a higher top end. For a man of your experience this should be a no brainer. Don't go desmo unless you like to tinker.........

DanGreene · 03-14-2005, 11:10 AM

Ditto on the good Doctor's comment on the tinkering. My Ducati experience with my 03 ST4s has been the most frustrating motorcycle experience I have ever had... many clutch and electrical problems. When it is running correctly it is great fun, but I got a lemon. Motorcycle riding is my favorite hobby and my therapy. I don't need the frustration of constant tinkering and trips back to the dealer. Good luck with your decision and ride safe.

ckcarr · ckcarr's Garage

I've had both. Some here have both. Completely different rides, thats all. If you were comparing Duc to BMW you probably should be looking at ST3 or ST4's, not Monster to BMW. You need to assess what you want in a bike. And where you'll be riding.

bikerfish1100 · 03-14-2005, 11:12 AM

take bikpainter's suggestion- ride 'em both & see which works best for you. and take everything the good Dr. says with (at least) a few grains of salt. we (mostly) all love our S bikes- but he tends to get a bit fanatical, and may occasionally ignore pieces of reality that he finds to be annoying.

John Lyon · 03-14-2005, 11:19 AM

Since you included "cruises" in your list, I think the S wins out (luggage, comfort, heated grips). If you were strictly looking for a day bike, it would be a closer call. Another consideration: I really like the low-maintenance aspect of having no chain to deal with, in addition to what's been said above. I've owned my S for 4 years - have only replaced tires and a battery - oops, and a clutch spline, which was fixed under warranty.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

hmm...low maintenance is a good thing. I get varying stories on Duc tinkering. Seems like you either get a good one or you don't.

There are a couple of Ss around in SoCal. I'll try to ride one and see. Any common gotchas to look for (or is there an faq around)? From what I gather high miles isn't an issue as long as it has been attended to.

Firebolter · 03-14-2005, 11:38 AM

S is a good bike. Will do what you are asking with no problems. Dependable and a fun bike.

One thing I would argue about chains though, assuming a bike comes with a decent chain (Regina) once broken in, very little maint required. On my Aprilia it has a Regina chain and I wash the bike, wipe the chain down with a cloth with some lub sprayed on it and done.

My favorite thing about chain over shaft is quick and easy gear changing. You still have to change fluid in the shaft every once in awhile and you could have to maybe change a seal. I just think the pro's and con's between the two are a wash.

I had my S for 2 years and had no issues with it. WIll definitely be better for touring than a monster would.

tbsstunta · 03-14-2005, 11:41 AM

I would have thought you would compare the Monster with the Rockster due to their similarity of purpose. Since the S has that fairing I thought you'd be comparing the S against one of the STs.

John Lyon · 03-14-2005, 11:54 AM

Regarding comparisons, my guess is that Nostatic likes the looks of both the Monster (more than the ST) and the S (more than the Rockster), which is often the first hurdle for bike purchases: "Will I be proud to be seen in public on this thing?"

Steve Carlton · 03-14-2005, 11:58 AM

Hey Todd- welcome to the parallel universe. Curious. What sort of budget do you want to work with? Paying cash or financing? The R11S has a smoking deal with 0.9% & 5 free payments.

markjenn · 03-14-2005, 12:05 PM

As others have said, you've first gotta decide if you want a sport-touring or a naked bike. Depending on which way you went, it would be R1100S vs. ST3/ST4 or R1150R vs. Monster, but not R1100S vs. Monster.

The naked bikes tour fine, but they don't have the weather protection of the sport-tourers and you're more hemmed in but their price-sensitive pitch. And in the case of the Ducs, you don't get options for stuff like ABS and hard luggage.

Whichever direction you go, it would be a toss-up for me whether to go BMW or Duc. The BMW might be a little more comfortable, while the Duc might be a touch better performer and vibrates less. If you like to take rough backroads at speed, it is hard to beat the BMW's telelever - nothing is as easy to ride and stable when the pavement gets seriously gnarly. The Duc would like smooth roads better.

You'll find folks who have had bad reliability experiences in either, although I'd probably give the nod to the BMW once the mileage starts to build beyond 40K or so. And the BMWs are definitely less trouble in one area: valve adjustments. But still, if you like the Ducs, I wouldn't hesitate to own one. Neither bike can hold a candle in reliability to something like a VFR.

Final consideration might be that the current S is in its twilight years. Some folks really like to be up-to-date with their bike and I wouldn't recommend an S for these folks. There is also the question of whether you'd take it in the shorts on resale if the new BMW is a hit, but I could see demand for the old model being very healthy if the new one doesn't meet expectations. Certainly the R1150GS's seem to remain fairly popular even with the R1200GS being a hit, especially in Adventure trim. I could see the same thing happening with the S.

Couple year old S models right now are bargains if you can go used. $7500 will can pick up a very clean bike with desirable upgrades.

- Mark

John Lyon · 03-14-2005, 12:06 PM

Uh oh, I can see a net present value calculation coming. And I always thought this was an obtuse universe...

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

I'm looking used, as my original budget was around $5-6K (that was for a Monster). I started seeing Ss in the 7K range though, and if it really send me, I'd stretch that way.

As for the logic of comparisons, there isn't that much in my head. John hit it on the head...both bikes (Monster and R1100S) "speak" to me in ways that the ST3/4 and R1150R don't. And since riding a bike on the streets of SoCal really isn't logical, why should the bike choice be? Kinda like the last 2.5 years I spent using my '79 911SC as a daily driver (with the AC ripped out, race seats installed, etc). Not much logic there. Well, actually there is to me but that is another totally different story...

Steve Carlton · 03-14-2005, 02:23 PM

So, looks like you've got it narrowed down to an S or a Monster, $5-7K range. Some thoughts:

The Monster frame was improved in 2002. (I had a 2001 750).

Canyons - advantage Monster in the really tight stuff; more tossable. Otherwise, the S has a much better suspension with the telelever front end, and is more forgiving of errors. And much much more stable.

Cruises - advantage S. Better wind protection. The Monster will have your body as a sail to the wind. The S has the best integrated luggage on the market. Heated grips on many.

Track day- advantage S. More of a sportbike; more stable and confidence-inspiring. The Monster is more of a standard; not fun at high speed. 620 or 750 Monsters would suck at the track, I would think. The sportier Ducs are better for the track than the S.

The best advice is to ride both and see what you think. All the rationalization in the world on paper won't be as useful. Also, check insurance rates...

John Lyon · 03-14-2005, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nostatic
Kinda like the last 2.5 years I spent using my '79 911SC as a daily driver (with the AC ripped out, race seats installed, etc). Not much logic there. Well, actually there is to me but that is another totally different story...

You aren't, by chance, the UCLA professor with the article in the paper this Sunday? If so, its all a chemical dependency - can't be helped!!

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

nope, but I used to be a chemistry professor. Does that count?

and actually I don't know that I'm totally set on those two. I still occasionally have vision of a supermotard-type bike (F series maybe? Husky?), especially after riding nice tall enduros 20 years ago and last week at MSF. Then there is that damn Triumph Speed Four in signal orange (lucifer orange is their term, but looks like signal to me) that haunts me.

time to ride a few options methinks...