Thinking of a change and always liked the street fighter, fancy something a little less serious as the 1198s which I ride atm. Anything I have to look out for apart from the usual? I don't really know a great deal about the sf either, did they have any re-call work done? Your thoughts and comments would be great. Thanks
No recalls as far as I know. Early 1098 SBs had weak main bearings. It seems Ducati used a new type of bearing in the 1098 which was not as durable than the kind they had been using in previous bikes. When my 1098 SF had an engine blueprint I was advised that the mains should be replaced with the older type of bearing, but when the engine was split it turned out it had the older type fitted already. My SF is a 2010 bike so I am surmising that Ducati had ditched the suspect new bearings in the Testastretta engines and reverted to the dependable older type before the SF was put into production. The SF engine uses 1198 crankcases because they are lighter. So I am assuming, and the guys who worked on my engine are assuming, that main bearing weakness is a problem on early 1098 SBs and the SF is not affected. Otherwise I can't think of any particular problems. Ball race headstock bearings are crap on a wheelie-happy bike and are best replaced with taper rollers. My fork bushes are shot after 15,000 miles. So check both carefully before buying and haggle/budget accordingly. The steering is quite slow as there is quite a lot of rake for sports-derived bike (which doesn't help the health of headstock bearings and fork bushes). Its steadfast to the point of being stubborn in bends, doesn't like micro-adjustments once committed to a line and has a tendency to sit up and run wide. There is a lot that can be done to sharpen things up and they do benefit greatly from having a professional suspension set up so keep that in mind during a test ride. Fuelling isn't great though it varies a lot bike to bike. A CJS custom remap is well worth considering. Catted OE silencers are awful things which strangle the bike. Pays to seek out a bike with Termis fitted or budget for exhaust replacement. Austin Racing system is getting good reports and is cheaper, and lighter, than Termis. Otherwise, yes, its the usual stuff. Check chain tension as well. They should have a visible amount of slack but many owners and non-Ducati workshops tend to over-tighten them which doesn't do the gearbox any good at all. I love mine and I'd never get rid of it. They're got a charisma like few other bikes and they're terrific fun to ride. Many SF new-comers are slightly taken aback by the vanishing front end. There is virtually nothing of the bike visible in front of the instrument panel and at first you feel like you're going to take a nose dive over the bars. But you get used to it and when I've been riding faired bikes, getting back on the SF feels liberating, like I'm flying.
Bought mine sf in 09, never had any issues, did a 12k inspection here in NL "Biggelaar" just before the factory warranty was running out. They performed a ecu reflash with a lot of test runs on the bench. Put out a enormous 155 at the wheel and it's running very smooth now. Before the reflash we had the standard Ducati fuel issues, on/off, and below 5k rpm unstable running. Now it's perfect and around 20k. Have fun with the search and enjoy.
Thanks for your comments, really interesting to read. I'm coming off a pretty tricked out 1198s so termis and a few bits of carbon on the streetfighter are a must. Another thing I've noticed is how well they hold money, and are far and few between so ill keep looking for the right one. But thanks for your input
They were never popular and didn't sell in great numbers. Perversely this means that used values stay high. Bought mine new in 2013 and can't ever see me selling it. It's the best and most fun bike I've owned. I decided to sell a bike last year and the 1098s bit the bullet with the SFS keeping her place in the garage. My thoughts are............Do it
You wont go far wrong with a 1098 SF. I owned one then sold it for 'a more modern super-naked' - bought a new Tuono. I miss the tits off my Streetfighter! For road riding there's no competition to a 1098SF for character, charm and loveliness!
Ducati killed the SF with the price. Trying to shift naked that was more expensive five years ago than the S1000R is today wasn't great marketing. Now the rest of the industry has caught up and made a success of expensive nakeds, riders are rediscovering the joys of old-school, analogue brawn against smarty-pants electronic sophistication.
I think there's a place for electronics and modern bikes are better to ride but the character and charm is definitely missing. I miss this the most. Buy a 1098 Streetfighter. I would.
Thanks for the help. You've confirmed my dission, now I just need to find one. How are they comfort wise? And how many miles can you get from a tank? The 1198s is quite bad.
I find them very comfortable. The seat is much better than it looks. You'll have no trouble at all riding the tank dry in comfort. I've never had numb bum syndrome. There's a little ache in wrists and shoulders after a while. But its a long while and its not nearly as severe as most sports bikes. I could ride mine all day with fuel breaks. I'm 5'11" and I get almost no wind turbulence. There's pressure but its clean, steady pressure and its not tiring, or that noisy. For me its got the least wind blast of any naked I've ridden. I don't know why. You should get between 130 and 150 miles to a tankful with reasonably sensible riding but obviously if you nail it you'll really make it slurp. So as good as any naked really.
I'm 6'2" and the SF was incredibly comfortable. The seat to pegs to bars (tapered) distance was perfect for me and as @Gimlet says it has far less wind blast and associated neck ache that you'd think. The fuel consumption is really good for a super-naked! Tuono v4 does about 80 to the light, the KTM SDR a tonne. The SF is oddly frugal, I never really got my head around that...
The best bike I ever bought, totally mad yet easy to ride if you want. Don't think I'll ever need to buy a front tyre for it though...
I have just bought my second s, for reasons I won`t bore you with. A 2009 but with masses of DP stuff, Termis, very low mileage, and (I think) a reasonable price. Will eventually sell one and am hoping that their rarity will keep prices high.:Greedy: Go for it Lewygoosy. They are wonderful. You too nothingfaced.
Been recording my fuel usage. Post-tuning I'm now getting average 110 miles from brim-full to light (13.5 litres). Never logged fuel before the tune but I reckon I was lucky if I got 150 miles on a good day. If my maths is right I'm still getting 37mpg now though and that ain't bad for a big pokey twin with a heavy-handed and ham-fisted rider.
I'm in the process of getting a SF, but decide if I will get an 848 and wish I got the 1098, but then think i could be wasting it and just using it on smaller roads But depends on resale value I guess.... That black one looks soooo awesome, but red is the only one I can get if I go brand new
I use my 1098 on small roads all the time. Get the fuelling and suspension sorted and its a grand back road blaster. You can short shift and catapult your way between bends on the mid range grunt without troubling the top end or open it up and get it wailing when the going gets better. A sorted 1098 is an easy bike to ride if you keep it spinning and in the right gear and maintain a subtle throttle hand. I have to keep my wits about me on the bumpy stuff or there'll be a lot of unplanned wheelies. But that's all part of the fun.
