Fire - how do you know what religion the mudguard is ? Roadtrip - Self what ? Sorry, I have no idea what th second word means...
Can we rename this thread please?.... errrmmm ... to the "Why am I considering selling everything I own and putting another five years on my mortgage to buy the new Multistrada next year" thread?!....
I'm quite an expert. I have studied many mudguards and it's common that because of their hazardous and precarious existence they turn to religion in an attempt to find a "higher meaning", rather than just accepting that being bolted to the front of a projectile, piloted by typically an enthusiastic rider whose ambition outpaces their talent. They are prone to depression, believing that where they have ended up is a consequence of their own worth and actions. Many mudguards are Buddhist, and hope that if they live a worthy life that they'll be reincarnated as a tankpad, attached to Kiera Knightley's beige SS. Namaste!
I bought my 996SPS because for me it has the most "Ducati-ness" of any Ducati. It is the perfect blend of form and function - beautiful to look at but still bare-back raw. I had a brand new 998 FE (the last one in the country) which I didn't even get home from the dealers before high siding and writing it off with less than 30 miles on the clock. I am glad it happened because the insurance enabled me to buy the SPS. On reflection the smoother refined looks and engine of the 998 were a disappointment. The SPS looks and feels more like what a Ducati should! It hasn't been ridden for the last few years and currently sits in my house, but she'll be back on the road as my main ride year after next
A few years later I bought my ST4s because it looked like I might be doing some travelling for work and maybe the Mrs and I might be able to find time for some 2-up trips. I'd fallen in love with the Desmoquattro engine in my SPS and when I started looking it was clear that you could get a ST4s very cheap. I stumbled upon this beauty on a classic car forum - it was being sold by its 65 year old owner who bought it five years earlier on a whim but hardly used it. I took the train up to Leeds to view it and it was like new so I haggled a bit and rode it all the way home to Somerset. It is a brilliant bike. All day comfortable, handles great and the 996 engine in this state of tune is an absolute delight. The planned work and 2-up trips with the wife didn't happen so I don't use the ST4s at the moment but it isn't worth very much and would be hard to replace so I won't be selling her any time soon!
If I hadn't have been utterly seduced by the idea of owning a 999S, I would have gone for an ST4S. I know, they aren't equivalent bikes but I didn't have the money for both and owning either bike would have made sense for me.
Looking at Dave's pic I can't help feeling the 916 series...is starting to look dated. Sorry, but it is. From the side the ST4 looks better. The 999 series looks better still. How times change...
I agree, in photos it is starting to look dated against the latest bikes with tiny tail pieces and mass centralised exhausts, but it has taken 20 years and it is still more beautiful. No modern bike can hope to become such an icon. In the flesh I think it looks a lot less dated than in photos. Also, the photo above is not the best angle as it accentuates the size of the tail piece. So far as the ST goes , I'm not sure you could say that is a good-looker from any angle (but it doesn't matter when you are sat on it)!
They don't call it the "Gentleman's Express" for nothing. I expect I'll start riding it a bit more when I finally grow up ... If that ever happens!
