Noob considering an S2R 800

Hi all,

My name is Mark and I'm from sunny E. Sussex.

Joined the forum as I'm considering an S2R 800 Monster as my first 'proper' bike having been pootling around and having great fun learning and getting more experienced on a 125 FB Mondial since Oct last year.

I'm quite late to biking being.....lets just say over 40 shall we! Have had a love for all things Ducati (and Italian in general) for a while ......2 Alfa Romeos, Italian holidays food, etc etc

- Look forward to rummaging around and finding out more to see if its a good choice for a 1st bike....

[mickj]

Welcome to the forum Mark.

[alan c]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to ukmoc

I really enjoyed my s2r800, good around town (for a Ducati) and fast enough on open roads, good light slipper clutch. good to upgrade suspension, I fitted better springs to front and fully adjustable rear shock, much nicer ride.

Also have a look at 696/796 ?

[Darkness]

Welcome aboard Mark.

[Darkness]

When checking an S2R 800, have a good look at the fuel tank.
The plastic tanks Ducati use don't seem to tolerate ethanol in petrol and water very well.
Check the tank hasn't swollen too much (Or at all?) as that causes lack of fit on the frame tubes and between seat and steering. It can also cause the paint to split and flake off!

[Blah blah]

S2r 800 is a good choice (I may be biased though)

[Nickj]

I've got an S2R and am also way past 40 ... yes the tanks can swell quite a bit !! then the paint can lift off and bubble or stay put and split. Otherwise it's a nice bike that's got the looks of the older carbed generation blended in with a bit of a more modern style with the single sider and stacked pipes.
Overall it is a nice well mannered bike, runs well enough and after a 125 will give you adequate performance, not going out drag a jap four but it will probably out handle it ... IF you do some work on the suspension, the rear shock is a bit lacking in adjustment as is the front.
Personally I don't worry about it too much, most people these days are weekend warriors and don't ride the bike they let it ride them so are frequently easy prey on the right roads.

For all the rest I have a 748R does the job nicely with surgical precision, the monster could handle almost as well given a major suspension upgrade, but it couldn't get to the same performance.

Many thanks all for the very warm welcome, and for all the useful info - very much appreciated

I hadn't heard that about the tanks, so that is worth knowing - does it get so bad it needs a new tank or will a re-spray sort it out (i.e. just cosmetic)?

.....Also probably a bad idea to brim it and leave it in the sun all day then?

Thanks alan c,I'll have to check out the 696/796 also - not really looked at these yet.

The belts scare me a little also, but it looks like they are easy enough to change, so presumably just a case of ensuring that they are done, or just change as a matter of caution...?

I was initially looking at 400 - 600cc stuff but saw the S2R and have to admit I'm quite a fan of the café racer look..........even though I don't have a big beard or check shirt

Much searching of the forum and more research to be done me thinks - thanks again for the info guys.

[utopia]

Don't be scared of the belts.
They're really very simple to change and tension yourself.
When the time comes, there's a very good video by Chris Kelly (Ducatitech) to guide you.
Valve clearance adjustments are the tricky one, but they seldom need attention.

Older style monsters like the S2R are particularly friendly to the diy mechanic, while newer ones like the 696/796 are slightly less so.

S2R has lower spec, single acting front brake calipers.

Single sider swingarm looks cool but I prefer the simpler, lighter, more maintenance friendly, double siders.
Therefore I would look at 750ie and 800ie models instead .. but its a personal thing.
They would also avoid the plastic tank issue (though steel ones can rust, obviously).

Any monster of around that size or above will have more than enough power unless you want to mile-crunch on the motorway at silly speeds.
I've had bikes since 1970, have owned my 750 for 12yrs and still don't hanker after more power.

Most (all ?) of the above bikes have a wet clutch so you won't get the distinctive Ducati dry clutch rattle.
On the other hand, the wet clutches give less trouble and require less maintenance.

Hope that's a few pointers to help you in your choice.

And welcome along.

[Nickj]

Originally Posted by Duke @ E

I hadn't heard that about the tanks, so that is worth knowing - does it get so bad it needs a new tank or will a re-spray sort it out (i.e. just cosmetic)?

.....Also probably a bad idea to brim it and leave it in the sun all day then?

The tanks actually get physically bigger, longer, taller and wider. Paint wo't make it shrink back so a replacement or take it off and keep it nice and warm for a few weeks (empty) should allow a lot of the moisture to flash off and shrink back.

Best idea is ro actually keep the tank either empty or as full as possible. If it's full to the brim then the ethanol can't absorb any water, there is no space for it. The down side is any water in the fuel can seperate out and will accumulate at the bottom of the tank, with a plastic tank that's a so what thing, with a steel tank thats the bottom rusting out.

Nasty stuff ethanol

[Blah blah]

The tanks swell as a result of absorbing moisture from the fuel - it's not just S2rs affected, other models (and makes) were are also prone to tanks swelling so I wouldn't worry too much...I had the problem a few months ago and after a bit of lateral thinking it's back to normal. There are sealants that apparently prevent it or alternatively just keep an eye on it and worry about it if it happens (or you could always invest in an alloy tank for ££££s).

As for the belts, it normally takes me longer to get the belt covers off than it does to actually change them, you-tube has lots of videos, and it's not that difficult if you know your way around a set of allen keys.

People will say that the standard brakes are weak and the suspension isn't great but it's all relative, the brakes are good just not great, as is the suspension but they're both much better than most 125s. They are quite rare so you might struggle to find one - mine's a keeper (well, apart from the bits I've cut off...)

Oh, and pics when you get one!

[Darren69]

The S2R 1000 has better brakes and suspension than the 800 but there are even fewer of those around. The 800 will probably be good enough and can be easily upgraded later but could work out dearer doing that than getting the 1000.

[mickj]

If you do end up with a plastic tank dry it out for a couple of weeks and then only use esso super unleaded, it's probably the only ethanol free fuel left in the UK.