Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

preload and a d jus ting th e re ar r ide heigh t in an effort to make the bike turn better a nd increase ground clearance. All thi s on a touring bik e we' d ridd en co m fo rta b ly at 100 mph p lus on the open highway after doing a bit of lanesplitting leaving the Borgo Panagale factory on the nor th side of Bologna . I love Italy. The first thing you ' ll no tice abo ut the ST4 in walking u p to it is that yo u likely won' t know for su re whether it's an ST4 or not - cosmetically there is little to dis tinguish it from its 944cc two-valve brother. Tru e, one of the colors is differen t - they bot h come in a ty pica l Duca ti red , with the ST4 ava ilable in black for the less flamb oyant purcha ser - but the panels , ga ug es, sea t - every thing excep t for a couple of decals - is identical. Bu t after y o u thumb th e s tar te r , you' ll know th is ain't no ST2. Under the typical dry-clutch clatter and ticking of desm o valve gear, the chuff-chuff of the Duke's 90-degree V-twin has a differ ent , more authoritative quality. Th e rea ~on is clear. Usuall y when a man ufacturer decid es to use an engi ne fr om a p e rformance bi ke fo r anothe r mach in e in its lineup, there is ofte n the misg u ided urge to d et ur!. th e powere plan t for use in its new , less sporting chassis . That's no t th e case wi th the ST4. Th e powerp lan t is pure 916, with th e onl y p erform a n ce m od s to th e eng ine proper bein g to the engi ne- ma nageme nt system to enha nce d riv ability a t lower revs - understandabl y not the biggest conce rn on the 916, but impor tan t on a bike with a mor e mellow calling. And that's it. The airbox is d ifferen t from the 916's, as are the intake trumpets, and the cylinder heads have been mad e more compact on the exha ust side (by loweri ng th e ca ms ha ft) to allow a more optimal placem ent of the power - plant in the chass is, but a t the 'core this baby's all Nine-One-Six. Life is good . I love Italy. The torque peak is basically the same for both the ST2 and ST4 - right around 62 ft.-lb. - but the tw o-v al ver fad es as the re vs rise. Not so with the ST4. After the nOO-rpm peak, torque ge ts pumped out at arou nd 60 ft.-lb. all the wa y up to 9000 rpm and only sta rts to wa ne after that poi nt, still ab ove 50 past the 10,000 rpm red line, lo ng, long af ter the ST2' s power has gone to bed . In filct, the ST4' torque output stays ab ove 50 ft.-lb. from Wha t about 5000 rpm to beyond 'IO,OOO. _ If ~ 1\ left) What's miss ing from this picture? Sadd lebags. They'll / run you about $800 on top of the ST4's $14,495 askin g price. Spring'" ./ preload adjustment at the rear is now s tepped, with the wrench . included In the too l kit. IA!'O efl9ht) Big Brembos haul the SOD-pound ST4 in with authority. V « Left) The sa me gauge package used on the ST2 is found on the ST4. In addition to the 11,OOD-rpm tach and 16D-mph speedo, there is an LCD d isplay that s hows fuel level, engine tempe rature and the time. (Below);rhe ST4 makes all the right Ducati noises. The dry clutch is ) also~tYPi~1 Ducat; • a fairly heavy pull.

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