Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128104
2001 Ducat; ST4s it h the c reat i o n of the ST4s , D u cati h as b ro k ere d the perha ps inevitable m arriage of the t wo leading models in differen t b ranches of i t s c u rrent range , elect ing to extend its sp o rt touring lineup upward by combining, for th e first time in a singl e packa g e, th e p erfo rm a nc e of the World Superbike t itle -w innin g desmoquattro 996 sportbike engine, wi th th e practicality of the ST2/ST4 sp ort-touring cycle parts. In doing so , Ducati h as created a sw itch-hitting motorcy cl e that, on paper, promises t o b e th e b est o f both w o r lds - a Superb ike in drag. Still , however, fea tu red along side the ST4 s in the Du c ati catalog are the 94 3 cc de smodue-engined ST2, wh ich l aunc h ed th e f irm 's n ew -g en er at ion sport- touri ng famil y early in 199 7 as its first ne w model under A m eri c an owne rsh ip , as w ell as t he 9 16 c c desmoquattro -powered ST4 t h a t joined it at th e end of 1998. But while retaining these models' same overall styling conceived by Cagiva des igner (a nd Monster c reator) Miguel G a l luzzi, Ducat i has now topped off the ST segment of its range w ith a bik e that, with the add ition of a sm all 's' to its title, delivers a big in crease in per form ance and all ur e, without sacrificing convenience. As proved by a d ay spent riding the result during t h e ST4s press launch, held at t he Vairano proving ground s set amidst th e risotto- rai sing rice fi eld s south of M il an , thi s is an all -around motorcycle you can happi ly envisage at one extreme loading up wi t h l u g g a ge a n d y o ur f avo rite sq ueeze fo r a hig h -s peed bl ast from one end of Europ e to another, but yet con te m p la te putt ing to hard -e dged track-day use at the other, or a da ily co mmute in between. A key element in th is is the com plete multi -adju st abilit y of the ST 4 s chassis pack age , whic h follows in the tire tracks of its Su perbike sisters by pe rm itt in g y ou to tailor the Du c at i almost idea ll y to your chosen use, as well as to changi ng road conditions . So w h ile retain ing the same ba sic 40 n B Y A LA N C A T HCA RT P HOTO S BY K YOI CHI N A KAMURA W MAV16,200 1 ' cue I e e .. s tubular steel spacefrarne as the ST4 , th e s- bike is fitted with Showa's topof-the-Iine 43mm upside-down fork. In addition to having the stanchions TIN -coated with gol d -colored titanium nit ride pla sm a for enhanced c ompli ance via red uced friction, just as o n World Superbike and GP racers , these are a lso fu ll y adjustable , as is the higher-spec Oh lins rea r shock, which now has a remote hydraulic preload adj uster, fo r added ac cessib ili ty . T h is is n 't qui te as c o nveni ent to use as, say , th e simila r, fatter remote k no b on the Aprilia RSTl 000 Futura's Sac h s re ar sh o ck . T hi s o ne i s mounted on t h e r ight , insi d e t h e rid er' s leg , so yo u have to take yo ur ha nd off the th rottl e to adj ust it on the move, and the lack of a simple click marker makes it hard to find a setting when doing so even at rest, without painting a t ab of marker paint on the handle (ve ry Latin !) , so yo u ca n k eep track of the adjustment. But one tu rn of the awkwardly sma ll knurled k no b eq u al s 0.5mm o f c h a ng e in sp r ing pre load, so the 22 rotations avai lable gi ve 11mm of adjustment - enough to All dressed up and plenty of places to go. The Ducat! ST4s Is a sportblke and a tourer all wrapped up in one package. Add saddlebags and go touring, take them off and use the bike at a track day. tailor the ST4s ideall y for rid ing solo, as compared t o with luggage and/or a p asseng er , or fo r motorway cruis ing, as opposed to the twisty stuff. You 're aware of the ben efits of th is when you tak e to the test t rac k wh ere, a s d elivered on th e softest suspens ion settings and lowest rear rid e h e ight , th e ST4s v ery ea sily dr ag s the cen ter st and fitted as stan dard , tog eth er with the easy -t o- use, p o sit i ve-operat ion si de sta nd ( w hat , no su ici destan d? Yo u call t h i s a D u c at i? ! ) and race -type foo tpeg s un ad orned with rubbers o r hero ta bs. Th at 's until y o u stiffe n up th e rear end with 7mm of p relo ad, firm up the c ompressio n damp ing fou r cl ic k s on th e fork s to stop th e ex c essive frontend d ive under hard braking that the stock settings deliver , and ra ise -th e rear r i d e height 5mm ( o u t o f the