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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128225
However, though the S4R is a much more capable freeway flier than you might have expected - that wind deflector does at least do just that, even if the sight of it constantly wobbling in your peripheral vision is so annoying - be prepared for some vibration through the handlebars at sustained higher revs anywhere above 6000 rpm on the autostrada, which is rather irritating if you're just cruising along minding your own business at 80 mph in the inside lane. Given the S4 didn't suffer from this, it must relate to the balance factor of the bigger engine. Solution: go faster, so you can stop thinking about it because you have to worry more about a) holding on tight and b) the chance you might have to use the S4R's excellent Brembo brakes to avoid that Mack truck that's just pulled out in front of you, or the line of Fiats queuing up behind it to make like Michael in his F1 Ferrari once Mack moves aside. The mega-Monster's brakes are excellent, with lots of bite - I agree with Malagoli that race-spec radial brakes such as Aprilia uses on the Tuono are overkill on a Naked bike, especially with less weight on the front wheel compared to a fully-faired sportbike. Still, the S4R motor has retained its distinctive dropped exhaust camshaft cylinder head format, a design first used on the works Superbikes in 1994, with the advantage that Ducati can thus locate the L-twin engine as far forward as possible in the wheelbase without fouling the front wheel under heavy braking and in turn optimizing weight distribution (50/50 percent static - some kind of record for an unfaired desmo) as well as loading up the front wheel for better grip in turns. The trick-looking curved oil cooler beneath the similarly shaped radiator also plays a part in this. The result is that you can keep up turn speed really well on the S4R, which moreover feels short and flickable, even retaining the same steering geometry (57.6-inch wheelbase/24-degree head angle) as the S4/ST4s. It's not unstable or nervoushandling any time, especially once you've warmed up that pesky French !Above leftl This Monster features Ducatl's proven single-sided swlngann, which makes room for the characteristic exhaust routing. exhausts reveal a bit of engine clatter, which used to be hidden by the sound of thunder coming from the twin silencers but now is more evident than on the Aprilia V-twin. The Ducati feels like more of a point-andsquirt package than the more wellrounded Aprilia, especially the Tuono Racing version, which must be the ultimate track-day tool, but the S4R does have a perfectly valid suspension package once the right tires are fitted, which allow you to. reap the benefit of that, plus the brakes are better real-world stoppers in street use than the Tuono's radial setup. As against that, the Aprilia has a much more user-friendly clutch, which won't seize your hand up after fifteen minutes in town. Anyway, someone interested in going Superbike sportrodding has to compare and contrast by taking each of these two for a test ride before making a purchase. Depends what you're looking (Above right) The gauges are easy to read, and the bars offer plenty of leverage. (Below) No passengers allowedl rear tire with some, ah, artificial assistance, which also makes you appreciate that the clutch is so strong! Do that (or better, fit Pirellis or Dunlops, which warm up quicker the natural way, without creating lots of smoke!), and you'll appreciate just how dialed-in Ducati has the S4R's fully adjustable Showa suspension. This features the same 43mm upsidedown forks as on the S4, now TINcoated Superbike-style for extra compliance, but the old bike's Sachs rear shock has now been replaced by an all-new piggyback Showa, positioned slightly differently to take account of the single-sided swingarm. The result is a high level of suspension feedback, with firm but very acceptable ride quality by sportrod standards the Ducati feels planted over rough surfaces, where you can feel the suspension doing its job, and it eats up bumps in fast turns without the trace of a wiggle. It handles nicely - once you get a rear tire that sticks. OK - bottom line: How does the S4R stack up against the Tuono threat to Monster mastery in the streetrod stakes (which is most probably the reason Ducati brought the launch of the new mega-Monster forward a couple of months at the last moment - the bike wasn't supposed to reach the showrooms till the end of June, but here it is being launched in late April)? Well, there's no doubting the S4R is more butch-looking in appearance than the more designeresque Aprilia, and when riding it, this visual impression is redeemed by the desmoquattro motor's more muscular midrange power and impressive acceleration. But the Tuono feels more of a piece than the Ducati, smoother and easier to ride hard, as well as more refined in terms of power delivery, handling and overall impressions - the S4R's well-silenced cue I e for in such a bike, really ... However, though both these motorcycles are valid contenders for top honors in the sportrod stakes, both Ducati and Aprilia better make hay in the showroom this summer, because come October, they're going to have to deal with the KTM 950 Duke - all 112 bhp at the rear wheel and 374 pounds of it. Compare those figures with the ST4's spec, and you'll gauge the size of the challenge that's about to be presented to the established order of Naked sportrodding. But for now at least the Monster S4R is way cool, way torquey and way, way wild... eN n e _ s • JULv30, 2003 31