Help me decide!! - Monster 1000S or 900 Super Sport

[zooom]

both are decent deals.....but you should definitly ride both....the SS is a little harsher position wise than a 600 F3 depending on your physical stature....personally...I'd be lookin at the Monster....but what Amullo says is pretty on target...

Originally Posted by amullo

The Supersport is a good bike on track, VERY nice in twisties and okey in town. But it does have some lean forward, so a commute might be abit hard if your riding in the city.

The Monster is a great commute, great twisties and moderate pace track bike. You CAN change some stuff to go faster on the track, but if you normally get a knee down, your going to be dissapointed when taking it to the track, compared to the SS

[ddicosmo]

Thanks to everyone here for the great advice. I have indeed looked at the ST4s and absolutely love the bike but all the ones I've looked at have been quite expensive used. I'm looking to keep my budget at around 6k for a used Ducati and that is why I'm really leaning more towards one of the two bikes I mentioned. I considered a used ST3 but I have not been able to find any good used deals on those. I know for a fact that the 2004 monster is a really good deal since it is almost new, was owned and babied by a respectable adult doctor and is probably the better of the two deals. However, the SS is probably the better bike for me after having changed out the stock bars and added risers as people have suggested. The only qualm I have about that bike is I don't think I'm getting as good a deal on it as the monster and it is also quite a bit older with 13k miles. Even though I'm buying the bike through a ducati dealer, I have a feeling that the previous owner was younger and did not take care of the bike as well as the guy who had the monster. Finally, I really wanted a red ducati but it seems that yellow is all I can find especially for a good price. Am I being impatient here? I just feel like if I don't jump at one of these opportunities, I may not have another for a while and I really want a ducati to ride as soon as weather permits. I feel like I might miss the boat here. Thanks again for all of your help and great advice.

P.S. - By the way, is now a good time to buy a ducati (February in New England) or am I buying at a bad time? I am willing to wait another season to get a good deal and really find what I want (that is hopefully a red ducati and taking my time finding the right model that fits me well) if now is a bad time.

[amullo]

Just to make something clear about what i said earlier.

You might want to take a long hard look at finding an SS with the 1000DS engine if you decide on that.

Here is a comparision between a 900 and a 1000 engine. Both out of SS´s

Red: 1000DS
Green: 900IE
Stock



Mufflers and airfilters on both
Red: 1000DS
Green: STOCK ST4s



Ohh.. and this is the 1000DS compared to a ST4s 996..
If you feel that the ST´s is to "tame"
Green: ST4s
Red: 1000DS SS

[RotoRooterGuy]

Originally Posted by ddicosmo

Thanks to everyone here for the great advice. I have indeed looked at the ST4s and absolutely love the bike but all the ones I've looked at have been quite expensive used. I'm looking to keep my budget at around 6k for a used Ducati and that is why I'm really leaning more towards one of the two bikes I mentioned. I considered a used ST3 but I have not been able to find any good used deals on those. I know for a fact that the 2004 monster is a really good deal since it is almost new, was owned and babied by a respectable adult doctor and is probably the better of the two deals. However, the SS is probably the better bike for me after having changed out the stock bars and added risers as people have suggested. The only qualm I have about that bike is I don't think I'm getting as good a deal on it as the monster and it is also quite a bit older with 13k miles. Even though I'm buying the bike through a ducati dealer, I have a feeling that the previous owner was younger and did not take care of the bike as well as the guy who had the monster. Finally, I really wanted a red ducati but it seems that yellow is all I can find especially for a good price. Am I being impatient here? I just feel like if I don't jump at one of these opportunities, I may not have another for a while and I really want a ducati to ride as soon as weather permits. I feel like I might miss the boat here. Thanks again for all of your help and great advice.

P.S. - By the way, is now a good time to buy a ducati (February in New England) or am I buying at a bad time? I am willing to wait another season to get a good deal and really find what I want (that is hopefully a red ducati and taking my time finding the right model that fits me well) if now is a bad time.

I mentioned in my post that this being February was a good time to buy. Buying season does not start until about April.

You are correct to be concerned about the SS having been abused by the prior owner. So nothing wrong with jumping on a good deal with the Monster. You can do a color change through eBay if the yellow really bugs you.

Remember, if you get the Monster at a low enough price you can always sell it after the 2006 season.

But, key is to get something that will make you happy. If red is what you want and the sportbike feel is what you are looking for, then wait. The deals come along at some point. Always do.

Could give you some tips on where to look in your area, but your profile has NO INFORMATION at all about where you live, etc. So, your loss.

[duc97sp1]

It all depends on your riding style, available $$ and what shakes your tail feathers.

I have a '97 900ss/sp that fits my needs very well. I commute about 30 miles r/t to work, do a bunch of track days every year, weekend day rides and a few 2-4 day trips as time allows. This summer I hope to do my 1st Iron Butt SaddleSore run on it.

Touring mods include Helibars, LaminarLip, custom Sargent seat and a heated vest & gloves for spring & fall rides. Also have 39mm Keihins, RaceTech suspension upgrades and 39t sprocket. Throw on a tank bag, a set of soft bags, and maybe a tail bag and I'm gone. Doesn't get much better on the back roads than a 2 valver. Loads of stump-pulling torque, plenty of straight line power and it handles like it's on rails. 400+ mile days are easy. Great stuff!!

For track days (and most summer riding) the LaminarLip comes off, Helibars are lowered a bit and sometimes I use the stock seat. Set the suspension a little stiffer and I'm gone. Oh yeah, no heated stuff either.

Maintenance costs on the 2 valve air cooled bikes are the lowest of all Ducs which is cool. Pretty simple setup to work on if you're into doing your own maintenance, none of the fancy stuff like f/i (pre-99), water cooling, abs or all those valves. And it's been as solid as a rock, worst problem in 6+ years and 24k miles was a leaky clutch slave that I fixed for less than 10 bucks back around 3k miles. The 99 & up ss have f/i and some chassis/suspension improvements but the ergos are close to the sbk and I personally can't warm up to the looks. I'd love to have that 1000ds motor in my sp though.

That said...my next bike (someday) will be an ST. It does most of the things the sp does only better. It's more complicated, newer technology, more expensive to maintain, etc., but the hard bags and larger size are better for long rides and 2-up riding but also makes it's not quite as nimble in the twisties. Won't sell the sp though, that's a keeper.

So that's my .02. As others have said it would definately pay to look around at the SS and ST line and get some test rides. good luck!

[ddicosmo]

Hi rotoRooterGuy,

I live in NH. Do you have any recommendations on good dealerships there or where I can get a good deal? The problem I'm running into is that stock is quite low at all the local dealers and that there are hardly any leftovers to work out a good deal on.

[RotoRooterGuy]

Originally Posted by ddicosmo

Hi rotoRooterGuy,

I live in NH. Do you have any recommendations on good dealerships there or where I can get a good deal? The problem I'm running into is that stock is quite low at all the local dealers and that there are hardly any leftovers to work out a good deal on.

I live in San Francisco. I was going to suggest you check the nearest Craig's List or eBay. I have bought two bikes off Craigs and three off of eBay. Look at eBay and if you find something interesting, post us back.

Shipping is not an issue, as I have a professional shipper that can ship a bike coast to coast for $700 or less. I have used these guys three times:

http://www.motorcycleshippers.com/

On eBay, I'd start by entering "Ducati" as a search term, then "sort by highest price first" and see what pops up in your price range.

On my 998 I saved about $4000 off of what they were going for at the time.

See what there is, then get back to me. There are lots of tips and tricks to make sure you don't get burned on eBay. Generally, best to look for low mileage bike that a seller is getting rid of for a legit reason.

Here is eBay search under "Ducati"

http://search-desc.ebay.com/ducati_W...Q2d1QQsbrsrtZd


Here is the search term "Ducati red" a narrower search:


http://search-desc.ebay.com/search/s...prclo=&saprchi=


Here is "Ducati red supersport"

http://search-desc.ebay.com/ducati-s...Q2d1QQsbrsrtZd


There are some members in here who swear by eBay, others who would not buy a bike sight unseen. By the way, eBay reports that their BIGGEST sales category is eBay Motors and vehicles. So, I'm not alone.

[st2lemans]

I've got a SS1000DS and a hot-rodded ST2 (plus a couple of hot-rodded Guzzi LeMans, one with a sidecar).

If I had to limit myself to only one bike, it would be the SS.

Luckily, I don't have to.

Tom

[RotoRooterGuy]

Telling you to look on eBay caused me to look too. What a hazard. If this is legit [seems so, but I always ask lots of questions of the seller] and if the selling price is right, meaning not the Buy It Now price, this is a tempting bike. During riding season it would probably go for $5500 to $6500. His negative feedback seems unjustified, so he looks OK.

In my opinion, these early 900 SS and SS SP are sleeper deals right now and will be collectors items in a few years. Lot's of people like em and they are becoming classics.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ducat...17809713QQrdZ1

[bruce19]

Originally Posted by ddicosmo

Hi rotoRooterGuy,

I live in NH. Do you have any recommendations on good dealerships there or where I can get a good deal? The problem I'm running into is that stock is quite low at all the local dealers and that there are hardly any leftovers to work out a good deal on.

You live in NH and you don't know about BCM? This is hard to believe. Get thee to Laconia, my friend. BCM is the East Coast Ducati place.


bruce19