2001 S4R monster senna,, buy or no buy? - Ducati.ms

jamesmorgan · Jan 8th, 2007, 11:52 am

ok, i know the "is this worth it" threads are kinda annoying but i am really curious about this bike. i have a 916 so i really dont know much about monsters, and i want to get one for the women. anyway,, its a 2001 S4R senna eddition. it was purchased used in italy by a good friend of mine and has 10 thousand kilometers (totally euro spec bike). it is in great condition, minor wear like a small scratch on the tank from moving back to the states. he just had a baby and lost interest in the bike and is wanting to get rid of it. he is asking $4000. is this a good deal or fair market value for this bike?
thanks for the help and tolleration of yet another "is this worth it" thread.

**fasterdammit** · Jan 8th, 2007, 12:18 pm

Well, in 2001, I don't think it was the S4R; I think it was just the S4 then. Were they out in '01? I thought it was '02? Maybe they only hit the States in '02, but I think I would've remembered if the EU got a Monster like that, and we didn't. That might be the first year they came out. The S4R's didn't turn up until a couple years ago.

Otherwise, doesn't sound bad to me (if it's what it is), especially if everything's in good shape. The nice thing about buying off a friend - which you can't pay for any other way - is that if there's something wrong with it, hopefully they'd either tell you or not sell it to you. So provided you haven't pissed him off or anything lately and he still wants to sell it you, that's not a bad deal at all.

I like the Sennas - hardly ever see them, and it's a nice tribute to a fallen rider. But make no mistake, just because it's a Monster doesn't necessarily make it a "chick bike". You have a 916, so you know what the power is going to be like - that's what's sitting under the Monster's hood too (albeit slightly detuned ... ~105hp/~90ft/lbs or something).

jamesmorgan · Jan 8th, 2007, 12:27 pm

your probably right about the S4 vs S4R,, although im pretty sure he said its a 996 engine. ill find out tonight and let you guys know. about the girl friend,, she is more responsible and mature than i am,, and ill keep her on the 900 ss for a while longer to make sure she is good.

**oneducs** · Jan 8th, 2007, 12:35 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by fasterdammit

Well, in 2001, I don't think it was the S4R; I think it was just the S4 then. Were they out in '01? I thought it was '02? Maybe they only hit the States in '02, but I think I would've remembered if the EU got a Monster like that, and we didn't. That might be the first year they came out. The S4R's didn't turn up until a couple years ago.

Otherwise, doesn't sound bad to me (if it's what it is), especially if everything's in good shape. The nice thing about buying off a friend - which you can't pay for any other way - is that if there's something wrong with it, hopefully they'd either tell you or not sell it to you. So provided you haven't pissed him off or anything lately and he still wants to sell it you, that's not a bad deal at all.

I like the Sennas - hardly ever see them, and it's a nice tribute to a fallen rider. But make no mistake, just because it's a Monster doesn't necessarily make it a "chick bike". You have a 916, so you know what the power is going to be like - that's what's sitting under the Monster's hood too (albeit slightly detuned ... ~105hp/~90ft/lbs or something).

Well it is safe to say that in 01 there was no monster S4R's but there was a 01 MS4. In fact I bought one in june of 01. So if your friends bike is a S4 and the price is 4000$ then buy the bike.

**fasterdammit** · Jan 8th, 2007, 9:13 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesmorgan

your probably right about the S4 vs S4R,, although im pretty sure he said its a 996 engine. ill find out tonight and let you guys know. about the girl friend,, she is more responsible and mature than i am,, and ill keep her on the 900 ss for a while longer to make sure she is good.

Looks like it's going to come down to what year it is, because the S4R is built on the 996 lump, and the S4 is built on the 916 (the S4RS is built on the 998). However, the S4R's didn't appear until 2003. So ... it could be an S4R w/ the 996 ... but it won't be an '01.

Either way, as long as all the mechanicals and the VIN check out ... $4k is sounding pretty good ... especially if it's an R!

**fasterdammit** · Jan 8th, 2007, 9:17 pm

Here's a couple online resources to bone up whichever bike it may be. Visual cues might help figure out which bike is as well. I didn't look into seeing which year offered the Senna edition, but I don't think it's offered every year, so that might help.

'01 S4 at motorcycle.com
'02 S4 at bikez.com
'03 S4R at bikez.com

Spezjag · Jan 9th, 2007, 2:21 am

The bike is most likely an MS4 - which came with the 916 engine only. The Senna color scheme (metallic grey with the Senna red wheels) was only offered on the S4 in the US. In Europe they continued to offer this color scheme on the S4R, which looks really cool.

The key to determining which model it is would be to look at the rear of the bike - if it has a dual-sided swing arm with exhaust on both sides, it's an S4, and has a 916 motor; the S4R (the one with the 996 motor) has a single-sided swing arm with exhaust only on the right side. There are some issues to be aware of with the 916 engine, but generally it is a reliable bike.

Since the seller's a friend, he could just be mistaken. The problem I have is the fact that it is an import model - many headaches in terms of certification and registering this bike. I would advise you to walk away from the sale and wait for another one to come along. S4s have not held their re-sale as well as they otherwise might have, but are still great bikes and you should be able to find one readily. The Brit mag TWO has a good write-up on what to look for in used S4s and S4R's about two months ago - you might want to look this issue up.

jamesmorgan · Jan 9th, 2007, 6:39 pm

ok, went to look at and ride the bike last night. its a 2000 MS4 monster senna, and it is definatly from europe. i was with him in italy when he purchased it and he has all the origonal paperwork and the translations of the paperwork into english. the odometer and speedometer is all in kilometers as well. anyway, due to my computer crashing and needing a replacement i had to get a new laptop instead of the bike. still for sale!

RK250 · Jan 21st, 2007, 9:38 am

1. I think it is a great deal.

2. Jake, referring to Ayrton Senna as a fallen rider certainly shows that you are respectful, but I think 'driver' is more of who he was.

3. I'd buy it if I could get it to central New York quick and painless.

RK

ps

Soon to be Ducati-less at the expense of having added a 2007 Aprilia Tuono 1000R.