Anyone gone from S1K to HM?

[Bly]

I trashed my Sport1000 biposto last month and whilst lying around waiting for bones to heal and insurance to pay out I'm tossing around ideas for my next Ducati.
I had the S1K set up nicely in the end, but it was a lot of expensive work to get there - Ohlins shocks, S4RS forks with Ohlins kit, Alpina wheels etc etc.
Up till now I thought I'd just get a stock S1K and customise it again, except a little differently this time.
Going through the bike classifieds I noticed a couple of low KM Hyper S's for about what I'd end up paying for a modded SC. So basically I'd get a great handling fun bike without all the dicking around. Pretty much the same motor as the old bike too which I loved.
I had a boner for the Hyper when they first came out but got the idea in my head that they weren't a very practical bike for my kind of riding. I do a lot of long day rides - say 600km (370miles) or so. Being mainly sportbike riders we tend to avoid freeways when possible and go the twisty routes.
I'm tall - about 6'1" and the S1K seemed to fit my long torso well. Of course the SC got uncomfortable on long straight freeways.

So I'm wondering what you owners have experienced and especially anyone who's done the S1K > HM transition.

What about:
- Is fuel range a problem? I know CA-cycleworks have a bigger tank for sale now so that is an option.
- The seat.. is it as uncomfortable as it looks?
- The riding position. It's way different from my old bike, did you find it too upright and can you get a bit lower down out of the wind by fitting flatter bars or did you just get used to it. Is sitting upright like that hard on the back?

Sorry to go on at length and I know these kinds of posts ask questions that are subjective but it's valuable hearing what owners think.

TIA if you have time to read all this and reply

Oh yeah this will be my only bike.

[merovingian]

Hope you're mending well

I'm taller than you and find the hyper fine, the only short coming is the smaller tank, I just fill at the 200km mark.

I came off a z1000 for commuting and a GSXR1000 for weekends and wouldn't change the hyper for anything, its the most fun i've had on 2 wheels, like riding a mountain bike with a v8 in it.

[Bly]

Thanks mero. I know I've looked in the Hyper forum before and owners absolutely love them.

Just another quick one - is the price difference for the S model worth it?

I'm sure I saw lots of threads on this a while back but older threads seem to have been archived - I did search
Anyone know how to get to the older topics? There was some gold in there..

[Raiden]

Just my thoughts on HM Standard V S

Here's one I found, try advanced search and type in s model there is probably more. In my opinion if you are going to buy used get an s model because the price is not far off a base model when used for some reason. I say worth it for the wheels and brakes. If I were to buy new I would consider the base model and use the money saved in other mods like exhaust,comfort seat,slipper clutch etc...but then again that evo sp is pretty sweet dohh! I can't decide.

[NYSport]

The Hyper is a little bit of a pain if you are highway cruising at 75+, the wind is obnoxious.

The seat is not the most comfortable ride but it's easily fixed with modification or you could get a new seat. I have a DP seat which is better than the stock seat while some people take the stock seat to the local fabrication shop for an upgrade.

I don't mind the (poor) range aspect but as mentioned there is a replacement tank available but it's pretty pricey.

At 6'+ you should have no problem with the relatively high stand-over height. I'm 5'10" and although it was a bit of an adjustment there is no problem and once you are riding it's a very comfortable riding position. I have had no back issues after riding for several hours.

The best part is the fun factor, WOW. The bike handles very well, some people complain about the front fork performance. I have no issues on the road but after a few track events I've ordered Ducshop's Ohlins kit (hope to have it before the spring). I made a few attempts at adjusting the stock forks but I don't think they will ever perform the way I would like them to on the track.

Cornering and stopping are the two best things for me, all I can say is that this Ducati performs admirably.

Good luck with your decision and heal well!

Tom

[DavidTaylor]

I'm brand new to Ducati and the Hyper (2 weeks), so this is mostly first impression thoughts. I'm 6'3" and am comfortable on the bike; don't feel cramped or anything. I found the stock seat to be just this side of a torture device and was lucky to get the DP comfort seat in the deal when I bought it and that definitely makes it better for longer rides (longest so far 230 miles and no real discomfort). It also came with the 6.4 gallon tank and having that fuel range is nice. Theoretcially it could go 200 on that tank, but I don't think I would push it beyond about 180 before looking for a fuel stop. The only other things I'm working on now is getting the susoension sorted, it fels a little soft and wants to stand up a bit incorners, but hopefully springs and some tuning will cure those issues.

[Martyn]

I have an '08 S model, and it is easily the most fun bike I have ever owned. I did install the racetech vlaves and shim kit on the front end coupled with a scotts steering damper. Also had the rear Ohlins revalved by Racetech. The problem with the bike is all the aftermarket goodies that you drool over! 2-1 termis, Rizoma bling, open clutch covers- well, you get my point. After going gaga for a year I realized I had over $20,000 in the beast. Yikes! Good luck and heal quickly. Martyn

[Bly]

Thanks guys.

By the way I found the archives so will trawl through there and come back when I have some more n00b questions.

http://www.ducati.ms/forums/archive/index.php/f-92.html