[rhubarbray]

Hi all. I`m thinking of buying my first Ducati in the spring time and I`m really leaning toward an st2 to replace my FJ1200. I`m doing research of the forums as requested but so far have found nothing about the rocker flaking on any of the 2 valve engines. Were they not affected? And how easy are the access covers to get to if I want to go and look at a bike?
And I can`t find whether all st2 came with hard bags or was it a factory option. There`s a gorgeous blue st2 not too far from me in NH but no bags and it looks a little,..well,..not loved. How`s that for a description?

 

[Bill_Anderson]

I advise you stay away from the MY 98 ST2. That was the initial release of the ST series and it had some electrical problems which were remedied in later model years.

 

[dr1445]

http://www.nationalpowersports.net these folks have a couple of blue 2000 st2's. they are in nh also. the 2v's do not have the rocker problem and the timing belts are the lowest cost of the 3 st models, but then the hp is the lowest to.

 

[butch]

The ST2 is a great bike and can be had for a song. Yes it is down on HP but a good rider on an ST2 can flat out drop a much faster bike. The ST is a very solid platform in any configuration.
I would say that any early ST2 that you find should be well sorted out by now.

 

[rhubarbray]

http://www.nationalpowersports.net these folks have a couple of blue 2000 st2's. they are in nh also. the 2v's do not have the rocker problem and the timing belts are the lowest cost of the 3 st models, but then the hp is the lowest to.

Funny you should mention those two. The one I was refering to as being "not loved" was the one with the uncracked fairing. I hadn`t seen the other one. Both have low miles, one really low miles. $4 for either. I haven`t a clue as to what an ST2 should go for. And I see not all come with bags. Were they an option or did they all come with them? What should an ST2 go for?

 

[danrduc]

St2

Funny you should mention those two. The one I was refering to as being "not loved" was the one with the uncracked fairing. I hadn`t seen the other one. Both have low miles, one really low miles. $4 for either. I haven`t a clue as to what an ST2 should go for. And I see not all come with bags. Were they an option or did they all come with them? What should an ST2 go for?

I have a 99 ST2, and I really enjoy it. Rebuilt it out of a salvage yard, don't really know the total miles on it. I put on 8500 in the past 6 1/2 months. Basically trouble free.
Handles great, faster than I need it to be, no rocket ship, but a great FEEL.
Price depends on mileage and condition, find the best condition, lowest milage, lowest price you can and go for it. This time of year is a great shopping time for you in the northeast. The economy has a lot of extra toys on the market at good prices. Search the whole midwest and east coast.
I am not sure what the exact dates are, but my 99 had rotten fuel lines in the tank[poor rubber choice for the gas]. It will be a common problem if one has sat for a long time.
Bags were not standard, soft luggage can be a good option, fiqure a $500 price difference at least. A taller windscreen will be nice. Suspension upgrades are a definite plus, although hard to verify unless other than OEM[showa]. Check how old the tires are?

 

[Desmo_Demon]

Both have low miles, one really low miles. $4 for either.

They want too much money for those. You can find ST2 bikes in better shape for less. Two years ago I bought a pretty clean ST2 for my wife for $3200 with a bunch of extras, and after selling the stuff I didn't want and buying some other items we wanted, I doubt I have $2800 in the bike. I see a LOT of minty ST2 bikes for under $4k.

As for the rockers....nope, they do not have a reputation of flaking and the valves are easier to access than the 4V engines. As noted earlier, the timing belts are really cheap (and you can get Bucci aftermarket belts). IIRC, ST2 belts are about $40 less EACH compared to the ST4 and ST4s belts.

As for '98 bikes and as stated previously, almost all the issues that they were plagued with should be cured/fixed by now. I've gone through two regulators and a stator on my ST2 and one of each was replaced under warranty. It's basically been flawless for the last 30k+ miles. I will roll 50k miles on mine this weekend, if all goes well.