[cheech]

I'm entertaining the idea of getting one for commuting and a better all around bike. Can someone tell me what the main differences are between the two? If not those two, I may look into getting a Brutale. Comments and suggestions welcome on any of those models. Thanks!

 

[Chops]

S2R - think old school:
2 valve
dry clutch
oil cooled

S4R - latest and greatest:
4 valve
wet clutch
radiator (keep it filled with Bourbon for max cooling effieciency)

Personally I'm all over the S2R. It's just what the monster is supposed to be. That radiator looks silly sticking out beyond the limits of the bike (there I said it!). You want all that extra, get a superbike.

 

[zooom]

S4R - latest and greatest:
4 valve
wet clutch

last time I looked the S4R has a dry clutch!

 

[John]

S2R - think old school:
2 valve
dry clutch
oil cooled

S4R - latest and greatest:
4 valve
wet clutch
radiator (keep it filled with Bourbon for max cooling effieciency)

Personally I'm all over the S2R. It's just what the monster is supposed to be. That radiator looks silly sticking out beyond the limits of the bike (there I said it!). You want all that extra, get a superbike.

+1 regarding the radiator. The S2R is raw Monster. The added benny is the bulletproof 2V motor.

 

[ericS4]

Personal opinions about looks aside, the S4R makes more power but weighs a little more and costs more to buy and maintain (8 valves to adjust vs 4). S4R has a dry clutch.

 

[Chops]

last time I looked the S4R has a dry clutch!

Oh, dear...now I've done it.
Hand me the rolled up newspaper so I can beat myself into a less embarassed state.

 

[loony888]

also, the s2r 800 has a wet clutch, the s2r1000 has a dry clutch.
i have a S4R and love it, if i was buying now though i'd seriously consider the S2R1000, it's a very good bike. and the S4R isn't the latest anymore, the S4Rs is.

 

[cheech]

thanks for the replies.

anyone ridden the monster 620, s2r, and s4r's? how are they in comparison with handling? i've only ridden the 620 and noticed that the frontend is really light and tends to wander at higher speeds. a damper may help a bit but possibly due to different riding position compared to a superbike. do you know if the s2r/s4r is a bit more stable?

 

[kentamcolin]

The S2R is a great looking bike. Nice and clean, whereas the S4R, though more powerful with a better suspension, looks a bit of a mess. The S2R 1000 is a sweet ride. I didn't care for the 800 since coming off of an ST4s it felt rather slow. The 1000DS motor is one great street motor, very smooth and not as expensive to maintain and not as cranky at low revs as the 996 4v. For most purposes it's just as fast as the two motors have similar power up to about 8000 RPM. For commuting, you might also consider the Multi Strada or one of the recent Monster M1000 bikes. I don't think the M1000 is being offered any more but you might still be able to get one leftover at a dealer. The advantage for commuting is the ability to fit bags. With it's high side pipes, there are no bag options for the S2R & S4R, but Ducati hard bags can be fitted on an M1000 and of course the MTS.

 

[pokey]

Another consideration is that the little 2 valve might be cooler to ride in commuter traffic, not having the radiator and fan. Like the others suggested, the S2R 1000 would be a good compromise.

Regarding the Brutale, I found it a bit touchy once power arrived. It wasn't as easy to do slow speed manuevers as the Monster and also felt a bit cramped. The design is impressive from any direction though.

 

[Munchdog]

Dunno if I would agree that the S4R is messy looking. Once you do a few mods, it comes together...

 

[zooom]

so when are you going to mod the radiator Munchdog?....to something cleaner looking and more inline with what a Monster is as apposed to how it was concieved back 14 years ago?

 

[Munchdog]

Funny, I originally hated it when I got it, and the more I look at it the more I like it

Maybe because I'm stuck with it?

 

[kentamcolin]

By messy I was referring to all the visible plumbing lines, plastic bottles and such. Don't get me wrong, I love the bike. I was torn between the S4R and the ST4s, and chose the ST because I have a passenger from time to time plus I really needed bags. The Brutale is a work of art and I bet the new 910 engine is awesome.

 

[Munchdog]

I like the lines on the Brutale, yes they did the radiator right. Just couldn't leave the twin for the inline 4.

 

[zooom]

maybe that is the answer.....someone needs to grapht a Brutale radiator onto their 4V Monster!

 

[Bernans4r]

Funny that my friends are car enthusiast. They think that the radiator of S4R makes the bike looks even faster because the radiator looks like the intercooler from turbo cars. But one thing S2R better than S4R is when both changed to full exhaust system. The 2v motor always sounds better than the 4v. But when talking about horsepower, me (I have S4R) and my friend (he has S2R 1000) both agreen that the S4R is much more powerful than S2R 1000.