(October 1999 - Feb 2001) (33,600klms)
The ultimate motorcycle in my humble opinion in all but one very large respect. So hold on for the reliability story. First, the good bits...
The ST4 is not something I thought I would ever want to own. Why? I hear you ask. Well I used to put a fair bit of crap on Ducati's, simply from hearing stories from friends about their experiences, they don't have the best reputation for reliability as you know.
Apart from that, this bike, without looking at it closely, made me think horrible sports tourer type thoughts about ground clearance, handling and weight, all of which were reasons I sold my Yamaha FJ1200, despite the fact that I loved everything else about it dearly.
In September of 1999, by taking an ST4 for a test ride one day when I was bored, I learned something that changed my outlook. The combination of handling, power delivery, comfort, and general all round ability for true sports/touring produced from these bikes is something nobody else has ever been able to accomplish, in my experience/opinion so far. It has the weight to make you feel like you're actually riding a bike, though not too much to be tiring, probably because it's so well balanced. It just puts power on the ground so well, and even when it does start to spin up, it's a fun ride, not a freakish type thing (if you know what I mean). I think this must be a Ducati trait but I'm not sure since I've never really ridden them much until now.
Perfect riding position for my style and height (6'2")
My wife complained a little about the fact that her knees got sore from being up to high for too long. Obviously the rear pegs are a little high for her. Otherwise she seemed to enjoy the bike and found it reasonably comfortable.
Hard luggage came as an option which is very handy, but the boxes hang out a little to far for lane-splitting, so I only used them when I really needed to.
Perfect handling even when stock. Minor adjustments need to be made to accommodate the individual of course. And an increase in rear ride height worked for me.
Great amount of ground clearance for sport riding considering all the other things it does, just watch out for the centre stand and remove it if you need to.
Now go to the ST4 History page and find out why I know longer own this bike, and will probably never own another Ducati, or you can just look to your left and find something else you're interested in.
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