RoadCarver Motorcycle Reviews
Ducati ST4 2002 Review
There’s an old expression in biking - parts-bin-special. It’s not polite; it refers to bikes that are bunged together, often by cash-strapped manufacturers, using bits from other models in their line up.
You might be tempted to sneer at the ST4 and label it as a parts-bin-special. But you’d be wrong, very wrong. OK, it might have borrowed its motor from the 916, its chassis from just about any recent Ducati sports bike you’d care to mention but despite this pedigree it’s a bike in its own right. And it’s a bloody good one too.
The 916 engine, from the bike that redefined what a modern sports bike should look like, might not seem the ideal choice for a bike destined for a multi-purpose sport-touring role. After all, anyone lucky enough to have ridden the 916 will know that it’s a balls-out sport engine that likes to be ridden hard. Not really the blueprint for an everyday bike is it? But give the 90 degree L-format 4 valve V-Twin engine a little tweaking and you’ve got the basis of a very versatile power plant that will pootle out of slow turns fully loaded with passenger and luggage, or fire out of the same turns, knee dragging and throttle pinned to the stop. Yep, this is a one-bike does it all machine!
Producing a claimed 105 bhp at 9000 rpm the engine has it all. Despite the size of those two huge pistons it’s remarkably smooth right up the rev-range. You’ll have to spin it up a bit to avoid low-down transmission snatch but above 3,000rpm it just pumps out the ponies all the way to the redline. Ducati did a little reworking to make the 916 motor fit the new role, including lowering the head in the exhaust cam area to allow it to be tilted further forward in the chassis to aid weight distribution. The fuel injection stays. The computer controlled injection system is worthy of comment mainly because you hardly notice it’s there. Without a close look you might be fooled into thinking the bike is carburetted. There’s no stutter and hunting at small throttle openings like on some big twin sport tourers I have ridden. What? Ducati making a touring bike that’s more rideable than a BMW? Now there’s a new one!
The engine is wrapped in that familiar steel tube trellis that’s graced Ducati’s for the past decade and is likely to continue doing so well through the next. And why not? It works, it may not be a fashionable twin beam alloy, but it’s light, very strong and race proven. Even when pushed to the limits it delivers the goods, just ask any one of Ducati’s four World Superbike Champions - Raymond Roche, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss and of course, Carl Fogarty.
When the trellis is combined with 320mm floating rotors with Brembo, 4-piston calipers up front and a 245 mm disc out back, Showa front forks and a Sachs rear shock it also works on the ST4. A Sunday afternoon’s spirited ride down your favourite country road is a joy on the ST4, and it’ll handle a track day with just as much ease. The beauty of this bike is that once you’ve loaded up the colour-matched panniers and top box you’ve got enough luggage capacity to turn that Sunday ride-out into a two week tour of Europe.
Amazingly, for a bike that’s so closely linked to one of the best sports bikes of all time the ST4 is a very capable touring bike. The ride is controlled and comfortable, without being so soft that it interferes when you get a move on - unlike on so many other sport tourers.
The brakes cope well with the added weight of touring gear and the seat and riding position lend themselves to days in the saddle. The roadholding is exceptional, I tested a machine with Michelin Macadam tyres fitted and these provided loads of grip as well as fast, responsive steering. I’ve tested these tyres extensively in the past and I know that they are plenty grippy enough for the average rider, and will return much higher mileages than the super sticky sports tyres available. They will overheat if pressed very hard during track sessions, but you simply won’t get them to that stage on the road unless you are on a death-wish ride to nowhere!
I found the engine characteristics very confidence inspiring, the motor is comfortable with any style of riding from softly-softly to yank her wide open out of the turns. This combines with the very capable chassis and relaxed riding position to make the ST4 a bike I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to a new rider looking for his, or her, first bike. The saddle, which is well padded enough for long rides is also cleverly sculptured, narrowing where it meets the tank. This means that riders don’t have to spread their legs quite so much when trying to reach the ground, and this in turn means it’s not such a stretch to the ground. Very important when you’re a shorter rider trying to balance a fully laden tourer while fumbling around for money at a toll booth! Taller riders will be pleased to know the footpegs aren’t placed so high that your knees will be screaming in agony after 50 miles. Alloy clip-on handlebars mounted above the yokes add to the comfort factor and help make the ST4 a genuine all-day ride.
Ducati have done the impossible with the ST4. They’ve taken the basics of a real sport bike and moulded it into a genuine sport tourer. There are compromises but they are working compromises. This bike really is happy in both roles and will provide its owner with many miles of riding joy; regardless of the use that lucky owner decides to put it to. And what’s more it looks fantastic too, Ducati didn’t forget the style when they put the ST4 together, making it another Italian bike that will turn heads. The ST4, like the long line of Superbike racers from the same Bologna factory, is a winner.
Specifications:
Engine
Type L twin cylinder, 4 valve per cylinder Desmodromic; liquid cooled Displacement 916 cc
BorexStroke 94x66 mm
Compression Ratio 11:1
Power 77 kW - 105 HP @ 9000 rpm
Torque 89 Nm - 9 kgm @ 7500 rpm
Fuel injection Marelli electronic fuel injection, 50 mm throttle body
Exhaust 2 aluminium mufflers with catalytic converter (non-catalytic for USA version)
Emissions Euro 2 (except for USA version)
Transmission
Gearbox 6 speed
Ratios 1st 37/15, 2nd 30/17, 3th 27/20, 4th 24/22, 5th 23/24, 6th 24/28
Primary drive Straight cut gears; ratio 1.84
Final drive Chain; Front sprocket 15; Rear sprocket 43
Clutch Dry multiplate with hydraulic control
Chassis
Frame Tubular steel trellis
Wheelbase 1430 mm - 56.3 in
Rake 24°
Front suspension Showa 43 mm upside-down fully adjustable fork
Front wheel travel 130 mm - 5.1 in
Front brake 2 x 320 mm semi-floating discs, 4-piston caliper
Front wheel 3-spoke light alloy, 3.50 x17
Front tyre 120/70 ZR 17
Rear suspension Progressive linkage with fully adjustable Sachs monoshock
Rear wheel travel 148 mm - 5.8 in
Rear brake 245 mm disc, 2-piston caliper
Rear wheel 3-spoke light alloy 5.50 x17
Rear tyre 180/55 ZR 17
Fuel tank capacity 21 l (including 6 l reserve)
Weight 215 Kg / 474 lbs
Seat height 820 mm - 32.3 in
Instruments Speedometer, rev counter, tripmeter, LCD display with clock, water temperature, fuel level, warning light for neutral, low pressure, indicators for high beams, turns signals
Warranty 2 years unlimited mileage
Tank Colours Red, yellow, blue
Frame and Wheel colours Metallic grey
ST4 Highs and Lows
Highs
A great engine
A great chassis
Loads of luggage room
Lows
The sidestand cuts the motor even in neutral
That exhaust system looks prone to corrosion under the engine
Reviewed by : Glen Le Santo
