Well, I finally did it. I sold the 998 and bought an ST4 about month or so ago. At 37 years old I have made the plunge from Superbike to Sport Tourer. So, how do I feel about it? Not sure yet. Let's just say it's growing on me.
The purchase was filled with emotion and a lot of research although in hindsight maybe I should have done more. Changing my motorcycle is a big deal for me and, like I already stated, an emotional one. In the beginning I felt as if I was selling my Porsche 911 to buy a Dodge Caravan. Many people have and will challenge that analogy but it really is a true representation of what was going through my head at the time. Ugh, sacrifices! The things that you have to do but you don't really want to in effort to be more practical.
Back to the bike. I chose the Ducati ST4 for several reasons namely; it's a Ducati which is a brand I love, right now the used market has these at a tremendous value and it hit all the check marks on my list (performance oriented, has luggage, comfortable enough to spend long stints in the saddle). My initial research turned up many rider reviews that said, "this bike is more sport than tourer." My thought, "Yeah right. That's what people try to tell themselves when they are in the market for an 'old man' bike." Upon further discovery I found this was actually true. Ducati basically took a 916/996 and engineered it into a more upright and comfortable ride. With that said, in stock trim this is by far the most uncomfortable Sport Tourer ever made. The riding position isn't much different than my 998 so aftermarket items like handlebar risers and a more comfortable seat is a must.
I looked at several within about a 5 hr drive of my home on a myriad of used motorcycle sales forums and got lucky by finding this one just 25 miles from my house. It had the aftermarket seat & handlebar risers I wanted and also the Ducati factory luggage. These are items that, if purchased ex post facto, can be really expensive and sometimes nearly impossible to find. I negotiated what I felt was a fair price with the seller and made the purchase.
So how do I feel about my purchase/bike change? At first, reluctant & sad. Sometimes I have students in my Basic Rider classes that first buy their bike and then take the class. They are almost always apologetic as if I am going to judge them negatively for buying the motorcycle first or buying something that isn't the best "first bike". My opinion is that you should ride what drives your passion, what you like, whatever gets you excited. Every time I looked at my 998 I felt that excitement and passion. For me, it was the coolest and sexiest motorcycle on the planet. I was afraid of losing that. After I purchased the ST4 and got my first indepth look into things I became disenchanted with it. Long story short, I found a couple of surprises when I removed the fairings. Nothing big but a few little things that put me off. Then, my continued research found some other nuances about these bikes plus, I began to have some issues with it randomly stalling on me. I began to replay the series of events in my head that lead up to the purchase and started to wonder if I had made too hasty of a decision.
After several weeks of ownership, several hundred miles of riding, more research into the aforementioned nuances and what I believe is the remedy to my stalling issue I feel much better about things. It appears as if the stalling issue was due to a faulty fuel pump relay which was an easy and inexpensive fix. I took some time last weekend and went for a joy ride by myself; something I haven't done in a really long time. I think this was exactly what I needed, just me and the bike. It handles terrifically, has enough storage to haul anything I could possibly need and it's a lot more comfortable than my 998. There are still a few things that I would like to address and I will as money and time allows but overall, I am happy with my decision now. Still not #1 on the my list of bikes that drive my passion but a really good combination of form & function. If I can't own several bikes then this is the perfect bike for me.
