My new bike choice has come down to a choice between the 955i Sprint ST/RS or Ducati 1000ss/ST2. The Duke 1000 wins hands down on looks but the riding position is maybe a little to racy for me (but then I won't be doing that many long rides). Sounds great too :). ST/RT2 are very similar in many ways (including looks that I've not totally fallen for), but I love that triple engine.
So what do you reckon – big smile when I clap eyes on the 1000ss and ride it on shorter A & B road blasts, or the more sensible ST2, or sensible and the great engine of the ST??? And before anybody suggests it, for various reasons I'm not going for the faster ST4s, Daytonas, etc.

I've a 1050 Tiger, top bike – go British.

I had a Ducati a few years ago – complained how the anodising had 'gone', "you've not ridden in the rain have you sir?" says the Ducati Dealer…

are the dukes still running that old air cooled engine?

If I could go for the 1050 Tiger I would, believe me.

1000ss is newest incarnation of the aircooled motor, ST2 is liquid cooled.

Bonne Scrambler and cruise around dreaming that I'm Steve McQueen!!

Being a little bit bias (I work for Triumph) I would go for the ST or the RS. Unfortunately I have not ridden either but have spoken to many people who have given the RS a try and been amazed at its all round agility and handling. Try them both and see what the heart says.

Regards,
Matt.

😆 @ anagallis

The Duke 1000 wins hands down on looks

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. 😆

Both ugly bikes imo. What other bikes were discarded from your list to end up with these two?

If I had to choose, I think it would be the Triumph. Not much in it in motorbike terms (performance, comfort reliability etc), but do you really want to own the ugliest Ducati ever made?

anagallis – could buy the t-shirt and get the jacket too from Triumph 8)

castrol – just missed out on a mint low mileage RS the other day, not many around although there's a few in the lairy yellow! Know of any independent dealers worth trying, the main dealers are asking top money as you would expect!

Mates gearbox went after 5000 miles on his Trumpet 955 😡
Newer ones seem very reliable.

Euro – you are joking aren't you? You think this is the ugliest Ducati ever???

I'm on a fairly tight budget and have looked at and tried various bikes in the £3K bracket. The ST is no looker, RS is slightly better but they ride well and the motor is stonking. Can't see them from behind the bars anyway!

Bought a Sprint RS to replace a Yamaha TRX (poor man's Duke) about 7 years ago. I found the triple engine quite confused – it didn't have the balls of a twin, or the scream of a four. I'm sure to many it's the perfect compromise, for me it was compromised and it was sold on quicker than any of my other purchases.

Ducati= high maintenance but great experience

Triumph would be my choice. Ive had a speed triple great engine and reliable if not a little characterless

oldgrump08, YGM.

Regards,
Matt.

Matt – thanks v much.

Im on my third tigger. The 1050 is a beast. 😀

I'm thinking of selling a kidney… Leica's gone already 🙁

"oldgrump08 – Member

I'm thinking of selling a kidney."

well if your splitting. how much for heart & lungs 😆

singlecrack – on ebay already.

Had a RS and loved it, nicely made and comfortable. Tried a Duke multistrada (?) and found it gutless by comparisson.

All down to the way you feel about it really

Like you say, nice problem to have. 🙂

Guzzi V11 as an alternative?

Nice article on the 955i Daytona in the new issue of 'Bike'. Gets a superb write up, looks excellent value as well.

I'm fairly well qualified to comment on this I think….

I did 30,000 miles on a 955i Speed Triple and swapped it for a Ducati Monster

Triumph – Like a velvet sledgehammer! Beautiful creamy power from tickover to red line with an astonishing mid range wallop and a howling top end kick. The engine is nearly faultless, apart from being a bit fluffy at the bottom end on part throttle (think roundabouts). 42+ mpg easily, 150+ miles on a tank, silly relliable, but not cheap to run by any means. No cheaper than a Duke, put it that way. Handling is good, but heavy and steady rather than light and nimble. Also quite high up. I liked the semi sporty riding position. Feels like it's hewn from granite. Superb build quality too. Mine looked good after all those miles and living in the garden for most of it's life. Had an apitite for light bulbs and cables but that's about it really.

Monster – I bought a new 696 when they first came out and kept it for just over a year. Only sold as I needed the cash. Tiny, impractical, full of charcter. The engine, although never as fast as the triumph was utterly, utterly wonderful. It just begged to be revved, thrashed and caned. It made THE most incredible roarty throaty growl right under your chin (standard cans on all my bikes) utterly smooth and glitch free, but needs a 1 tooth smaller front sprocket to make it less jerky in town. Handling was light and noble yet perfectly stable and on the sporty side of things. I could chuck it round like a little BMX. 52mpg when thrashed, 140 miles on a smaller tank. Better brakes too – Radial Brembos

Which bike was best? Well the Trumpet was a wonderful bike, took me to Italy and back easily and was doubtless big, comfy and faster. The Duke was impractial, tiny, and needed to be ridden hard. Not quite as well built either. Both brilliant bikes in their own ways.
Which bike do I miss? Easy! The Monster. I used to just sit and gaze at it in the garage. It made me laugh out loud when it roared at me. I could domiate it and throw it around. It egged me on to go faster without ever getting out of shape. A wondrerful, incredible little bike and I was smitten.

If you want a bike to make you smile and be happy, get a Triumph

if you want a bike to make you laugh and fall in love, get a Duke. No question.

Oh, when I bought the Monster I also test rode an 1100DS Multistrada. I got straight off my Triumph and rode it away. The 1100 Duke v-twin simply made the 955i triple feel flat and lifeless to be honest. 2 valve aircooled or not, those Ducat engines are brilliant.

Rusty Spanner – Member

Like you say, nice problem to have.

Guzzi V11 as an alternative? This man has taste

wish I never got rid of mine such a great bike to ride

Pass the tissues 😳

I had an ST2 and now own an ST4. Totally superb bikes and very under-rated. Get one with the factory luggage and you are laughing. Servicing the ST2 is farly easy, belt changes can be done at home but valve clearance and setting up the FI are best left to a specialist.
I've been all over France on my ST4 with no issues and i had no problems with the ST2 although i didn't go abroad with it.
I personally think the extra power of the ST4 and 4S are worth going for although you do have to watch out for rocker problems (the ST2 doesn't suffer from this).
Watch out for warped front disks, iffy regulators and worn clutches.

I'd have the Ducati every time as the engines are just so completely alive (twins in general are though, tbh)…

If you are used to a jap four then a Ducati will be a bit of a culture shock! The older bikes like the St2 etc are lumpy and horrid at slow speed (like around town) Ducati's need to be thrashed to come alive though, they hate being ridden slowly. The clutch is quite heavy as well which doesn't help.
Best mod is to change the standard 15 tooth front sprocket to a 14 tooth.

rustyspanner, peterpoddy, rockhopper, etc – so I need to ride more bikes before buying 🙂

Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated.

The older bikes like the St2 etc are lumpy and horrid at slow speed (like around town)

One tooth smaller fron sprocket usually cures that. Dukes are oveergeared to get them through the drive-by noise testing. 🙂

Rockhopper – Member
If you are used to a jap four then a Ducati will be a bit of a culture shock! The older bikes like the St2 etc are lumpy and horrid at slow speed (like around town) Ducati's need to be thrashed to come alive though, they hate being ridden slowly. The clutch is quite heavy as well which doesn't help.

Pah – the youth of today….

Braaaap!

rustyspanner, peterpoddy, rockhopper, etc – so I need to ride more bikes before buying

Oh yes indeed! It also depends on what you want bike for.

I'd say one other thing – Don't get sucked into the 'numbers game': Forget power figures and the like, just ride the bike and see what it feels like. My 80bhp monster always felt more lively than the Trumpet, even though it was slower if you measured it. I'd value 'feel' over 'power' any day of the week. I once rode a Jap four (GSXR 600) when I had a CB500 which was less than half the power, but the GSXR felt dead to me. I've never ridden another Jap four since, I just don't want one. The Triumph had a wonderful shove in the back, but not the instant response of the Duke, which always felt like the very next bang from the engine after opening the throttle chucked you 10 feet down the road… 🙂

Another choice, if you can find one, is an Aprilla Falco. RSV Mille engine in a half faired sports tourer. Top bikes, apparently. 🙂

"Sorry Officer, it just went off in my pocket………."

Ms S wants a Pan Euro, but I'm the one with the licence. And the short legs….. 😀

Here's my two 🙂

EDIT?

Dunno what's happed here, sorry……… 🙁

sounded awsome with those pipes 😆

not as quick as this though

Oh flip, just stop it all of you.

peterpoddy – Falcos are a helluva lot of bike for the money, but they are big b*ggers. Nice guzzi, do you still have it?

Like I said – nice problem.

Get the BMW 🙂

Seriously you need to ride the bikes and to decide what you are going to do with them. I'd have the triumph sprint 'cos I have always done big miles on my motorbikes. I tried the Duke ST when I bought my BMW.. too uncomfy for me. I didn't like the triumphs that I tried but I didn't try a sprint which is a highly rated bike.

TJ – just can't find a beemer within my budget that hasn't been hit with a very big ugly stick!

I'm having fun going around trying bikes at the moment – dealers seem to appreciate somebody turning up in winter and are taking time to talk me through the options they have. Trouble is I love the things, every visit I make I find a bike I want!

oldgrump08 –
… 1000ss is newest incarnation of the aircooled motor

rode the last incarnation of the 900ss with that motor… would get more excited about starting my lawnmower.

rode it back to back with aprilia rsv… no contest.

however your choice is triumph or ducati… ducati great for polishing and looking at, triumph great for the real world.