Hi all, Nice to join you here. I am awaiting delivery of my 2022 V4S from a Ducati dealer in the north of England to me in Oxfordshire. I went for a higher mileage (29k) bike with all the extras I wanted for a 30-40% saving over a low-mid miler - namely top case, panniers, Akra, heated seat & grips - I want to use the hell out of it and not be too precious of it! It is likely to replace my BMW S1000R that I have had since 2022 and commuted & toured on, and my oil-cooled 2004 R1200GS which I bought earlier this year (needed a new clutch soon after - ouch - we have bonded!) that has really taught me how great the adventure seating position is. Hopefully the utility & comfort of the GS (ish) with the performance of the S1000... I rode a KTM 1290 Super Adventure Sport having read & watched all of the reviews and thought it was the answer, but didn't gel with it. Raw? Not sure, unrefined... But somehow without character and not engaging... Enter V4S, which I loved on a 30 min test ride - touring & sport, medium suspension stiffness - and hope to lover further with more time and fiddling. Hoping to get closer to the amusing magic-carpet like ride the GS has on the softer suspension settings. Found the electronics astonishing on new tyres and greasy roads - so much throttle useable, minimal intrusion, and auto suspension confidence inspiring, and wow that induction bark! Really couldn't fault it other than needing a screen deflector, finding the brakes on the demo a bit wooden (but this bike might have different pads?) and the pegs not "enduro" enough to stand up comfortably. Carplay screen mount (Carpuride 7" on GS - may be too big!) on the way, plus second hand heated rider seat to finish the spec, a hefty Hiplok, and original screen and side deflectors to replace the Ducati Enduro screen and smoked deflectors (for sale?) + top deflector. I'll get my Quadlock mount and charger on, and then get to know it before future upgrades (Probably red side panels, rally flap closers, rally pegs, rally sump protection? Maybe electronic fuel cap, different brake pads, and the taller more padded seat, and maybe decat? - i'll be watching classifieds!) Oh, and I also have a Norton Commando 961, and a Triumph Daytona 675
Welcome Flaps make a massive difference, easy to fit about £50 for parts. There's a de-cat on eBay, I tried a couple, Leovince and QD, found them a bit loud and irritating for doing a lot of miles, went back to cat. OE pads (assuming they are the same as the Pikes Peak) are pretty good for the road, and actually ok on track, tracked mine a few times.
What do flaps make a massive difference to? I’ve had a V4S without them, a V4S with them and a V4 Rally with them. I’m inclined to the view that they’re close to a total waste of time - I definitely wouldn’t bother to retrofit them. I fitted the first set to a V4S because a mate persuaded me that they would stop the bike being the worst in the entire world for making the rider absolutely filthy on anything other than a dry day. They make b*****r all difference. The only thing that does in my experience is panniers. Still love the bike mind you and it’s never crossed my mind to go back to BMW…
I found riding when the temp is down to 2 or 3 degrees they made a massive difference to the amount of cold air being blown onto my legs, I never fitted them to try and stay clean. I'm obviously wrong, but as the placebo effect kept me warm, I'm happy to have spent £50. I think they will keep more cold air off me than the panniers, mainly because they're behind me.
I rode across the Labrador and Quebec highways on the Rally in some pretty chilly weather last year. To be fair, I did close the flaps but I’m not convinced they make that much difference. Perhaps because it was also raining, so I had rain troos on, as well as warm socks and adv boots. I also had the opposite experience - fast gravel roads in hot weather, with the flaps closed (because I forgot about them). When I did open them the only difference I noticed was that the shins on my troos got more dusty
It has a heated rider seat (and I just bought a heated pillion) but I might fit the taller heated seat - I assume yours is standard height?
Small world, it does! From J&L Motorcycles... I'll be the third owner. How long did you have it for? It's being delivered on Tuesday! It appears to be completely standard other than what looks to be a shorter Ducati Enduro smoked screen and smoked side deflectors.
I had it from new, traded it in to J@l last November with 22000 miles. (3 euro trips) Bought an identical model as there was a deal on, but it rides no different from the bike you now have. Never had an issue with it. Replaced the chain and sprockets at 16000 . And the pads. I put on all the extras except the screen and the hand guards. Small crack on the carbon mudguard was me forgetting to remove the disc lock. Check the tool kit as I lost the slide in gauge for adjusting the chain. Any other info you need , just ask. Good luck and enjoy.
Awesome - thanks for the info! New owner has done about 7k on it then. Looks like it has a new chain compared to the one I saw in your forum posts - a gold one. Do you know what pads you used in the end? My local demo bike's brakes lacked bite, bit wooden. I haven't seen the bike, hadn't spotted that crack - but my mate makes F1 carbon so suspect we can repair it if it bothers me Otherwise it looks really really clean! Did you ride it in the wet/winter salt? If so, how did you keep it so fresh? I intend to use it as much as I can, daily, year-round.
Hi the crack is hardly noticeable. Never ridden in the salt and only ridden between April to October, on sunny days. Bike cleaned after every ride. The gold chain in the photo looks new. I think the pads are SBS. Even the original Brembo's feel wooden, but they will pull you up quickly. If you change to Brembo, I doubt you'll feel much difference. For me at 5ft10 the standard screen is the best I have had on this type of bike.
