Ducati St4s Review

Used Buyer Review

The ST4S is the Sport Touring Ducati that actually makes sense — a 996-derived Testastretta motor stuffed into a practical fairing with proper luggage. It pulls hard from 4,000rpm and absolutely screams past seven grand. On a good B-road this thing is intoxicating, planted and precise without the aggression of a pure sportbike. It genuinely does the miles too, comfortable enough for four-hour stints if you've set the suspension properly. Here's the reality check though: these bikes are maintenance-intensive and unforgiving of neglect. Desmo valve services every 7,500 miles aren't optional, they're survival. Budget $600-900 per service minimum. Check the service history obsessively — a skipped service could mean bent valves. Coolant hoses, timing belts, and the notorious dry clutch chatter all need attention. Electrical gremlins love these things. Buy a well-documented example from someone who clearly cared, and you'll own one of the most characterful sport-tourers ever built. Buy a cheap one with mystery history and you're funding someone else's expensive problems.