A quick glance at the S2R's spec sheet makes this Monster look prehistoric (well, at least pre-1990's) — an air-cooled motor with two-valve heads and twin-piston calipers on the front brakes being the obvious retro standouts. Can those sort of specs still work in today's world of water-cooled, four-valve engines and four- or six-piston caliper brakes that are radially mounted?

Three are extinct. The other goes like stink. image by tim huntington

Well, to start with, that air-cooled two-valve engine has state of the art fuel injection and an equally state of the art slipper clutch connecting it to the six-speed transmission. Those "old fashioned" brakes are attached to light alloy wheels that are connected to the chassis via upside down forks at the front and a single-sided swingarm at the rear. The brakes also have steel braided lines between the calipers and the master cylinders.

So how does this Frankenstein-esque concoction of old and new technology actually work?

In a simple answer, very well.

Ducati talks about the S2R being a non-intimidating Monster. When I think of a non-intimidating monster, the image of Sesame Street's Cookie Monster always pops into my mind. However, Ducati is right; it's one of the easiest-to-ride bikes I've ever ridden. Climb aboard, thumb the starter button and this Monster burbles to life. There's a fast-idle lever that allows you to keep the revs elevated as the bike warms up, but it will idle smoothly almost from the get-go. Pull in the super-light hydraulic wet clutch, toe the gear lever and the bike drops into first with a satisfying clunk.

Hidden under the back of the engine, the catalytic converter and other misc. parts. image by tim huntington

It typically takes a couple of miles of riding before the temperature gauge reads something other than "Lo". The only downside so far is the whisper-quiet exhaust note. I remember admiring Ducatis in my youth, primarily because a guy in my neighborhood had a race-replica Duc that used to shake the ground as it passed. Not so with this Ducati, with its large under-engine silencer box containing a catalytic converter coupled with the secondary twin silencers sitting on the right side of the bike. These two systems are efficient, to a fault. Sitting on the bike, the only audible noise comes from the intake growl, and then, wind noise starts to drown that out once speeds approach 65mph — especially when riding into a headwind.

Once rolling, the bike remains Cookie-Monster friendly. The engine isn't all that powerful. Ducati has aimed this bike at those who might be intimidated by a Superbike powerplant (there's the S4R for you power-jonesing folks out there) and claim a maximum power output of 77bhp — way less than most of today's 600cc sportbikes. However, keep the motor spinning between 4K and 8K rpm, and the bike punches forward with plenty of grunt. Within this range, it feels like the throttle cable is directly connected to the corners of your mouth. The more you open the throttle, the wider the smile becomes on your face. On the downside, it's not quite powerful enough to make you whoop and holler inside your helmet. The fuel injection works very smoothly, allowing you to open the throttle with confidence, even with some lean angle on the unseasonably damp northern Californian roads I spent some of my time on. Rev it beyond 8K, and you'll soon feel the rev limiter cut in abruptly on the free-revving motor at around 9K rpm, even though the tachometer has no redline marked on it and registers to 11K rpm.

I took the S2R to the local "goat trails" — narrow, paved roads (often single-lane) with lots of uneven surfaces, potholes, gravel and 10-15 mph hairpins. On these roads, keeping the motor in the 4-8K sweet spot, the bike spent most of its time in 1st or 2nd gear with the occasional blast into 3rd gear. I was surprised at how smoothly the bike could be ridden in these lower gears, particularly when downshifting from 2nd to 1st approaching the tighter turns. Thanks goes to the fuel injection and slipper clutch for making the bike so easy to ride in these conditions. More on that clutch later.

Don't brake till you see dog. image by tim huntington

The goat trails also test the bike's handling. Outfitted with unadjustable 43mm upside down Marzocchi forks and a single-sided swingarm suspended from a Sachs shock that's adjustable for preload and rebound, the S2R is almost as compliant on these bumpy roads as a Supermotard machine. I was surprised that a true all-around road bike like this would be as much fun on these types of roads as a Supermoto bike. The suspension soaked up the worst of the bumps, never jarred and still rode true. The one time I hit a large road irregularity and the front wheel got twisted, the S2R's wide bars gave me the leverage to quickly and precisely put me back on track. The incident was over before I even realized it had started. The wide bars came into their own on many occasions, such as when I came 'round a corner to find an Audi TT in the middle of the road and when I had to avoid a whole squadron of kamikaze squirrels.

On smoother, wider, yet still curvy roads, the S2R was a blast to ride. The suspension is firm enough to not wallow through the turns, and the wide bars gave plenty of leverage to accurately place the S2R where I wanted it to go. The turn-in wasn't as fast as on a typical sportbike but it felt very neutral from upright to leaned over. The bike came equipped with Pirelli Diablo Z-rated tires and felt very stable when leaned over. The bike never complained when the throttle was twisted with the bike leaned over.

Old fashioned but very effective image by tim huntington

Those two-piston caliper brakes proved to be plenty powerful using only two fingers on the front brake lever. I tried five or six back-to-back runs up to 60 mph and back to zero to see how the brakes coped with that kind of use. The brakes didn't fade and were very controllable and plenty powerful enough. On the racetrack, with repeated braking for corner after corner, lap after lap, the story might be different, but I feel that the five or six back-to-back runs are harder than anything you'll typically encounter on the road. I ,therefore, concluded that the brakes will always work wonderfully in the real world. Nothing in my time with the bike even hinted at contradicting that conclusion, including rounding a corner and having to immediately jump on the brakes to stop two inquisitive young fawns from becoming Monster prey.

The bike also behaved very well in city environments. Concrete-block freeways felt bumpy, but were far from the jarring you'll typically feel on a sportbike. Cruising at 75mph, the wind blast coming over the headlight cowl worked well with the riding position to take the weight off your wrists. The high-set bars and vaguely upright riding position also gave a good view of the surroundings when in heavy traffic.

Cruising down Highway 1 is a treat for the eyes, with or without the Ducati image by tim huntington

Examining the riding position in more detail, the bars are a little stretch from the seat, and your legs are well-tucked to get on to the rearset footrests. The bars themselves are high and wide, giving you lots of steering leverage, though at slower speeds, you do still find a fair bit of weight resting on your wrists. I did hit one 90mph sweeper on my travels, and the bike went through it as if on rails. It felt like it could have gotten through the turn 10 or 15 mph faster than I did. The mirrors work very well for a modern bike, too. They shake a little at idle, but once on the move, they provide a decent view of what's behind you.

When I first sat on the seat, it felt a little soft. In practice it was also plenty firm enough to remain comfortable for a full fuel tank's worth of riding without stopping or getting a numb bum. I did have one problem with the seating position, though. I found myself tucked up against the back of the plastic (though you wouldn't realize it is plastic until you open the gas cap) tank and therefore you're very prone to scratching the back of the tank with your clothing. Ideally, a seat that climbs up the back and sides of the tank (like a dirt bike) or some sort of tank pad is virtually a necessity to protect the paint on the back of the tank.

The main advantage of the rearset footrests is the superb ground clearance they provide. As hard as I tipped it into the corners, the S2R easily handled it, with nothing coming close to touch down. The position was just about right for my five-foot eight frame, though taller riders might find that the position pretzels their legs a little too much.

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