The call of the Ducati Monster

[elus1ve]

Hello there
I have a problem, I think. I barely had my first bike ever, the FZ6 for only 4-5 months of riding (excl non-riding winter months) and I'm already feeling the call of the Monster. I love naked bike and the Monster seems to be everything I want in a bike. Compact, no bs, fairly straight position leaning a bit to the front and it just looks so darn nice.

I like the Fz and learned a lot on it. Converted it to a naked look and like it even better. It has all the power I need. Is balanced enough to do city riding and some touring. All in all I'm happy but... why do I feel the call?

So I haven't tried too many bikes. I tried a couple of cruisers Harley and Suzu, I like em but not for me yet. Maybe later. I tried an SV650 and felt pretty similar to the Fz. Tried an R1, so powerful and like how aggressive it feels but I'll probably do something stupid if I ride that bike everyday. And of course the beginner bikes at the school but those do not count. Never tried the Monster or any Duc.

What do you guys think of the 696 or 796? I don't think I need the 1100.
The 696 has 2/3 of the bhp of the Fz, does that really matter given they have similar displacement? How's it to live with an air-cool twin engine? I read it's torquey down low, which must be nice, but I find 90% of reviews useless so I prefer to hear from other riders that have ridden the Fz. And how is highway riding/lost distance?

I had love to get the 796 but given how pricey Ducs are, a 696 might be wiser. If the Monster didn't exist, I had probably be drooling over the Triple Street.

Lots of questions / thoughts. I had love to hear from you Fz riders. What do you think? Is the Monster worth wasting my thoughts on?

Drool

 

[Yasko]

Ducati's are RED!!!!!:rockon:

 

[Raptorman53]

If you are already leaning to the 796 that's what you should get. That's what I would get. I'm a sucker for single sided swing arms

 

[JoeSTL]

Personally I think you should wait a bit... The FZ is only your first bike. I've had the FZ for a little over a year, though I am constantly looking at other bikes, reading reviews, and watching comparison youtube videos. Ultimately, I'd ask yourself, what do you want out of a bike? For me, I want something that is comfy yet sporty, is great for commuting, and can do some sport touring. As much as I love the Monsters (and I really do love them), they would not suit my needs.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I worked on and rode a friends 1100 Monster.

Pro's: Gobs of torque on the bottom end, (will wheelie in a NY minute), sounds good / looks cool too.

Con's: Engine rattles like its going to blow up (at least with a dry clutch). Ergonomics are much more lean forward/constant push up, etc. I don't think I could ride it more than a half hour. Save your $ too as you'll need it for the maintainance costs. With air /oil cooling only, don't get stuck in traffic, it's not nearly as efficent as water cooling..

IMHO, great weekend, show off bike. As for a daily driver, NOT (unless you work at a Ducuti shop).


Below pic is a helmet lock bracket I had to design and install on his 1100:

 

[greg]

I'm a fan of the monster ever since I saw one in my motorcycle training school.

I think the dry clutch is a bit of a marmite love/hate thing, personally I like them.

 

[KingY]

I love the Ducati street fighter, but that thing is some serious ££££££££

 

[Botch]

I love the look of the Ducs, but not having to worry about maintenance is a good thing too.
As posted earlier I recently acquired a BMW R1200 GS. Lots of leg room, air-cooled, single-sided swingarm , and twice the displacement. Its not near as much fun to ride as Fizzer, however, and for the time being anyway I'll be keeping both bikes. Oddly, where I've noticed a difference in power was actually passing on the interstate, that 1200 just goes when I twist the throttle in 6th, I'd have to downshift a gear or two to get the same result on Fizzer.
I do agree with what JoeSTL said; if Fizzer is your first bike, keep learning. Its my first bike too and I'm still advancing my skills on it, six years later.

 

[Motogiro]

I rode my friends 620e on about 4 outings. I was surprised at how tight the ergos were on the 620e because I'm 5'7" and I was cramped. I imagine the other Monsters are a much better size. Nice torque for the displacement. Great suspension and brakes. My friend would always pull away from me on the FZ6 at lights but once I was up in RPM the FZ6 ruled the day.

I don't know the price difference but if I was in the naked market I would like the 848 Streetfighter.

 

[KingY]

I wont even look into price comparison, no point as i would never have one as i commute everyday and that would blow up at some point, but i like your style Motogiro i would also have the streetfighter for a weekend toy and the trusty FZ6 every day life if money was no object!

 

[Ssky0078]

My friend has a monster and says that he can barely put in 100 miles without getting sore and 200 miles he is dying for a week after. I love my Fz1 because I can put in 200 miles easy and get up around 500 without too much issue either.

If you love the look and are going to have short rides around town, then go for it

 

[david323]

My dad has a '09 696, it's a fun around-town bike. He's got the full Termignoni Exhaust/Ducati Race ECU setup on it - it will get up and go whenever you ask for it. BUT he's already looking for something else to go on longer trips because after about 150-200 miles he can barely walk. Ssky0078 and I saw him about fall over on the back-end of our 450 mile journey a few weekends ago when we made our last pit-stop. Also, the instrument cluster kind of stinks (I hate digital tachs) and the "tank" is plastic so no magnetic tank bags.

 

[elus1ve]

Thanks for your feedback guys! Good info!

I didn't know that the Monster was that uncomfortable to ride. It doesn't look as bad as a super sport but everybody here seems to agree it's not a comfy one. I found a place that rent the 696, so I am going to rent it for a day and get a feel of it. See if I prefer torque down low or punch of bhp screaming up high. Also check out if air-cool is all that different. Will also keep an eye on Monsters' owners to see if they walk funny when they get off their bike.

Also planning a trip to Miami with a couple of buddies in July, so switching to the Monster before wouldn't be a good idea. Can't have both either as registration plate is stupidly expensive. I should at least hold on until then. Somebody should lock me up just to be safe.

But damn that Monster looks good!

Couple of comments/questions: The 696 and the 796 both have wet clutch. I totally dig the Duc Streetfighter but that's just another league. Besides I really have a thing for compact and fast toys, weird but I still prefer the Monster. Good info about the plastic tank not allowing magnetic tank bag! Doesn't look like that bike likes bags in general. I like the helmet lock Townsend. If you get a PM asking how to do this, it probably means someone must have forced me to buy the Monster.

Why would maintenance be pricier? Are we talking parts or labor?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Thanks for your feedback guys! Good info!

I didn't know that the Monster was that uncomfortable to ride. It doesn't look as bad as a super sport but everybody here seems to agree it's not a comfy one. I found a place that rent the 696, so I am going to rent it for a day and get a feel of it. See if I prefer torque down low or punch of bhp screaming up high. Also check out if air-cool is all that different. Will also keep an eye on Monsters' owners to see if they walk funny when they get off their bike.

Also planning a trip to Miami with a couple of buddies in July, so switching to the Monster before wouldn't be a good idea. Can't have both either as registration plate is stupidly expensive. I should at least hold on until then. Somebody should lock me up just to be safe.

But damn that Monster looks good!

Couple of comments/questions: The 696 and the 796 both have wet clutch. I totally dig the Duc Streetfighter but that's just another league. Besides I really have a thing for compact and fast toys, weird but I still prefer the Monster. Good info about the plastic tank not allowing magnetic tank bag! Doesn't look like that bike likes bags in general. I like the helmet lock Townsend. If you get a PM asking how to do this, it probably means someone must have forced me to buy the Monster.

Why would maintenance be pricier? Are we talking parts or labor?

Its like a BMW or any other exotic machine (ie Porche, Mercedeze, etc). I would, BEFORE BUYING ANYTING) Check into the scheduled maintainance, valve check's, adjustments, etc and how MANY HOURS to perform those tasks. A water cooled engine is built with tighter spec's than an air cooled engine because the temp range is within a certain perameter. With an air/oil cooled engine they have to make the tolerances larger because of the wider temperature ranges it has to endure. The FZ has a thermostat to warm it up to temp and a fan to help the radiator cool down if need be. The Monster, counts on air flow, the bike must be moving for sufficient cooling.

I've worked on one of my friends BMW's, just to do a simple oil change. I forgot which motor it was (he goes thru new bikes every 6 months). This particular engine, you had to pull a small plate off the bottom of the engine to access the oil filter(which of course is flush with the block-a SPIN ON). Now, this is oil wet area so you get drenched with oil but still neeed the special BMW tool to fit in the cavity to get to the filter(of course the tool is well over $50 for a simply slip over oil filter cup). Worst engineering I'd seen. Worst of two worlds. If it was a cartridge that comes out fine, but to bury a spin on, in a wet area, then need a special tool, jeez.... No thank you..

The FZ6 is like the Chevy of bikes. A little basic maintainace, an oil change, and run the snot out of it, no special tools for basic maintainance...

 

[Neal]

But damn that Monster looks good!

Yah, but.. does it look like a brutale?

 

[david323]

My dad rides his in the summer here in Arizona and has yet to have an issue with temperature. I think I have a copy of the service manual if you want to PM me your email if interested... He just did the 7500 mile maintenance (they wanted $500 + parts at the stealership - that service manual came in handy for DIY). He did mention that maintenance was a PITA because everything has too many parts to remove before you can actually access anything, which I thought was strange since it is a "naked" machine. Over-designed most likely.

 

[elus1ve]

Yah, but.. does it look like a brutale?

That's like comparing Elisa Sednaoui and monica Bellucci. No, they don't look the same. :disapprove:

 

[elus1ve]

TownsendsFJR1.3K, the oil filter seems to be quite accessible from the Monster's picture but I get the point. It does look simple enough to do stuff on that bike but I guess looks can be deceiving. Will inquire at the showroom and with mechanics that worked on those. Will also keep in mind to put some $$ aside if I ever get it.

 

[elus1ve]

Hey David, thanks for the offer. I will take the manual now, can be really useful if ever I get the Monster. I probably will, it's more a matter of when.

You probably tried your dad's Monster, what did you think of it?

My dad rides his in the summer here in Arizona and has yet to have an issue with temperature. I think I have a copy of the service manual if you want to PM me your email if interested... He just did the 7500 mile maintenance (they wanted $500 + parts at the stealership - that service manual came in handy for DIY). He did mention that maintenance was a PITA because everything has too many parts to remove before you can actually access anything, which I thought was strange since it is a "naked" machine. Over-designed most likely.

 

[SweaterDude]

Hello there
I have a problem, I think. I barely had my first bike ever, the FZ6 for only 4-5 months of riding (excl non-riding winter months) and I'm already feeling the call of the Monster. I love naked bike and the Monster seems to be everything I want in a bike. Compact, no bs, fairly straight position leaning a bit to the front and it just looks so darn nice.

I like the Fz and learned a lot on it. Converted it to a naked look and like it even better. It has all the power I need. Is balanced enough to do city riding and some touring. All in all I'm happy but... why do I feel the call?

So I haven't tried too many bikes. I tried a couple of cruisers Harley and Suzu, I like em but not for me yet. Maybe later. I tried an SV650 and felt pretty similar to the Fz. Tried an R1, so powerful and like how aggressive it feels but I'll probably do something stupid if I ride that bike everyday. And of course the beginner bikes at the school but those do not count. Never tried the Monster or any Duc.

What do you guys think of the 696 or 796? I don't think I need the 1100.
The 696 has 2/3 of the bhp of the Fz, does that really matter given they have similar displacement? How's it to live with an air-cool twin engine? I read it's torquey down low, which must be nice, but I find 90% of reviews useless so I prefer to hear from other riders that have ridden the Fz. And how is highway riding/lost distance?

I had love to get the 796 but given how pricey Ducs are, a 696 might be wiser. If the Monster didn't exist, I had probably be drooling over the Triple Street.

Lots of questions / thoughts. I had love to hear from you Fz riders. What do you think? Is the Monster worth wasting my thoughts on?

Drool

thats a fake monster. real ones have the pipes on the same side.

if you're gonna get one it has to be the big one. the others wont hang with the FZ even. seriously. also if you do go the route of the old (REAL) one, get an S2R because the air/oil cooled bikes are much more reliable than the liquid cooled bikes, which are less reliable than any italian bike stereotype i promise. but they sound fantastic and are righteously fast. oh and wet clutches are your friend with ducs.


oh and the street triple is a much superior machine, to both the 696 and 796. but, the mechanic across the street from work, rides his in almost every day that it isnt raining, he says about 2 hours is all its good for before his back starts to ache. he's about 35-40 but still in really good shape, so.... yeah.

IMHO if you're dying for a monster get either the 796 or an older S2 or S2r.