Emotional Rollercoaster

[OCMagnum]

OK, so title might be a slight exaggeration, but a lot happened today. Early morning, I took the Ninjette out for a ride.

[OCMagnum]

then this came along....

[OCMagnum]

so for a moment we had this....

[OCMagnum]

then the buyer for the Ninjette came and I am now "stuck" with this....

Took her to a parking lot for some quick break practicing and then took her for a 30 mile ride......just wow, what a bike. But it does feel odd not having to switch gear every 5 seconds

And I need to install the db killers that the dealership had not installed (the bike was a bike night demo, got her with 200 miles and the pipes, performance ECU, upgraded air box and tail tiddy included) as I was setting off a car alarm when leaving the neighborhood

I'll definitely stick around here; don't want to miss out on all the great info and entertainment on Ninjette.

Cheers!

[csmith12]

[OCMagnum]

Thanks Chris; I can't stop drooling myself....

[Alex]

Nice bike, OC.

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by Alex

Nice bike, OC.

Thanks Alex!

[Yasko]

You got the wright color.

Ducatis are RED........

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by Yasko

Ducatis are RED........

Yup, there is but one color for Ducati.

[BlueHairSar]

Mmmm, mosters...

[joshuajcrouch]

Hell yes. 696?

[OCMagnum]

Thanks guys and gals. Yes, it's a 696.

Put about 150 miles on her since yesterday and could not be happier

[Jono]

Nice ride! I saw one of these today when I was riding in the backroads.


Can't wait for the day I get my first Ducati!

[sharky nrk]

very nice!!!

[TheDementedDrummer]

The more you ride it, the more you'll love it
Ask me how i know

[psych0hans]

It's one sexy Munster of a machine congratulations!!!

[Z300]

Dang so sexy!

[OCMagnum]

Thanks everyone for the comments!

Unfortunately I was sick as a dog for a week and only got to put about 300 miles on the Ducati, but boy is she fun! Transition from the Ninja 250 to the Monster 696 has been fairly easy so far, just need to remember that I get to the speed limit much faster and that I don't need to switch gears as much .

I don't know the exact numbers on top of my head, but they feel about the same in terms of weight and the Monster is (almost?) as flickable as the Ninja, but definitely more stable. I have the ABS version, but so far did not have it kick in, even when I did emergency braking practicing in a parking lot.

I test rode the Monster, a Thruxton and a BMW F800R before deciding on the Monster. Let me know if there is an interest and I'll be happy to provide my thoughts from these test rides.

Cheers!

[NDspd]

Dude, that Duke is hawt...I was torn on getting one, but then an awesome deal for a Triumph Speed Triple came up and I just couldn't pass it up.

Congrats on the new and improved ride. Take some more pics and vids when you have a chance.

[sharky nrk]

I am interested in the Thruxton impressions, I really liked my brother's monster when I rode it but am lusting after the Brit.

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by sharky nrk

I am interested in the Thruxton impressions, I really liked my brother's monster when I rode it but am lusting after the Brit.

Following are my very unscientific observations from test riding the Monster 696 (which is now mine ), the Triumph Thruxton and the BMW F800R. Please note that I only got back on two wheels last summer and don't have a huge number of bikes for comparison, so please take this as what is is, my own personal opinion.

Monster
As mentioned earlier in this thread, the Monster 696 to me feels very much like the Ninja 250, just with a little better everything. This is certainly no knock on the Ninjette, but for a little more than double the entry price and more than double the cc, I certainly expect more. The weight feels very similar, if the brochures are right the Ducati is about 20 lbs heavier wet. The Monster feels very flickable, not much of a difference I can detect at my riding level. Coming of my 250, I immediately felt at home on the Duc. Maybe as an indication of my comfort level, this was the only bike I test rode that I felt comfortable enough filtering to the front of the line at a red light. There certainly is quite a bit more power compared to the Ninjette and I respect that, but at the same time I did not have a problem adjusting or feeling overwhelmed. Things to get used to after coming off the 250 are the substantial amount of engine breaking, the fact that it only takes a heartbeat to get up to legal speed limits and that I don't need to shift gears every few seconds (there is torque almost everywhere). Nice to haves are the Termignioni exhaust and the ABS; the latter has yet to kick in, even during some emergency stops practicing and one real life quick stop, but I like it there is a safety blanket.

BMW F800R
I like the "industrial" look of the Roadster Beemer a lot and many reviews I read would put it ahead of the Monster in terms of every day practicality (the bike is my primary way of transportation). That said, the test ride turned me off pretty quickly. It is definitely quite a bit heavier than the Monster and felt/behaved like a bigger bike. While the Monster feels to me as "playful" and fun as the Ninjette, the Beemer made it clear that it is a more "serious" bike. The power was nice and the bike was fairly easy to ride as well (even if it is the only bike I did stall out once at a light, but that clearly was a rider issue). The biggest turn off for me were the vibrations; at about 50 mph, the mirrors became absolutely useless, all depth perception was gone. I honestly could not tell you if the car in the mirror was 2 or 10 car lengths behind me. That issue scared me away from exploring the Beemer much further.

Triumph Thruxton
When I got back on two wheels last summer, I knew I eventually wanted a Monster or a Thruxton (did not know about the Beemer at that point), but decided to get my feet wet on the Ninja first, a decision I have not regretted for one second. I absolutely love the styling of the Thruxton and spent a lot of time sitting on them at various dealers just to see how comfy I would be on one. As you might know, the older versions had more aggressive clip ons and comfort had been reported as and issue for some riders. I did not feel that the newer ones are that bad and think would have been perfectly happy with the riding position for my use (commute and 2 - 3 hour weekend rides). This was the bike I was probably looking forward the most riding.
After having had that opportunity, I still very much like the bike and the styling is still one of my absolute favorites. However, at the end of the day the bike felt much heavier and nowhere near as agile as the Monster or even the Beemer. While it definitely has its own charms and am sure can be a lot of fun to ride in its own right, it would have been a very different riding compared to the Ninja, while the Monster felt like a progression of the same (or at least very similar). After riding the Thruxton I also came away feeling that you pay a lot for that great styling of the bike. Fit & finish were very good as well, but I just felt like you would get quite a bit less bike for approximately the same $$$s. I appreciate that the cost of ownership in the long run would have been cheaper on the Thrux compared to the Monster based on maintenance cost, but that was not enough to really swing be back into the Thruxton camp. All that said, if in the future I have the money and garage space for two bikes, I would very much consider a Thruxton just for the looks and coolness factor, but maybe not so much as my daily ride.

As stated above, these are purely my personal observations and feelings after the test rides. I do not claim to have enough expertise to be able to ride any of these bikes (including the Ninja 250) to their full potential and therefore can't comment on how they would handle on the very edge of their abilities. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with any of these bikes, but for me it was an easy decision to go with the Monster based on how I felt during the test rides.

Sorry this got so long, but you asked for it

Be safe!

[OCMagnum]

Just a quick update that I just hit the 1000 mark on a quick joy ride over lunch. Problem free and so much fun!!! Love the Monster.

Be safe everyone!

[80MPHdownhill]

We did the reverse, I replaced a Monster with a Ninjette!

[Firehorse]

Nice ride and nice reviews
Is it tempting to ride without earplugs so you can hear that sweet sound?
It's beautiful. Glad you're sticking around.

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by Firehorse

Nice ride and nice reviews
Is it tempting to ride without earplugs so you can hear that sweet sound?
It's beautiful. Glad you're sticking around.

Guilty as charged....

I still ride with earplugs on every longer ride and if I go on the Freeway, but I have been commuting without them for the last couple of weeks. That sound is just too tempting and nice....

[OCMagnum]

Went for my first extended ride (about 180 miles) on Saturday and hit the 2000 miles marker on my Monster 696. Thought that would be a good time for a quick update.

Met up with two buddies and went up the coast and some mellow twisties. It was a beautiful ride and we took it easy (for the most part). Still could not be happier with the 696. All the power I could ever need and such a fun ride. So far she has been flawless. I highly recommend

[KawiKid860]

Sweet bike! Seems like a pretty good deal with the termis and all the other goodies preinstalled! One day I'll own a ducati, but I need something a little more practical and reliable for daily use right now, hence my recent pickup of an F4i. I'm really aiming towards a SportClassic though, preferable the Sport 1000 with clip ons. I'll keep dreaming for now though haha, I'd say enjoy the ride but it seems like you already are!

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by KawiKid860

Sweet bike! Seems like a pretty good deal with the termis and all the other goodies preinstalled! One day I'll own a ducati, but I need something a little more practical and reliable for daily use right now, hence my recent pickup of an F4i. I'm really aiming towards a SportClassic though, preferable the Sport 1000 with clip ons. I'll keep dreaming for now though haha, I'd say enjoy the ride but it seems like you already are!

Good choice, these SportClassic are beautiful , but boy are they pricey even in the used market

[caps]

When you remove the fender keep the bolts. They are the right size to shorten the OEM turn signals in the front