Ducati Monsters?

[aloh]

Boy I would love to own a Ducati Monster someday. I especially like the 695/696 ones. It may not be a real supersport, but it'll be more than enough for my needs. Plus, they sound crazy with an aftermarket exhaust.

Anybody here own one or have ridden one before?

695



696

[OldGuy]

I hope your Ninja is asleep and doesn't read this thread - could have issues and leave you in the middle of nowhere.

[SF-Dug]

I ain't going to lie...I'd trade in my ninja to own the all black Ducati 695 . They are freaking sweet looking!! The only problem I hear about these bikes have to do with the wicked expensive maintenance ( I think valve adjustments are the big money sinks ) costs compared to other bikes especially the Ninja 250r.

[tlhamon]

To be honest, I put money down on a Monster and then decided it was more money then I wanted to spend so I bought the Ninja instead. Very cool bike, but having owned a couple of naked bikes, I love the idea of having some fairing to keep me from getting wind whipped.

[Sailariel]

The Ducati is a wonderful bike just like the Ferrarri is a wonderful car. The maintenance of such a vehicle is directly proportional to the degree of sophistication. These are complicated machines that take a specially trained mechanic to do them justice. This, of course has a price. So does the "OH WOWIE" factor. That doesn`t come cheap.

[aloh]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

The Ducati is a wonderful bike just like the Ferrarri is a wonderful car. The maintenance of such a vehicle is directly proportional to the degree of sophistication. These are complicated machines that take a specially trained mechanic to do them justice. This, of course has a price. So does the "OH WOWIE" factor. That doesn`t come cheap.

Thats the one turnoff of owning one... Is it because of the desmodromic valves that require frequent checks? If only kkim owned one so he could write a million DIY's to help save on maintenance!

[kkim]

that's exactly why kkim doesn't own one.

[Syphen]

Those monsters are amazing bikes. I was seriously considering the Monster 696. The seat is incredibly comfortable. More so then the Ninja 250.

Then reality struck and I needed to re-do the roof on my house, replace a few windows.. etc. Real life crap.

But if I had the money, I would have a monster in a heart beat. Although, Kawi's ER-6N for a couple grand cheaper (CDN$) looks like a great deal.

[rallyegolf]

The new Ducati's are not as expensive as the older ones. The new motors do not need as much maintenance as the old motors. They are almost the same as the jap bikes. I have been looking into getting an 848 for a while now and I think you have one service that is at 10,000 miles or so that would be about $800 , but the other services are not that bad. The pre 06' Ducati's do have the older style motor that is a little more temperamental and require a little more attention. If you are going to get one, you have to make sure you buy it from a owner that has kept records of his maintenance.

[ARc]

Nice Pics Aloh! My current wallpaper for my laptop is a white 696 that I pulled off of bikewalls.com, hehe.

I got my Ninja 250 because I was interested in developing my skills as a rider. After seeing a few naked bikes, I fell in love with them, and decided that I wanted a Ducati Monster as soon as I grew experienced enough to appreciate the power it offers and when it was financially sagacious to do so. By the time I get a job and start making money, the 2007/2008 695's should be priced reasonably, so that is what I'm striving toward right now.

Seeing that the Monster is the bread and butter of Ducati, the organization made big changes to the reliability of the Monster, and its cost effectiveness in order to price it competitively with bikes in its price range.

[Ninjabunny]

MONSTER 696 in white.............mmmmmmmmmmm..............

[jpnfrk]

Wish I could afford one, for now this Ducati Monster would have to do...

http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-USA...5103804&sr=8-2

[OldGuy]

Monster? The Bike or the Kid?

[jpnfrk]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

Monster? The Bike or the Kid?

I'm talking about the bike...

Not interested in children right now plus they're wayyy more expensive than that Ducati Monster for kids.

[zartan]

Ha! at least I would not have to lower that Ducati.

[aloh]

Originally Posted by ARc

Nice Pics Aloh! My current wallpaper for my laptop is a white 696 that I pulled off of bikewalls.com, hehe.

I got my Ninja 250 because I was interested in developing my skills as a rider. After seeing a few naked bikes, I fell in love with them, and decided that I wanted a Ducati Monster as soon as I grew experienced enough to appreciate the power it offers and when it was financially sagacious to do so. By the time I get a job and start making money, the 2007/2008 695's should be priced reasonably, so that is what I'm striving toward right now.

Seeing that the Monster is the bread and butter of Ducati, the organization made big changes to the reliability of the Monster, and its cost effectiveness in order to price it competitively with bikes in its price range.

I am debating about what color I would get if I were to buy a monster. Pearl white would be awesome cause it would match my car and its my favorit color for vehicles...but RED is just the color you HAVE to get since its a ducati. Its like not buying a red Ferrari!

[Alex]

Originally Posted by aloh

Its like not buying a red Ferrari!

Don't tell that to Richard! (relevant link)

[Visus]

I was looking at the 696 too, but it was a tad too expensive.

And, if I may, I've always loved cafe racers.

[inbox526]

I'd love to get that Ducati Monster. I got to sit on it a bit at Bert's while browsing around.

Completely fell in love with the naked bike look when I first started looking for bikes. Even planned to leave my ninja naked if/when I drop it

[NinjetteMan]

Always saw these around before and thought they were Monsters for some reason...Very handsome bikes IMHO, but I think the liter displacement is a little too much for me right now...

[paterick4o8]

Yeah it's a cool bike, but I don't know if I dig being fairing-less and taking all that wind.
Another dope bike is the Triumph Thruxton though. It's a little similar and has that nice cafe racer style

[sometimesido]

I'd love to have one, but I wouldn't trade my Ninja for it and one word about maintenance: Italian... That goes for cars, bikes, even scooters...

[wyckedflesh]

Some things to know about the little Monsters (620/695/696):
The do not have the Complicated 4 Valve Desmo Drive valvetrain, therefore they are EASY to maintain yourself. They also have longer maintenance intervals then any of the Desmo bikes.

The Monster is the "beginner/entry" bike to the Ducati family, as such, parts are also on the lower end of the price point over say a 748 or even one of the GT1000. That bike was aimed at a Niche market, and carries a price and maintenance to mimic that niche market.

So in other words, don't fear the little Monsters.

this public service announcement does not cover the S4 Monsters as those are 4 Valve Desmo Drive motors and Water cooled which should be their own line of bikes.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by wyckedflesh

Some things to know about the little Monsters (620/695/696):
The do not have the Desmo Drive valvetrain...

This isn't accurate. The Monsters have desmo valves just like every other current Ducati. Here's the Monster spec page. Click on Engines, and it pops up all the details. (L-twin cylinder, 2 valves per cylinder Desmodromic; air cooled)

What makes the Monsters a little less maintenance intensive is their engines are the 2-valve per cylinder versions (as opposed to 4-valve), and they use the air-cooled line of Duc engines. They aren't the only ones that use that family of 2V/aircooled engines, they share it with the Multistrada, the HyperMotard, and the SportClassic line.