Monster 695

[Ric in Sac]

I am looking for a second bike and have always appreciated the Ducati Monster.  I showed it to my wife and she LOVED it (she wants to take up riding too with limited dirt bike experience).  She can flat foot it, the riding position fits her and it is remarkably light.  

Is it reliable?  What else should I know?  I have never owned a Ducati before but have always dreamed of owning one.  

Your feedback is appreciated!  

[Hickey]

My wife had a Ducati Monster 620, which is the model before the 695.  It was a nice bike that didn't give us a bit of trouble.  Easy to ride, mellow, and fun are all good words to describe it.  I used to ride it a little too and enjoyed it without reservation.

Maintenance is a controversial subject with Ducati.  The valves will need to be inspected and possibly adjusted at the 600 miles service and then every 7000 miles or so.  On the air cooled Monsters, this is no big deal.  A dealer can do it or you can learn to do it.  Otherwise the bike has the same requirements and costs of other machines.

There is a great web community and forum dedicated to the Monster here:  http://www.ducatimonster.org/

[ZED]

We've been looking at Monsters too.  Here's what my research has found.

What you'll find with the Monster line is that the 600 series is the "entry" bike.  It lakes a lot of adjustments in the suspension etc.  It seems to be a good starter bike ans is fairly light for a street bike.  

The S2R Monster, in addition to the bigger engine, gets you improved adjustable suspension, and lighter wheels I think.  My wife is looking at this Monster as her next bike.  She has put on over 35k in the last two years and is starting to appreciate things like suspension setup, etc.

Both are very cute!

Maintenance on a Ducati can be as high as people say.  If you take it to the dealer and just have them do everything, it's hugely expensive.  To date I've spent more on maintenance of my Ducati than I have on its fuel.  However, if you just take it in for the valve adjustment and belt tensioning and do everything else yourself, then it's not nearly as bad.  That's what I'll be doing in the coming year.

[Ric in Sac]

Zed and Hickey - I appreciate your thoughts.  Obviously, I did not play close enough attention to the suspension.  I will have to look at it again.  I will check out the Monster forum as well.  

One thing about the Italians, they sure know how to make beautiful machinery!  

[Hickey]

The Monsters may not all have fully adjustable suspensions, but the components are well made.  The ride quality and handling were fine on all but the bumpiest of roads if ridden too fast.  

[Rincewind]

If you wait a little, you could buy the new Monster 696.  Sure, you would probably get a better deal on a 695, but the new generation 696 would be my choice for the new styling, and the slight torque increase (11%).  

[RickC1957]

I have 3 ducs in the garage now An 05 Monster 620, 05 ST3 and and 07 Sport Classic 1000....maintenance issues ...what maintenance issues, I have had more problems with Yahamas. The ST3 I didn't do the 600 mile service until 1100 miles, the 6000 miles service I did at 9200 miles, the belts which should be at 12000 miles, I did at just over 19,000, I haven't done the 24000 mile service, it has 30,000 miles on it now.The Monster...I did the 600 service at 1200 miles....haven't touched it since...only has 4200 miles on it. The Sport Classic I did the 600 mile service at 1800 miles, sorry I was riding haven't touched it since...has just over 4K on it.

I'm not sure about the ducati super bikes. I find the "myth" of high maintenance ducs laughable...a throw back from the late 70's and 80's...it's like the mythical Harley that leaks oil...just doesn't happen anymore. All the duc owners that have had "maintenance" issues that I know personally, have had ducs, that have had many engine mods...didn't take me much to put two and two together.

I know Vivid had problems right from the get go with her ST3...purchased one week after mine. It became evident that the dealer she was bringing it for service hadn't had a clue on how to wrench on them.

[atypical1]

The ST3 I didn't do the 600 mile service until 1100 miles, the 6000 miles service I did at 9200 miles, the belts which should be at 12000 miles, I did at just over 19,000, I haven't done the 24000 mile service, it has 30,000 miles on it now.

This pretty much mirrors my maint schedule too. I ride in the rain, on dirt roads, on clay roads, track days, etc. and never have an ounce of trouble. I have a leaking front fork seal right now but that is just from me not cleaning the forks after riding in the dirt and mud like I should have. These bikes are really well built now and in most probability you won't have trouble with them. That does not mean that you might not get a lemon but that the odds of that are small. The small Monster is the simplest bike of the bunch. As stated above though you might want to look for an S2R just for the adjustable suspension. You also might look for a nice used one that is already "tarted up".

Good luck and post pics if you end up with one!
james

[DogBoy]

We've been looking at Monsters too.  Here's what my research has found.

What you'll find with the Monster line is that the 600 series is the "entry" bike.  It lakes a lot of adjustments in the suspension etc.  It seems to be a good starter bike ans is fairly light for a street bike.  

The S2R Monster, in addition to the bigger engine, gets you improved adjustable suspension, and lighter wheels I think.  My wife is looking at this Monster as her next bike.  She has put on over 35k in the last two years and is starting to appreciate things like suspension setup, etc.

Both are very cute!

Maintenance on a Ducati can be as high as people say.  If you take it to the dealer and just have them do everything, it's hugely expensive.  To date I've spent more on maintenance of my Ducati than I have on its fuel.  However, if you just take it in for the valve adjustment and belt tensioning and do everything else yourself, then it's not nearly as bad.  That's what I'll be doing in the coming year.

The Monster 695 is good bike for your intended uses and you should expect it to be very reliable.

Ducati.com has an excellent "Compare Bikes" feature you can use when deciding on different models. I just checked and they don't show a Monster S2R800 for 2008 on their website but you can probably find a leftover 2007.

The 695 has quality Showa upside down forks (no adjustment) and a wet clutch that makes aournd town riding easier. The S2R800 had the lighter  wheels (Marchessini), non-adjustable Showa upside down forks, a wet clutch and the beautiful single sided swingarm and two pipes tucked up on the right side. Only when you get up to the Monster S2R 1000 do you get fully adjustable suspension, up-graded brakes and the dry clutch.

[Ric in Sac]

I appreciate the feedback.  How long do I have to wait for the 696 Monster to come out?  Patience is not one of my better virtues.