Considering an '08 Monster 695

[tvpierce]

This would be "for my wife"... (yeah right... but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it)    

I know I'd LOVE to ride this bike, but on the rare occasion when she's able to pry me off of it, will she feel comfortable on it?  Is it easy to handle?  She has one year of riding experience?

Any mechanical weaknesses or pitfalls to watch out for?

Thanks in advance.

[falconati]

Easy to handle, light, low seat - should be a good bike.  I don't know of any specific issues with the model - I'll let others post up who have owned it though.  I believe jsanford has one.

[jsanford]

Yep, I do.  Bought it new in '08 with about 10,000 miles' riding experience.  Mine had fuel injection issues initially, but when sorted out it became a much more reasonable-riding motorcycle.  It should roll along with the clutch lever all the way out as low as 1200rpms. The Monster likes to be closer to 4000 rpms than 3000 when riding along and it has great engine braking properties. The throttle feels a little grabby when temperatures are much below 45 degrees but it's a pretty exposed bike, so isn't as much fun to commute on in those temperatures anyway.

There are a lot of mods available on this bike. Owners on boards will recommend changing the front cog as first gear is tall but honestly, it's not a problem; the fluid clutch lever is just different than a cable-actuated one. "Ducati Performance" options don't always fit well together on the same bike--my seat won't latch and I had to modify the centerstand in order to use it with the Termignoni exhaust.  The Termis and Performance ECU are common and probably wholly unnecessary; but they do seem to increase throttle response a little.  Stock tires (Continentals on mine) were mediocre at best.  The suspension works adequately for me at 170 pounds in full gear, but I still replaced the front springs earlier this year when they were due for an oil change and think it was $200 well spent.

Since resolving the fi's the bike has spent less time in the shop than my BMW; no campaigns and no overheating. The brakes are very good and perform well in soaking rain.  I expect your wife will love it--the geometry inspires more confidence in corners and the slipper action on the clutch is just awesome.  It needed one exhaust valve very slightly adjusted when it was due--'08 was the first year Ducati went to the 7500-mile interval. Maintenance servicing hasn't been nearly as exotic as I'd been led to believe.  Tires, brake pads, oil are quite ordinary.

For all the talk about it being a "learner's Ducati" it IS still a Ducati--any panic-based throttle action will be met with a swift and unforgiving response, and it's a light bike; just a little over 400 pounds wet.  70 horses at the rear wheel with the Termignonis.

How many miles on the bike?  One of the reasons I bought new is that so many used ones in this market had taken a thrashing and people were asking less than $2000 vs. the cost of new after installing carbon bling and hacksawing the tail.

Make sure you not only get The Red Key, but the cards with the chip override procedure as well.  Knock $400 of the price if the bike in question does not have those things.