You all know you're screwed now, right?

[nevinfs327]

Funny comment about size.  I preferred the reach to the bars on the Monster and constantly think about getting Suburban Machinery or other clubman style bars for my Street Triple.  Main reason I haven't is because the uprights bars are better for 2 up riding, especially around the city.  The hand guards have grown on me as well and probably wouldn't work on lower bars very well.

Regarding luggage, I've been really happy with the Kriega US40 set up (1 US 20 and 2 US10 bags) on my Street Triple.  They are like part of the bike and do not shift at all.  The straps are a little big of a pain the first time you put them on but are easy to use once set up.  Not a great pic since it is crammed in with my tent/tarp on the luggage rack, and has my rain gear bungeed to the top, but gives some sense of how small it packs.

[Orson]

The Duc is raw.  It judders and shudders and vibes and twitters...you can hear the valves tapping and rattling through the cam covers and the belts grind and roar with the exhaust.  

 

That pretty much sums up the appeal of eye-talian bikes for me.

I could care less about horsepower figures or weight.

I want a visceral ride  

[st2sam]

Thanks Robert, IMHO you missed your calling.  

Anywho, I'll be trading my C14 this winter for a, well you described my wants to a tee.  
I have owned two Ducati ST bikes, a 2000 ST2 and a 2005 ST3 that I put a total of almost 50,000mi. on.  I have owned many bikes (45yrs. riding street) and the only bikes I regret selling are the two Ducati's, so I know what your saying...
I'm looking forward to reports, updates and most important pictures about the new bike...........

[Mr Sunshine]

Welcome to the fold.....the Italian one.

[Lawn Dart]

Second Farkle plug added.    

Oh, and I've discovered two bolts that have rattled free.    

[rgbeard]

I'm just glad this idjut made a decision, finally!!!    

Not only did we burn cell phone minutes discussing each bike in nauseating detail, while we were flying, he couldn't stop talking about it either!!

Here we are, short final for Temecula, and while I'm setting up a nice landing, I hear more "Ducati..... (____), and BMW ... (___)".  When will it ever end, I ask.


 










(all in jest, of course! This has been the most fun new-motorcycle talk in a long time.  Especially in the light that I just turned a new one down from my boss.)

[Mookie]

Congrats Robert!  She's a beaut!

[atadaskew]

Oh, and I've discovered two bolts that have rattled free.    

Those are spares.

[slowduc]

Oh, and I've discovered two bolts that have rattled free.    

wait till you start finding rubber "pucks" on your garage floor and start wondering "what the f...?"  
do they still put those in between the fins on the cylinders?

[Lawn Dart]

oooooh, packages arrived!  Ram Balls, Garmin Power Connector...and Symtec's!  

A Farkling I will go...A Farkling I will go!  

[falconati]

http://youtu.be/5xRXRZHBibs

oops, how'd this get in here?

[M.Brane]

 Comgrats on the new bike my friend! She's a beaut!

[viffergyrl]

Ooooooo I am so envious.   I've had the small nekkid thing nibbling at me as well. Soaking up your comments on your three test rides.


Of course I have one other concern. I see passenger pegs in the first photo. Is Mrs. Lawn Dart going to be joining you on the back once in awhile? I'm thinking that won't be the most comfortable pillion seat.....

[Lawn Dart]

   I've had the small nekkid thing nibbling at me as well.

Errr, Ummm...Errr...YEAH!    

 

(PS:  come on by and take the Monster for a ride.  You got the address!)

[M.Brane]

 I'm laughing too hard to post anything witty.

[viffergyrl]

 

It just wouldn't be right if I didn't leave a little bait for y'alls...  

However I might have to take you up on your offer, Robert....  

[Kootenanny]

The Duc wins because it FEELS like what MOTORCYCLING is all about.
I hear ya--exactly my reason for buying my Buell.  Like Gil says, it's about the experience, not the specs...

Congrats on the Monster.  One of my riding buddies has a '95 M900...beautiful!




(BTW, a few years ago I got to demo a Monster 696 and Street Triple R back to back--the Street III is the logical preference, but I enjoyed riding the Ducati more strictly because the engine is so much more raw...)

[Orson]

The Duc wins because it FEELS like what MOTORCYCLING is all about.

Udo Gietl, the man who built the AMA superbike winning R90S back in the 1970s, rides a Monster and said in a recent article that,"an air-cooled v-twin is all the motorcycle he needs"  

[atadaskew]

Udo Gietl, the man who built the AMA superbike winning R90S back in the 1970s, rides a Monster and said in a recent article that,"an air-cooled v-twin is all the motorcycle he needs"  

This is why Harley does so well.
And to a slightly lesser extent, Moto Guzzi...

[Lawn Dart]

Right!  So it's time for a 900 mile review!    

I've managed to put down about three rides so far - two pie runs and a midnight run to burn off a few miles to get to my 600 mile service.  

So here are my thoughts.  The bike is light, way light.  It handles like a DREAM!  It's almost too light - diving into corners so much faster than I ever expected.  I've really had to slow down my motions and reduce my steering inputs dramatically.  Body weighting the pegs and hanging off really moves the bike around a lot so getting super smooth in my motions is really the name of the game.

The power is just about perfect for the street.  Once again I'm looking for a couple extra RPM's but the gearbox is quick and smooth shifting.  It's simply a matter of adjusting my riding style to reflect the bike.  What I do like a lot is how communicative the engine is.  The power peak signs off at 7500 RPM and hits the limiter about 1k later.  The good news is that you can feel the sweet spot and just know exactly when to shift by feel.

For the record, the 85-ish HP at the rear wheel is plenty adequate with a 430# bike!  

Traction control - heck, I've set it on Level 4 (the most intrusive) and haven't set it off yet.  Granted, I'm not exactly peg dragging at the track, but it's not going off on normal riding.  Seth (riding friend) did have it go off in conjunction with ABS and an accidental stoppie and said it was pretty harsh.  Unexpected might be the better word.  Regardless, I'm glad to have it and will report more when I know more.  

The OEM tires (Rosso II's) appear to be quite decent and have plenty of traction.  No problems there.

The seat is plenty comfortable for 325 mile days and my knees aren't  showing any issues.  I think 500 mile days as a stock bike/saddle are fully doable.  On the other end, the tank range is barely 140 miles and I'm filling up around 120.  With no tank bag to worry about gas and go stops are super fast.   It's delivering a super consistent 40mpg and I'm not really being nice on the throttle.  Gotta break then engine in right ya know!

I’ve changed to a 14 tooth front (OEM 15 tooth) and it’s made a HUGE difference in the rideability of the bike.  It spins up much quicker and the power is spot on.  Big plus that 6th gear is actually useable now.

The bike surges.  I’m sure this is a part of the super lean Euro-3 emissions that are strangling the bike.  A lot of people are recommending either a power commander or FatDuc O2 module.  I’ll have to figure out if these things affect warranty.  If not, I’ll do a FatDUC and see if that helps.  Regardless, under 5k you can definitely feel the bike hunting around on maintenance and partial throttle.  

The looks:  this bike has massive garage appeal.  I constantly find myself walking into the garage to look at the bike and wonder “what will I do next”.  It’s a dream machine and I can’t wait to start doing some longer distances (500+ mile days) on it.  

So, I’ve read a lot about people complaining about tank range on the bike.  Really, it hasn’t been a problem.  I’m sure it’s going to limit me in some ways (round trips to out of the way places and the Haul Road come to mind).  

Suspension is quite decent but certainly not up to maximum pace standards.  It needs stiffer springs (I’m already maxed on spring pre-load up front and it’s still 10mm too much static sag) and there’s a lot of stiction in the sliders.  On the other hand it’s fully adjustable up front and I’m sure a solid track day will work wonders on settings.

The rear shock is ideally suited sag-wise right off the shelf for me…but is only rebound adjustable.  I “think” it’s ok about 1 click soft of mid-setting for street riding but I suspect it’s going to lack on the track and move around a lot.  I’ve managed to put Ohlins or something on each one of my bikes for the past 12 years so it’s not like I’m expecting this one to be any different.  I’m leaning towards a Penske shock this time around…and some kind of diamond slicking/springs on the forks…perhaps a lighter fluid…gotta play the track game first!

Other miscellaneous notes:  This bike gets LOOKS.  Great looks from people all over the place – it’s a fine looking bike and actually quite easy to ride.  Ducati increased the steering lock quite a bit and it’s not been a problem (like a specific previous edition I rode once…).  Rev limiter is not the brick wall the previous gen was.  The exhaust has a great raspy snort to it that just sounds great at stoplights and starting up.

Wind management:  notice I said Management and not protection!  The wind is smooth, the seating position works with the wind, and I didn’t feel tired or beat up in spite of 180 miles of Orange County freeway speeds (ie:  that’s called moving fast!).  

Biggest single drawback to the Monster?  I feel the horrible need to buy leather and ditch the ‘Stitch!  But finding some kind of slightly classic looking leathers…with knee sliders is a challenge!

Next big ride should be a Monterey Run and about 1100 miles on a weekend.  




Current Farkle List:
1.  Gerbings e-Plug on the top of the gas tank (for accessories)
2.  Gerbings e-Plug on the bottom left corner of the tank (for actual e-vest hookup)
3.  Garmin Nuvi 500 on a quick-release RAM setup with a spliced Gerbings e-Plug connector (specifically, RadioShack N-Series male plug)
4.  USB plug spliced to a N-Series plug for any USB related recharging such as IPhones, etc.
5.  Spliced an N-Series plug into my Beltronics Radar power cord.
6.  Removed the Carbon Cannister (*with the intent of converting it into a flat repair storage kit because there is no room under the seat.)
7.  14 tooth front sprocket.  (Really, this should be standard.)
8.  Flat repair kit under the seat (and I’m not kidding, I can BARELY get 2 CO2’s under the seat.  It’s that tight.)
9.  Dual Ram Balls – one under each mirror stem.

Future Farkle List:
1.   Heated Grips.  
2.   Throttle lock of some kind.  My right arm is awfully stiff from the accident.  It seems to keep going WOT on my…
3.   Errr…that’s all really!

Luggage Plans:
1.  Bags Connection CargoBag for touring
2.  Bags connection Reverse bag on the tank for touring
3.  If I really need to, Wolfman Tank Panniers to load balance a bit and add some wind protection on the knees.  I’m not thinking this will be necessary though.  

There are no intentions to run any form of bags for normal day in riding.

It’s definitely not the right bike for everyone.  But it’s certainly the right  bike for me today!