Hello all. New to the DMF. Lots of information here..
Newer rider, haven't even taken the MSF course yet, will be in November hopefully. Minimal experience riding, but have been in love with Ducati's for quite some time. Purchase of Monster 696 is imminent, any opinions on the suitability of this bike for newer riders would be appreciated. Can't wait to re-explore the Pacific Northwest from the two wheeled perspective.
med
welcome to the board, and glad to hear you are going to take the MSF course.
Welcome to the DMF! And I see you already found your local board too. [beer]
MSF is a great place to start. [thumbsup]
Well, you will find all kinds of differing advice about the suitability of a Monster as a starter bike.
Personally I would recommend first finding a little beater bike and riding the snot out of it for 6 months, then getting your Duc. Why?
- You should be able to sell a good starter bike for about the same price that you buy it for
- Less expense and heartbreak when you drop it - Ducs are more expensive to repair
- It'll be very forgiving when you are still learning the mechanics and coordination of riding; it's much easier to get in trouble quickly with a bigger bike
- It'll build your confidence faster than a bigger bike will - it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. ;)
- It'll save you on insurance
- After you've been riding for a little while you'll have a much better idea of what you are looking for in your next bike
Here's a review I wrote up a while ago on the Ninja 250:
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2613.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2613.0)
And here's an excellent post I saw on another board about beginning bikes:
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5380523&postcount=8 (http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5380523&postcount=8)
Anyway, no matter what your decision is, best of luck and keep us updated. :)
Thanks for the input. I have been told several times to get a practice bike first. That is starting to sound like a good idea.
I like the bayareariders post. I like to think I wouldn't go crazy on a bigger bike initially (i'm very safety conscious - 16 years in the 911 business will do that to you), but my "Type A" personality with the temptation to push my limits would definitely be there (16 years in the 911 business will do that to you [evil] )
Found some local ninja 250's for sale. I am sold on Ducati's for sure, but he idea of something smaller and cheaper to practice on is growing on me.
med