Just wanted to say hi to everyone,
I'm a complete noob when it comes to anything motorcycle (and therefore, Ducati) related. Been a long time admirer of bikes and in particular, Ducati's. Just love the Ducatisti culture and the love for your vehicles each of you has. I have been a car guy for most of my adult life (25 years old, former e36 and current e46 M3 owner), but thought I'd finally take the plunge and start learning about what riding is all about. ;D I feel like I've gotten to the point in my life where I've moved beyond wanting to showboat and do other things that may jeopardize my safety on a bike, so that's why I thought I could start making the transition now. Instead of wanting to go straight into things with a GSXR or R1/R6 like I used to back in high school/college, I believe the Ducati Monster is the perfect bike for me. Beautiful engineering, just like any BMW, Porsche, or Ferrari. Handsome curves and lines. Power to spare when opening up on the highway. Rider friendly in terms of comfort to cruise around the city.
First thing's first, I went looking around for a solid Ducati Monster forum and I believe I've found it here at dmf. I look forward to any and all of your insight and wisdom when it comes to making my journey into riding a safe and exhilarating experience. [thumbsup]
Next thing is signing up for a motorcycle safety course. I've never been on a bike before, but I appreciate and respect it's power and ability to throw me off like a rag doll if I'm not constantly engaged while operating it. Any of you who live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have a recommendation on where I can find the best beginner motorcycle training program? I feel like this is the best investment for me, as I want to possess the necessary skills to be a great and responsible rider.
Finally, my first motorcyle purchase... I've heard multiple routes which people have taken on buying their first bike. Purchase a used Kawasaki 250 first... Buy a used 620ie or 695 that way you don't feel as sad when you lay it down and dent/scratch it... Go ahead and splurge on a new 696... I'd love to hear more feed back from you all as to what you would do in my situation. I have a purchase price ceiling of about $8-8.5k USD, but purchasing a used 695 for around $5,5000-6,000 seems almost a mute point to me, as I believe I can find a dealer that would sell me a 2010 696 for $8,000 OTD. To not have to deal with questioning how the previous owner(s) treated the bike and whether it's been abused/damaged is not worth the $2,000 to me. But if there were a solid 4-6 year old 695 that I could get be had for around $3,000-4,000 for me to learn on and not have trouble selling or take too much of a loss on if I were to resell it in a year or two to upgrade, I'd definitely consider that route.
Thanks again in advance for your warm welcome and I look forward to learning from and building upon a mutual love/respect for the Ducati heritage with all of you!
- Jasen
The smaller monster doesn't seem a bad bike to learn on at all. The chassis is a little demanding, but not bad and the engine is really forgiving but still fast enough to keep up on the freeway and be a ton of fun. They are also extremely pretty :)
If you'll be paying for maintenance/servicing and most repairs I think I'd go for the new one. If you are comfortable doing most maintenance (which is a little more involved on a ducati than most anything else with 2 wheels, but still not terrible and easier than a car for the most part) yourself then the used one makes a lot of sense. You might also consider the Monster 800/S2R 800 (used) and/or 796 (new) as well. They have a bit more power than the 6xx cc monsters but are still quite user-friendly and not likely to get you into trouble (at least not into trouble that the 6xx wouldn't).
I don't know the Dallas area well, but MSF does classes most everywhere and has a good reputation. Also consider doing a track-day school early in your riding career as that'll really help build your skill. The most helpful thing for me has been riding off road - I find I learn much more and much more quickly in the dirt. A street rider might break traction and slide a couple of times a year, but you do it constantly off road. This really builds confidence and bike handling skill. Its also the most fun I've ever had on 2-wheels (and I've flogged 150hp bikes through the Colorado rockies, done tail of the dragon, the pch and pretty much all the hot spots in the US). You can get a decent used MX bike for $1500 and gear for another $500 (and you'll get most back if/when you sell).