Hi guys!
New rider here to the Ducati Universe & hope you guys can steer me in the right direction
to get a proper Monster. I have a million questions about them. I'm in Northern New Jersey. Got all the gear, just need
to sit on some serious metal now!
Thanks!
Hola!
Well, we have a ton of answers. And it's well known that 1 million questions equates to a ton of answers when weighed.
Any particular sort of Monster you have in mind? Given the overall age and model range of the line, there's A LOT of different choices available. Air cooled or Water Cooled? Displacement? Is a dry clutch a must? Current generation or previous? Carbs or injection?
If you've got answers for the above, we can start pointing you at some particular bikes [thumbsup]
Hey S Panda,
Thanks for the welcome!
I'm actually looking into getting either 696 or the 796, or maybe the older 900's if I new more.
I do have some questions on certain things as I'm a newbie to riding in general, just got passed the BRC class
recently.
1.Is it hard to get parts for older monsters VS the newer models? I saw a 2001 monster to buy, but I backed off in case searching for parts Is impossible or damn near hard.
2. My favorites are black with red frame, or gunmetal grey (titanium) with red frame. Black wheels (carbon if I could) are preferred. As far as aesthetics goes, is it hard to paint the frame if I found a jewel but not in my color?
3.Do non-stock exhausts ruin or hinder the monster's performance? Love the look of the Termignoni, but not if it's gonna shorten the life span of the bike. Just opinions I have read elsewhere...
4.Is Scott's Ducati Steering Damper make the handling easier or is it a gimic? Pros/Cons? This sounds great but need non-salesman aka real people's 2¢
5. Is it possible to have an Open Clutch Cover & not be too loud? I'll have neighbors who will want to go to war due to sound levels once I bring home a monster.
6.Is the stock Monster seat comfortable or can u recommend an upgraded one?
7. What security devices/alarms do you guys consider should be mandatory?
Thanks!
Nice Star Wars reference by the way.
First real bike huh? Let me suggest you start with something different than a monster. Though I'm a hypocrite in saying it I'd suggest an SV650. I started off on a 620 monster. Comparable to the sv in many ways - except repair cost. Ducs just cost more to fix for a majority of cases. It's common for a new rider drop their bike or have a low or zero speed accident.
You'll be much less sad when you drop that used SV with a ding or twoyou had already planned to sell after a year vs. that shiny new monster you didn't plan to sell.
Plenty of other 'beginner' sporty bike options as well that don't cost what a Duc does, will allow you to cut your teeth and learn good riding skills more easily and can be sold again (occasionally for a profit) easily. So consider that.
Like is said I started with a 620 and moved up to a 900. I'd probably... Probably been alright on the 900 from the get go. But I'm very sure that there would have been several more ass pucker instances on the bigger bike first. And its quite possible Id have wrecked on the 900 if id jumped on one first. And FWIW the 696 makes about as much power as a carby 900
But on to your questions.
1. Currently you can still get new OEM parts back to 2000. And the older models especially the double sided swing arm (dss) models shared a lot of parts across all years. So with any older model, yes, it may be more difficult but far from impossible. I've got a 2000 900 and have no problems
2. Colors.. That's tougher as only certain models and years came with various color combos. For the red frame, black tank the 695 came like that. Gunmetal on red frame... I'm not sure that was a factory color set ever.
Carbon wheels are totally aftermarket and dear to the wallet. Like $5k dear. Chances if finding a bike with them a slim. Black wheels, lots came with black and it's easy to have them powder coated if you want.
Recoloring a frame. Isn't hard plenty have done it. Of course it means 100% break down of the bike. That can be a hassle
3. Who's talking about aftermarket exhausts doing stuff to the life of the bike? I'd like to see that discussion... Probably the folks who think a red power band is better than purple ones...
*Generally* aftermarket exhausts or opened up stock exhaust improve performance. I say generally as a CYA move because some folks decide to DIY install when they really have no business doing so. The sort who can burn water, yah know? Alone slip-ons won't do much power wise. They will do a good bit to sound and a bit to feel. My 620 had slip ons and. Revved more freely than a friends with the stock exhaust.
For max gains, you're looking at opening up the intake and adjusting the fueling. For a long time Ducati Performance has sold kits including slip ons, open airbox w filter and a performance ecu. Other options are Power Commander products, the Juice Box or similar from Bazzaz
4 steering dampers don't come into play much of the time. When pushing real hard or moderately hard on cheaply pavement they can. But most of the time not really - though some folks buy them as a piece of mind item. Some buy them to try to correct a weave of wobble - that's not what they are there to do. A consistent weave or wobble is a sign of a mechanical or suspension adjustment issue. A damper is there as a oh crap moment deflector
5. No matter what a open clutch will be louder than when it's covered. Now a brand new open clutch might be as loud as a covered one in poor repair. But that new one will wear and agent louder. O course this is only applicable on dry clutch bikes - cant have an open wet clutch.
If your neighbors are very noise sensitive that might opt out aftermarket exhaust too. They are usually a good bit louder than stock
6. Totally personal preference. I actually liked the stock seat of my 620 better than the Sergeant seat on my 900 for comfort. But the sergeant has a lot more storage
7. Where do you live? Secure parking?
Hey panda thanks for the good newbie advice, I'm shopping for old monsters, so if it drops, it drops... no biggie.It's going to suck no matter what LOL...The way I see it, yes you can get hurt on cheap bikes,but if I get hurt on a quality bike, I can only blame my skills, not the bike. My mind is made up anyway, monster or bust [thumbsup].
Thanks again for answering my questions, gave me a good idea this weekend on what to look for and what not to bother with. The info I heard about aftermarket exhausts doing harm to bikes was in YouTube video comments when riders would show off their new pipes. I guess they were jealous, or don't know what they're talking about, or like you said, installed theirs improperly.
Unfortunately, I have to commute to Newark every day, and since that city is known for car theft, I wanted to know what security systems people put on their bikes. So far I just heard of LoJack, Scorpion, and some beeper/vibration thing that doesn't look that great.
Also I had another question: If I see a part that I like on the web & the dealer does not sell it, or I can get it cheaper than them, can I buy it & have them install it? What's the protocol on this? I am not mechanically inclined & rather a professional install it. This is regarding anything â€" mirrors, exhaust, throttle, handlebars, new gas tank, security system etc.. It's not that I have money to throw around, but you're exposed out there, and I know that the slightest incorrect adjustment could *m†e#s±sÎ" you up bad....
Hey I started on a 620... so I can't throw stones.
One thing I thought of, as a new rider you might consider one of the models with the APTC clutch. It's a sort of a slipper clutch that will let the rear wheel free wheel a bit of you ham fist a down shift that might lock up the rear wheel on a conventional clutch. Just something to ponder in you monster model matrix.
Youtube is known for many thing... being a solid source of technical information... eh not so much.
For alarms, I'd start a search in Accessories & Mods. I know the topics been hit before. But it might be stale or not prescient to your needs. If you can't find anything, you can always start a new thread. As you might have noticed, the welcomes section isn't the most heavily visited.
It'll depend on your dealer - but most don't have problems installing a mod that they didn't sell. Of course, they like to be the seller and installer - and you might be able to make a deal for a discounted install if you buy from them. never hurts to ask. One of my local dealers doesn't advertise the the fact that they will match reputable online prices for items like jackets and helmets, but if you ask them to, they sure will. Every dealer's different. And within the dealership each staff member is different. Some are great, some suck. There's no way to say for sure.