Good Evening All,
Having read some of the other introductions I see that compared to others here I'm very limited in both riding experience and bikes owned. I didn't learn to ride until I was 19 and them only rode for a about a year before realising the girls I knew (small town) preferred cars. So I took a 40 (forty) year break raised a family and finished a career before resuming riding about 10 years ago. By any reckoning that puts me well into geezer territory.
I've never owned a Duc of any sort and currently ride a 650 VStrom that I like but which is becoming too heavy for me to manage around the garage. Hence my interest in a lighter bike such as a street Triple (heresy around here I'm sure) or a 696 Ducati. My main interest is in finding a light bike with decent performance and a suspension that is, or can be made, suitable for narrow, very rough, potholed and very winding roads. Because that's about all we have around here.
I never carry a pillion, ride mostly day rides up to say 250 kms with a few two to four day trips each year and an occasional longer trip. I've searched and will continue to search the various suspension threads looking for ideas about whether a 696 can be made suitable for my local roads. Naturally I'm also concerned to know what maintenance issues I might have to deal with if I join the ducatisti (sp?)
I've just got home from dinner with friends so apologise for PUI in my first visit here.
DLep
Greetings from an even older geezer to another! ;D
Given the stated condition of your roads, if you fit on one, maybe you need to look at a Tiger 800? You are on the right track with a new Monster vs your V-Strom as they weigh easily 70 lbs less. They are firm and precise and are the most fun at speed however. You won't get the same Ducati "heartbeat" with a Tiger 800 but you'd have similar torque in the mid-range. You'd only save 30 lbs with a Tiger though.
Ducati doesn't really make a dual-sport until you get into nosebleed territory.
If you want to try a Monster anyway, you'll need to gear it down immediately with a 14T front sprocket, fit a more complaint rear shock which I'd recommend anyway and possibly change the fork oil. Look at a 796 rather than a 696 as you'll get more goodies and torque without much of a cost difference and no weight penalty. An 1100 EVO would be overkill.
Good Luck!