Want to introduce myself to this forum.  I just moved to Southern California from New Jersey about 3 months ago.  It's been a personal goal of mine since I was 15 years old.  Came here for a job and I'm starting to get nicely situated.  Luckily I have family here already.  Waiting for my home in NJ to sell, before I buy a place here.  In the meantime, I'm staying with my cousins/parents.

A quick background:
I used to race Yamaha TZ250 two strokes in Pocono back in the late 90s.  Initially, I did some pit work for my friend who raced as well.  Jetting the bike, gassing it up, adjusting the suspension, etc.  Soon after, I got my first street bike, a Suzuki GSXR 750.  I was young and immature, and I would speed everywhere.  Rode in shorts/t-shirt (with a helmet of course).  I knew that my maturity level wasn't up to par so I got rid of the bike sometime in 2003. 

Fast forward to 2011.  I loved riding all this time and I promised myself I'd get another bike.  Picked up a preowned Yamaha R6 from a young kid who desperately needed money.  Rode it for about a year and sold it in CA for $100 less than I bought it for.  Of course, now I'm 32 years old, relatively mature , and I ride with safety in mind.

Unfortunately, work is in LA and I live in Irvine.  That's a ~50 mile commute in traffic both ways.  Riding the R6 was fine, but it
was a bit cumbersome over time.  Started to look into other more commuter friendly bikes, and after some help on another forum, I decided on a Monster 796.

I'm also avid car guy.  Went from a highly modified turbocharged Acura Integra in the late 90s, to several Honda S2000s, and to my
current BMW E92 M3.  I do all my own work, so I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on all things mechanical.  Also lovecycling and playing with my camera.  I'm a picture whore, so you'll start seeing a bunch of pics from me here on this forum.

I went to Ducati Newport Beach where Aaron Klink answered all my annoying questions.  Eventually, I decided on the 796.  I came from an R6, so I thought the 696 might be a little too slow, plus it only came with a black frame.  The 1100 Evo didn't come in white, which is the only reason I didn't get it.  So, the 796 was the easy choice here.

The only "upright" bikes I've ridden are my friend's Buell Blast and I test rode the 1100 Evo at the dealer.  I really have to get used
to the riding position, as it's very different than the sportbikes I've been riding in the past.  From what I'm reading here, and from
my experience, I really have to keep the bike in the correct gear/rpm.  Anything less than ~4000rpm and the bike doesn't like it.

Anyway, I hope to learn a lot on this forum.  I have already, based on the lurking I've been doing over the past month or so. 

Onto the pics!!  Snapped with Canon 7D and 24-70mm f/2.8L.  Minor editing on Photoshop since I'm lazy.

In it's stock form.  I don't think I'll really do anything to this bike.  But knowing me...who knows. 



Next to the M, which I still have...for now.



Here are some other pics in random order.  Manuals provided by Ducati.



I never had a pair of riding pants before.  Always rode with jeans.  Anyway, decided to pick up a pair of RevIt over pants.  Fit real
nicely.



Ducati Newport Beach was nice enough to deliver the bike for me.





Don't drop it!



Before delivery, I had them put on a set of Speedymoto frame sliders.  They seem to be the popular choice among Monster owners.



Note still left on from the showroom floor.



My first new bike.  2 miles!  With my 100 mile commute, that number will change pretty quickly. 



Love the red trellis frame.





Another difference between the 796 and the 696 was the red stitching on the seat.



Maybe one day I'll get rid of this big thing and do some fender modification.  For now, this stays.



Wonder how long this will stay clean.





Random pics from my iPhone the prior day when I went to the dealer to sign paperwork.

Mercedes SLS AMG.



Desmocedici RR.



Only 1500 made!  #459 here.  This one is selling for $45K.  The guy said brand new, it was roughly $72K.  Damn.



Cool exhaust exit.



Hope you enjoyed!

nice pics and welcome to the board. make sure and check in with the SOCAL group over in the local clubs forums. plenty of members in your area.

Quote from: shamoo on January 23, 2012, 10:07:10 AM
..............

In it's stock form.  I don't think I'll really do anything to this bike. 
.....................

  we'll see 


Nice introduction! Welcome 

10,000 mile update!!

So it's been roughly 10 months with 100 miles a day commuting (work days only, with some weeks of out-of-state travel in between).  I wanted to give an update on how my bike and I have been doing.  I'll do my standard bullet points format.



Highlights
*  Oil changes every ~3,500 miles at the dealer.  It costs ~$200 unfortunately.  The reason I haven't done it myself yet is because Ducati requires a larger 14mm allen/hex tool which I've had a hard time finding for a reasonable price.  I also need a 16mm and a 19mm too I think, I forgot.  I'm searching around for a good set for a good price online.

*  Speeding ticket on the I-5 for "traveling faster than 65mph".  I was actually going 90ish when the CHP motorcycle cop got behind me.  His exact words were, "I don't care if you do 90, just don't do 90 and lane split."  Paid $420ish for the ticket and online traffic school.  No points.  90mph + lane splitting sounds stupid, but keep in mind that the highway was almost empty and it was in the car pool lane.

*  Had to get new insurance since my NJ insurance (Rider) was not recognized here in CA.  I'm now insured through Culver.  ~$500 full coverage per year.

*  Valve adjustment/first service @ 7500 miles.  I did it at ~8,500 miles.  Dealer quoted me $750ish, but I was able to find a Ducati specialist in Long Beach (Motoservizio) who did it for $450 including the $100 oil change.  Next time, I'll be going there (and doing the oil change myself).

*  Took a spill on the I-5 freeway a few months back when someone in front of me braked hard and turned into my direction (http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=3058511).  I only had some minor bruising.  Paid for the fix out of pocket initially, but insurance eventually reimbursed me.  Got ~$800 through insurance.  I paid ~$1200 to get the entire thing fixed.

*  Flat tire a few months ago, ran over a huge bolt.  Since it was unexpected, I didn't have a spare rear tire laying around.  Forced to head to Ducati of Beverly Hills near work and get a new tire there.  ~$450ish with parts and labor. 





*  Due to the above, got a new Michelin Road 3 rear tire.  Better for commuting, and slightly harder compound in the center.

*  A week or so ago, my headlight wouldn't turn on for the first 10-15 minutes of riding.  It would flicker sometimes and eventually turn on.  My clock would reset to 0:00AM as well.  Took it to the dealer for warranty work and they replaced a faulty relay (fixed the clock and headlight issue).

*  At the same time, I mentioned slight front rotor warpage, which is quite common on these bikes due to their exceptionally strong brakes.  They said it's within spec and not to worry now.  I can bring it in later and get it repaired/replaced under warranty.

*  Once in the past 10K miles for about 2 minutes, the rear brake caliper stayed closed.  I had to tap the brake a couple of times and it released.  I was not going to mention it at all since it happened just once and there's no way they could ever recreate it, but I'm VERY lucky I did.  The ABS ring with the slots has 3 bolts that hold it in.  Apparently one of them backed out and started to make a deep groove in the metal where the wheel bolts to.  Ducati replaced both parts under warranty.  They said over time, something would have failed catastrophically.    I asked if this has happened before, and they said they have never seen it.

Here is a random Google image of a similar ring.



Here is the ring on mine.



*  This is the condition of my front tire after 10K miles.  People are surprised I went this long, and admitedly I should probably change it out relatively soon.  There's life left, but it won't last another 5K.



*  This is the condition of my "new" rear Michelin Road 3 tire after ~6K miles.  You can see the center just begin to wear.  My OEM tire got a pretty noticeable flat spot @ 4-5K miles.



*  Got a coworker to start riding too.  He picked up a 2012 Yamaha Vstar 250 last week.  Taught him this past weekend and already got him out on the road riding pretty comfortably.  I got him registered for his MSF this week and he already got some of his gear.

Random thoughts
*  I'm getting ~60mpg, which is actually pretty good.  During break-in, I was getting as low as 45.  I fill up every day near my home and spend ~$7-8 each time.  I don't need to fill up each time, but I don't have enough to go two full days to work and back on one tank so it's easier to fill up once a day before I leave.

*  I'm much more comfortable on the upright positioning of this bike now.  I can corner with the best of them.  I'm not sure if I ever want to go back to a super-sport bike anymore.

*  Wind is still an issue with the almost useless "bikini" fairing, but I'm pretty used to it now.  Wearing leather makes it easily bearable, however at speeds of over 95mph, it gets a bit taxing.

*  Tons of people swap out the gearing to a 14T in the front so 1st gear is more usable and less twitchy.  It also makes 6th gear usable.  I found that I don't really need it since I'm very comfortable/smooth in 1st gear all the time.  6th gear is pretty much useless to me since even at 100mph, 5th gear is plenty.  Oh well.

*  Not related to the bike, but it's a major pain the ass to get into all my gear (pants, jacket, gloves) each morning.  If it's chilly, I also put on a winter cycling jacket under my leather, and winter cycling tights under my pants.  Once I get to work, I have to change into my work clothes. 

*  The torquey nature of the motor is VERY good around town and basically anything below 80mph.  I would probably like the 1100 Evo Monster slightly better since I'm already WOT on the throttle sometimes during acceleration, however the 796 is plenty enough for me.  It's definitely no super-sport bike though and you can really tell how much faster their acceleration is over mine when I'm following on the highway.

*  The bike is relatively wide (wide mirrors/bars), but I've gotten used to it.  Lane splitting has become almost second nature to me, however I'm still on the slower side of lane splitting compared to other riders.  The only ones I'm faster than are the big "Harley-type" riders.  Naturally their bikes are even larger, which makes splitting more difficult.

*  ABS on the bike is AMAZING and any bike I consider after this MUST have ABS.  There is ABS on both the front and rear and it helps significantly.  I did some testing and you can basically panic brake and grab the brakes as hard as you can and you'll stop on a dime without being unbalanced.  Similarly, its just as good in the wet.

*  The chain tension needs to be adjusted every so often since the shifts can become clunky, but that's a quick fix.

*  Front brakes are EXCEPTIONAL.

*  There is currently no steering damper on this bike.  I've heard that tank slap is pretty rare on these bikes, but I've noticed that the steering is a bit loose sometimes.  At freeway speeds, I can easily wiggle the bars and the whole bike can move side to side.  I might consider a steering damper.  Not because I'm afraid of tank slappers, but steering feel is much better with one.  You feel much more in control.

*  Prior to break-in, anything below 4,000rpm would be very sputtery and bog down.  Now, 2-4Krpm is plenty usable in 1st gear, however make sure the bike is warmed up.

*  This is likely the case for any bike, but it's a pain to keep the wheels clean.  The rear wheels have caked on grease/oil from the chain.  The front wheels are 90% covered up by the giant rotors.  How the heck do I clean them?  I've almost given up on that. 

*  Lack of under-seat storage is a pain.  You can MAYBE fit your wallet in there if you tried.  Right now I have a zip lock back with insurance and registration info.

*  Lack of a nice area to put a helmet strap/lock for when you park your bike.  I don't like drawing attention to myself so I hate bringing my helmet into places.

*  If you want a passenger on the bike, the rear cowl comes off.  If you keep it off, the lines of the bike look pretty bad.

*  In conclusion, I love the bike.  The only downsides is the maintenance is costing a little more than I expected.  Driving a car costs me $5 more in gas per day, but 1-2 additional hour in traffic at least one way.  Is it worth it?  I dunno.  I could have probably purchased a Japanese sport tourer and saved a little more.

Oh wait wait - you're running the Pirelli up front and the Mich in back? if so, swap out that front sooner rather than later.

Different manufacturers  tires will have different profiles, Mixing and matching cross brands can have some notable negative impacts on handling. It's not uncommon fro folks to use a softer front tire and harder rear - like sport front, sport-tour tire from the same maker. But cross brands should be avoided

I read the whole story, searching for signs of mod virus, but still can't find anything

How much longer can a man be expected to last before he submits to the aftermarket.....

Oh wait - I heard something about a steering damper   Which I'm 99% sure you won't benefit from, but should get anyway to get started on the mods.

60 mpg 

Quote from: Slide Panda on October 22, 2012, 12:20:56 PM
Oh wait wait - you're running the Pirelli up front and the Mich in back? if so, swap out that front sooner rather than later.

Different manufacturers  tires will have different profiles, Mixing and matching cross brands can have some notable negative impacts on handling. It's not uncommon fro folks to use a softer front tire and harder rear - like sport front, sport-tour tire from the same maker. But cross brands should be avoided

Yep.  I debated long and hard (giggity) on this, and in the end I decided to get different tires due to me commuting on a flat freeway for 100 miles a day.  When I do change out the front, I'll be getting the same Road 3 tire there too. 

Quote from: stopintimeI read the whole story, searching for signs of mod virus, but still can't find anything

How much longer can a man be expected to last before he submits to the aftermarket.....

Oh wait - I heard something about a steering damper   Which I'm 99% sure you won't benefit from, but should get anyway to get started on the mods.

60 mpg 

No mods yet except for ASV levers and the Speedymoto frame sliders.  I'm looking for some aftermarket cans next, but my main concern is to get good mileage since it's my commuter bike.  Gone are the days of going to the track every other weekend. 

Quote from: shamoo on October 22, 2012, 01:32:41 PM
..........

No mods yet except for ASV levers and the Speedymoto frame sliders.  I'm looking for some aftermarket cans next
....

I'll sleep better now