hadn't riden it 20 miles when it shut down on me... I had to sit by the side of the road for it to cool off.  It was running around 242 or so when it shut off.  What is a normal operating temp?  Granted it was 95 degrees out...but what am I supposed to do in stop and go traffic??  Ugh.  Suggestions?

Thanks!

Hooks'em!

240F sounds right. When you start up the low temp warning doesn't go off untill the engine hits about 121F. I've got an 06 s2r 800 that says 338F is high, so 240F is almost right in the middle. If your engine does get hot it will say "hi" on the cluster.

338 is pretty damn high. If your not running fully synthetic, i believe this is where dino oil begins to break down and sheer.

ive hit that number sadly. I avg 280-290 in the city so dont worry. its just really freaking hot.

Listen, the Monster 1000 is not exactly a stop and go bike.  The bike must have been hotter than 242 when it shut down on you.  Just be conscious of the temperature and don't let it go over 300.  The bike will get hotter and hotter as your ride progresses.  Also if the bike is too lean it will run hotter; specially if you have aftermarket exhausts.

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=7120.0

I've been hearing stories about ethanol blends and Italian bikes not mixing well.  A friend was advised that his MV was running lean because of ethanol and lean was making it run hotter than normal. 

my 06 s2r1k was up to 250 for part of my ride today (prolly about 90 ambient outside)
no problems

Not an Italian bike thing.  All vehicles are affected.

Yep, I hit 240 the other day. it was hot. bike ran fine, when I got home, I did the smart thing and touched the slave cylinder. Made me remember that I am still alive. I am going to check with a temp gauge and see just how hot it really is. If I notice that she is getting a little warm, I try and run in a higher gear if possible ( keep the R's down). In traffic, that means clutching more, but would rather replace clutch than whole engine.