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! 

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!