if you think the sticker price is bad...wait until you need it serviced  


it'll make you  

i suggest a lot of  this to make you feel better when the shop takes all your money






that being said....I LOVE MY MONSTER  [moto]

$180 for the 600 service and then a service every 7500 miles (not sure on that cost)

i'd say either wait a year for some 696 used ones go on sale they will bc you have people that sell them in a year or so that will move up to the next size and you will save about 2k in the process for a bike with possibly less than 5k miles on it.

or as others say if you are flexible and like the 695 look, look into a used 2003-2006 620 basically the same thing as a 695 but without a slipper clutch and slightly less hp, still puts out 60hp and is fast enough and makes a great all around urban commuter bike, etc and still has the ducati look. and the mods you can do on it are basically endless. and you can probably pick up a good used 03-06 from 3200-4500 dollars.

Buy a 620 and a 250r for the price of the 696... actually less 

It's the best of both worlds 

That 250r kicks some serious arse and you can have you're Ducati to.  [moto]

go for the 696 as you only live once.a ducati is a commitment,a kawasaki is a means of transport so endulge yourself and buy the 696 an live alittle.

620s can be had for cheap and they really hold their value just like thier big brother 900. the bikes in between arent that popular.

as for the 250R, im waiting for a goo used sub 3k one to show up, or perhaps Kawi is making the 500R!!!!!!

uh maintenance on the 620 is two times as much as a 696 isn't it?

Quote from: Raux on September 07, 2008, 03:33:09 PM
uh maintenance on the 620 is two times as much as a 696 isn't it?

nah, same maintenance, just @ 6k intervals...not 7.5k

k guess i was reading ducati where they say maintenance is 50% less on new models.

Quote from: sbrguy on September 06, 2008, 10:46:34 PM
i'd say either wait a year for some 696 used ones go on sale they will bc you have people that sell them in a year or so that will move up to the next size and you will save about 2k in the process for a bike with possibly less than 5k miles on it.

I agree with sbr.  If you're not unhappy with your 250, just wait until you find a 696 for sale used.  They should start popping up soon.  Even let your dealer know that you're looking for one, so if they get a trade or hear someone selling, they can call you.

As for is it worth the extra?  I'd say we're all biased here, but very much worth the extra money.  Few people get excited about a 250, but when I tell people "I ride a ducati" everyone knows what that is.  Even people who aren't bikers.  I met someone yesterday who is a HD rider and when he heard I rode a Monster, even a "small" 620, he was thoroughly impressed, "Now that's a motorcycle" he said.

Plus, sorry, but those 250's just sound like crap when they go by.  Nothing beats that ducati rumble.  I pulled up to my barber one day and he comes out "is that a ducati?"  "yes."  "yeah, they have a distinctive sound, don't they?"  "yeah, they do."


Andy

All I can say is that when I was looking for my first bike, I had been eyeballing a 695.  My friends tried to push me toward the Suzuki 650 Vtwin because of the price, but the first time I heard a monster with full Termi's fire up, I was sold.  I ended up with my S2R 800.  It might be work looking at the S2R 800's used also.  I love the looks of the SR bikes.  I hate to see them go (if they do).

Quote from: Privateer on September 07, 2008, 06:12:33 PM

Plus, sorry, but those 250's just sound like crap when they go by. 

Do you get passed by a lot of 250's?   

I hate to condone buying more of a motorcycle than you're prepared to handle.  But I must say I LOVE MY DUCATI 696!

Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, I'm going to go roll out my sleeping bag next to my bike and go to sleep.

another thing is if you go the s2r route there are a lot of s2r 800 and s2r1000 coming up for sale now that they have been out for 3-4 years so.

the s2r800 is very similar to the 695 and the 620, the main differences are slightly more power, and the sss and an oil cooler on the s2r's.. if you go up to the s2r1000 you get a a dry clutch, all the others have wet clutches.

i personally like the s2r look and if i had to do it again i would have gotten one of those but they weren't in my price range last year now they are.. bummer.

Sorry, what is sss?