So I'm hanging out at my local dealer (situation normal) and one of the sales guys says, "Hey Erik, have you ridden the new 696 yet?"  Well no, I hadn't, said I.  But being on my lunch break and short of time, I vowed to come back on my way home from work and take a spin on the little beastie.  Blasting out of work on my lusty '08 S4RS Tricolore, I threaded through commute traffic and made my way to the shop.  As I walked through the door the sales guy tossed me the keys, and in no time I had it off the sales floor and warming up in the parking lot.  It's a white one with the Termignoni exhaust and the taller seat already installed, and as it sat there warming up I blipped the throttle a few times and got appreciative nods from onlookers.  This thing barks!  The Termis are a bit loud, but it's the good Ducati kind of loud that makes you think it's got a lot more engine in that frame than the little 696 air-cooled lump.  Sweet!

First things being first, I pulled in the clutch and snicked it into first, gear that is.  Okay, now I owned a Monster 620 some years back and always thought that bike had a light clutch.  But the clutch in this Monster is seriously one-finger light.  If I remember the acronym correctly it's ATC, for Adler Torque Clutch or some such, but it's a variant of a slipper clutch, and when paired with the six-speed box in this motor it's all smooth, light and nice for shifts, both up and down, fast or slow, around town or railing the corners.  It makes the old five-speed non-slipper in my 620 seem antiquated.  It's also dead quiet, which is either good or bad depending on where your tastes lie.  If you're like me and you're a fan of the dry clutches then this bike is too quiet and civilized for you.  If you like the quiet and ease of use this bike offers, especially if you're a new rider looking for an easy-to-ride entry bike, this is going to be great for you.  My only real gripe with the clutch is that its engagement point is fairly far out in the lever travel and a bit vague.  No doubt more time spent getting used to it would make it a non-issue for any owner.

Enough of this parking lot frivolity, it was time to hit the road and see how this new Monster behaves.  First impression, both when straddling it in the parking lot and when starting out on the road, is that the front wheel just disappeared.  If you've ever ridden a Buell Lightning or Firebolt you might know the sensation.  At first it seems like the front tire is right underneath your chin and you have no sense of the front end being out there ahead of you.  Almost like you've just mounted a 125GP bike.  Super light feeling at the bars, once underway you immediately lose the sense of being over the front end and start to appreciate a few things.  Like for a bargain entry-level bike the suspension seems to just soak up everything.  Now I'm pretty spoiled by the Ohlins suspension on the S4RS, and don't get me wrong 'cause this bike doesn't have Ohlins suspension, but this ain't bad at all.  And while blipping through traffic and going from light to light, I start to notice that it's got some very nice brakes too.  Radial mount and all that jazz, just like its big brothers, but not the insane Brembo monoblocs that'll throw a novice over the handlebars with more than one finger on the lever.  Nice, but safe.

Okay, so away from the traffic and out of town slightly to where there's a nice twisty road snaking along the water.  A burst up to 70mph sees the tach at just about 5,000rpm, and it feels like the bike could do it all day without a whimper, and in no time I'm at the good twisty bits.  This is where any bike will show its flaws.  A seriously serpentine road that dives and dips and has enough bumps to keep your attention sharp.  Here the 696 really had the goods.  While (obviously) not as powerful as the 1000DS or 4v Testastretta-engined Monsters, the 2v 696 has more than enough power to be entertaining, with a delivery that won't get a novice in trouble or bore an expert to death.  Being able to row the shifter and keep it singing without fear of locking the rear tire on corner entries made easy work of tight corners that came up faster than expected.  A nice downhill right/dropaway combination got the front end in the air with a bit of a flick at the clutch lever.  Very entertaining!  Plenty of grunt out of slow corners and a nice satisfying pull as you let the revs rise, all with the bass crescendo of the Termis bouncing off the hillsides along the road.  All the while, never a hint of headshake and nothing but pure composure out of the chassis.  That bargain basement suspension did a great job of soaking up the bumps and keeping the wheels in line and hooked up.  And never a whimper out of the tires or anything throwing sparks at pretty decent lean angles.  Good stuff indeed!

Ergonomically speaking, the 696 felt pretty comfortable for my 5'9" frame, and my 32" inseam had no trouble putting both feet flat on the ground at stops.  The standard tubular-style handlebar is similar to other Monsters, as is the overall riding position.  The standard seat is lower than the one I sampled so if you're shorter and are concerned about being able to touch the ground, don't sweat it.  I did find the seat tended to put me forward on the bike to where my knees weren't  placed perfectly in the cutouts in the body panels on each side.  Not totally annoying, and maybe not an issue with the stock seat.  If it were mine I'd have to play around with the seat shape to get the perfect fit.  One big bonus is the more spacious area around the right footpeg which allows you to ride with the ball of your foot on the peg without hitting the exhaust pipe.  Something not too tidy on the S4RS where I find my right boot always rubbing against the pipe.  Hopefully the Termis will cure this!  Otherwise the bike seemed very comfortable, and while it may look a bit different from the Monsters we've been accustomed to it certainly feels like a Monster when you're riding it.

Gripes?  Hmmm . . . Well I think they still need to have a better map for the fuel injection with the Termis installed because it did exhibit some lean popping on deceleration.  And for some people those pipes may prove to be a bit too loud.  I won't gripe about the looks because that's entirely subjective and, as with any bike out there, some may love it while others loathe it.  I do think it looks far better in person than in pics so if you're going to judge it, go see it first.  All in all, I haven't got much to complain about and found this new Monster to be a competent, comfortable, reasonably fast, good handling motorcycle.  If I were in the market for an entry-level motorcycle or a seriously capable city weapon with aspirations of canyon carving on weekends, this would be very high, if not first, on the list of bikes to check out.  If you've been waiting for the 696 to arrive and have been worried about it being a dud, fret not.  If you've got a deposit down on one, good on ya!  I think this new Monster is going to be a great choice and will make its owners very glad they waited.  And now begins the wait for the 1098-engined version!

Nice write up.. good to hear 

Very interesting reading, Just some more praise for the new monster,

Where are The Ron?? 

Great read  mxwinky. Anybody would think you were a pro. With special Monster care and experience added.

Actually, didn't mean to damn with faint praise, the content was better than we've had from many of the pros writing online, if not all. Just talking about the style.

Well actually, probably faint praise to compare style with many of the pros as well.

Certainly deserves a bump.

Thanks.

I rode one in Uk a few weeks ago and thought it was excellent.a real peach.

Excellent write-up!

Great write up!  I should be able to get a ride in this weekend or early next week (if it rains Saturday like it's threatening).  We'll compare ergo notes as I'm taller but with a shorter inseam    5'11 with 30" inseam...

mxwinky,

Great write up! Was the seat on the 696 you rode the Ducati "touring" seat with red stitching?

Owen

Nice write up-sounds like they did it up just dandy.



Where's the troll going to tell us this upgraded beast is the "ruined" version of the monster?

Hi gang, thanks for all the praise.  I really appreciate it.  I'm not sure what's meant by the "ruined" version, but my writeup was of the new body style 696, which is what we're likely to see as the new Monster in all engine sizes for 2009 and onward.  We're either going to embrace it or further covet our older models and lavish them with attention and mods.  We're all individuals and ride to the beat of our own soundtracks.

As for the seat, yes the one I rode was the DP touring seat with the red stitching.  I think it added a bit to the styling, and certainly the additional padding was very nice on my ageing derriere.  Again, each rider will be different in how they fit ergonomically on the bike and whether their knees align perfectly in the body panels or not.  I found that if I moved back a bit on the seat I was a better fit on the bike, but eventually I found myself sliding forward into the faux tank/body panels.  For me, a bit of carving on the seat padding would have cured this easily.  Anyway, an impressive new addition to the Monster family.  I don't think us old purists have anything to fear.  After all, do we want to go backwards or not?  I don't miss the points ignition on my old vintage bikes, and I'm loving all the progress technology and racing keep bringing us lowly mortals who get to ride these things.  Less wrenching, more riding!

Great report, thanks!