New kid on the block from NJ

[slickb0i]

Hey guys,

just purchased an 09 monster 696 w/ termi exhaust, frame sliders, and a fender elimantor kit. I'm a new rider, as I just got my permit about 2 days ago, but am excited yet nervous at the same time. Nervous particularly because I have never driven/ridden manual, and I'm just scared of dropping it. I do plan to take MSF courses but they are all booked till august and I get the bike delivered tommorow! But yea, I'm very grateful to be a part of this group and hope to grow as much as possible.

Happy riding,
Pete

[somegirl]

Welcome Pete, nice to have you here.

MSF classes are a great idea.   Might be best to wait until after that to try out your Duc. 

If you could find some little old beater bike to practice on for a little while before riding the 696, that would be even better.

Don't forget, rubber side down.

[slickb0i]

Ok, cool got it. But unfortunately, I do not have another bike to practice on. So it has to be on the Monster...BTW, I hate shifting to 1st. Is it me, or does the clutch engage really late?

Oh and what's "rubber side down" mean?

[somegirl]

Ok, cool got it. But unfortunately, I do not have another bike to practice on. So it has to be on the Monster...BTW, I hate shifting to 1st. Is it me, or does the clutch engage really late?

Not just you, that seems to be pretty typical of Monsters.  There are a couple of things you can do to help...adjustable levers can help bring the engagement point in closer to a more comfortable position.  An aftermarket slave cylinder will make the clutch action more gradual (and also lighter).  You might also think about lowering your gearing, most people think that the stock gearing is a bit high and will either go down a tooth in the front sprocket, or up a couple in the rear sprocket.

Before you make any changes to the bike, though, I'd suggest more practice.  Do you have an empty parking lot or very quiet streets that you are practicing in?  You should be able to ride around very slowly without using your right hand at all (keep it on the tank)...this is a great exercise for clutch control.

Oh and what's "rubber side down" mean?

We often use terms like "rubber side down" or "shiny side up" as a friendly reminder that we'd like to see you keep your bike upright.

[slickb0i]

Whoo-hoo!! I finally got some practice time on the Monster. There's this really nice strecth of road which is pretty empty during the weekends. So I had one of my friends come by to help me out and stuff. I got the hang of the first gear and the clutch. Now the only problem is that I tend to stall from time to time. And when we finally went on the streets, my friend had advised me to start off in first when starting from a stop. So on red lights I'd put it in Neutral and when the light turns green, I'd step down on the shifter (while hand on the clutch) and would try to accelerate....but I wouldn't go anywhere! the N light would be off, but it would come back on after 5secs of me revving lightly trying to get the bike rolling. I guess I don't press down on the shifter hard enough.

And another complaint, my check engine light keeps on going on and off!!! I don't know what the issue is, and its really bugs me as this bike is semi new. (09 with 1100miles when I got it). It would come on when I'm cruising around 2nd or 3rd, and the RPMs would be around 4k or so. But I have to call the dealer on Monday, and try to figure this out. I'm really annoyed about this, as this is a new bike.

Oh and lol@ the rubber side down comment. I appreciate it 

[somegirl]

Very cool, glad to hear it's going well!

You've discovered another quirk of the Monster, you have to be fairly authoritative with the shifter, especially downshifting.  Don't be afraid of pressing on it pretty hard, you may even hear or feel a "clunk" when you do, that is normal.

Good luck getting the check engine light sorted out.  Do you know if the bike had its 600 mile service?  You can also post up a question in the Tech forum, there are some experts hanging out there.