696 BASHING THREAD / POLL

[ducatsSF]

How do I say this?  Hmm.  First, did not mean to "bash anyone for their decision".  I saw the new direction of a company that did not agree with me, and I wanted to pregnant dog about it.  If my opinion on a bike is a personal attack on someone, I'll retract my off-colour description. 

Second, My asthetic equates with the tradition.  I bought the monster for the look, and discovered much more as a result.  Shallow decision, perhaps, but my addled brain does not allow for much.  Like opening a chocolate bar, and finding a golden ticket. 

Thank you DMF, for a forum... "Your bike and yourself are perfect."

[Clickjack]

The 696, and 695 styling is what drew me to Ducati.  I didn't buy one.  I bought a S4R.  As I learned about them, I learned they don't have any power... and there are other issues.  Like the 696's effin' ugly head light. 

But you know, if it makes people happy.   

[the ron]

.

Ducati has looked at your works of art and said, let's start THERE. give it high exhausts, give it a rear subframe they can do WHATEVER they want with it, give them a higher ground clearance and cleaner lines to work with. and yes lets give them things to change and customize. THEN they added something more. They gave it better brakes, better handling, a better starting point for each of you to grow your own works of art AGAIN.

wow, sorry, got inspired.

no they didn't. i think the conversation at ducati probably went something like this.
Marketing man # 1"hey do you have the new monster design ready?" "
Marketing man #2 "oops i forgot"
Marketing man # 3 hey lets just copy the brutale!
Marketing man #4 How about the sv 650!"
Marketing man #5 How about the shiver!"

Marketing man #1 "wow lets get their spare parts catalog and start a combination  between all of them!!!"

The rest of the marketing men in unison" What a great way to build a motorcycle, use someonelses design and don't be original"

Marketing man #2 asks " do i still have a job?"

Marketing man #1 "yes of course you do, if it wasn't for you forgeting to build a original motorcycle, we would have actually have to work for a living"

WOW a whole new motorcycle designed while drinking high priced latte's, all in a matter of minutes

the ron

[707soldier]

no they didn't. i think the conversation at ducati probably went something like this.
Marketing man # 1"hey do you have the new monster design ready?" "
Marketing man #2 "oops i forgot"
Marketing man # 3 hey lets just copy the brutale!
Marketing man #4 How about the sv 650!"
Marketing man #5 How about the shiver!"

Marketing man #1 "wow lets get their spare parts catalog and start a combination  between all of them!!!"

The rest of the marketing men in unison" What a great way to build a motorcycle, use someonelses design and don't be original"

Marketing man #2 asks " do i still have a job?"

Marketing man #1 "yes of course you do, if it wasn't for you forgeting to build a original motorcycle, we would have actually have to work for a living"

WOW a whole new motorcycle designed while drinking high priced latte's, all in a matter of minutes

the ron

the ron  strikes again, classic 

[Raux]

ever wonder how the original monster was made....

series 1
we need a new bike. lets take the panels off the SS and put a old light and bars on it and call it a monster.
series 2
we need a make the monster different. lets take the rear swingarm and engine off the SBK and call it a monster
series 3
we need to make the monster better. lets design it from the ground up and call it the monster.

[Statler]

communists.

the ron

wonder where calling people communists as an insult falls in the guidelines of this privately owned web forum?

getting pretty sick of this shit, Ron.

[Bill in OKC]

I love this thread. 
I see it like this
Gen 1
  Lets take our superbike, give it a street tuned engine and riding position.  We'll have the best of both worlds and create the first of its kind.
Gen 2
  Our superbikes have moved on, lets take some of our new racing technology and use it to improve the Monster.
Gen 3
  Lets build a cheaper Monster.  No one buys them for their superbike heritage anyway.  As long as it is labeled 'all new' but still looks like a Monster, we will sell a ton of them and increase our profit margin.

[the ron]

wonder where calling people communists as an insult falls in the guidelines of this privately owned web forum?

getting pretty sick of this shit, Ron.

not an insult, observation

the ron

[Raux]

I love this thread. 
I see it like this
Gen 1
  Lets take our superbike, give it a street tuned engine and riding position.  We'll have the best of both worlds and create the first of its kind.
Gen 2
  Our superbikes have moved on, lets take some of our new racing technology and use it to improve the Monster.
Gen 3
  Lets build a cheaper Monster.  No one buys them for their superbike heritage anyway.  As long as it is labeled 'all new' but still looks like a Monster, we will sell a ton of them and increase our profit margin.

Gen 1
SBK? pretty certain the Gen 1 was the Supersport not SBK
Gen 2
the SSS wasn't necessary, it was a styling thing.
Gen 3
hmmm cheaper... better brakes, better engine, better handling, SBK and D16 similar frame w/subframe. yeah i see what you mean about cheaper. 

[ArguZ]

Things I don't like on the new one compared to the old one :

1. The tube frame is bulky...the old one is a nice piece of craftsmanship
2. The alloy sub frame looks like a cheap axis on a skateboard
3. The swing arm also looks cheap and welded by a dumb robot , but I know all three are due to the fact that mass production makes it cheaper and more controllable...even more reliable and easy to replace.
4. The mufflers are ridiculous , fubar
5. I have trouble reading the digital cockpit in daylight
6. The head lamp is stolen from the Brutale, Chinese style...
7. Removable tank panels...come on...iMac or what ?
8. Mirrors look like donkey ears and still don't really work
9. The tail is just weird...
10. The line does not flow, its edgy but not edgy enough like a KTM

I like the new exhaust flow system a lot...looks way better than on my 695
Also you sit even better on it and you don't have to stretch that much to the handles.
They reworked the engine a little...good..that's what they do best anyway.
It still lacks adjustable levers, like my 695 and the reach to the levers is way to big.
Also the clutch only works on the last five millimeter only...a knob would do too.

There are still some of the old flaws existing, some parts are built to remove them the moment you buy it.
But you can´t change the frame or tank that easily and that's why I voted against it and bought the old design

God, that was so objective 

[Bill in OKC]

Gen 1
SBK? pretty certain the Gen 1 was the Supersport not SBK
Gen 2
the SSS wasn't necessary, it was a styling thing.
Gen 3
hmmm cheaper... better brakes, better engine, better handling, SBK and D16 similar frame w/subframe. yeah i see what you mean about cheaper. 

Gen 1.  Google Monster and 851/888 frame  -  The 1st Gen Monster had the 851/888 frame.
Gen 2.  The single sided swingarm was 916/996 era superbike technology - a family tradition.
Gen 3.  Better brakes? dream on.  Better engine?  Better than what?  Better handling? Better than a 1098?. Comparing a carbon fiber MotoGP frame to the 696 is  wishful thinking lol 
There is nothing the 696 shares with MotoGP or SBK.

[roy-nexus-6]

Gen 3.  Better brakes?

Early entry level monsters had a single front disk. The 696 carries the same gorgeous brembo monoblocks that the high end monsters use.

Better engine?  Better than what? 

Better than previous entry level monsters... and better than quite a few larger bore older monsters.

Better handling? Better than a 1098?.

Do ANY monsters out handle the 1098? So why bring it up?  But, once again, all things being equal, the 696 will out handle previous entry level monsters.

perplexing... 

[Bill in OKC]

Early entry level monsters had a single front disk. The 696 carries the same gorgeous brembo monoblocks that the high end monsters use.
Better than previous entry level monsters... and better than quite a few larger bore older monsters.

No problems with the brakes - but as you say - same as the current Monsters.

Do ANY monsters out handle the 1098? So why bring it up?  But, once again, all things being equal, the 696 will out handle previous entry level monsters.
perplexing... 

I bring it up because the 848/1098 is Ducati's current superbike.  This is the first Monster that does not have an ounce of superbike in it.  With gen 3, the racing heritage trail has been lost
That is a major change in philosophy for a company like Ducati and a bike like the Monster.

[Raux]

From Ducati

A bit of history: The Cologne Motor Show, autumn 1992 â€" a mysterious Ducati prototype stands out among the new innovations on show. On display is the Monster 900, a model destined to take its rightful place in the history of international motorcycling.
Monstrously beautiful, it is a cocktail of exquisite Ducati components, including the trellis frame from the 851/888 series and the 904 cc air/oil cooled Pompone engine from the Supersport range.

So a mixture of SBK and SS. I was wrong.
But to be sure, the original monster could not out handle an SS let alone a SBK

916 swing arm heritage? innovation yes. but heritage?

the 696 and 848 share components. clutch, brakes (which are awesome), the high exhausts flow like the mh900, there is heritage in this bike.

1. The tube frame is bulky...the old one is a nice piece of craftsmanship
2. The alloy sub frame looks like a cheap axis on a skateboard
3. The swing arm also looks cheap and welded by a dumb robot , but I know all three are due to the fact that mass production makes it cheaper and more controllable...even more reliable and easy to replace.
4. The mufflers are ridiculous , fubar
5. I have trouble reading the digital cockpit in daylight
6. The head lamp is stolen from the Brutale, Chinese style...
7. Removable tank panels...come on...iMac or what ?
8. Mirrors look like donkey ears and still don't really work
9. The tail is just weird...
10. The line does not flow, its edgy but not edgy enough like a KTM

1. This is the new SBK style frame... I fully imagine in a few years some aftermarket companies will have lightweight rear subframes, mono rear subframes, tubular rear subframes... try that with the gen 1 and 2 monsters.
2. See 1.
3. The swingarm, well we see now the 1100 will have the SSS so point is that I also see aftermarket potential here for tubular or lightweight construction. it is a VERY strong swingarm design
4. Rear exhausts are high and short, similar to SO many of you that chopped your stock exhausts. seems you got what you wanted in stock form.
5. have you tried adjusting the backlight? did you know it's adjustable?
6. the headlamp, to me, looks like an advanced form of the original.
7. i think it allows for some real customization here. and less expensive. for those of us who dont want to spend tons of money or have a bike totalled because of a dent. a good move
8. mirrors are subjective. they are funtional and reflect more a sport bike heritage than the old circle mirrors.
9. the long tail seems that long because the bike is more forward focused, something i really appreciate. although a short tail kit is in the mail for me.
10. I think the lines are a lot better the more you look at it and see the thought process.

[DRKWNG]

The 696 carries the same gorgeous brembo monoblocks that the high end monsters use.

FYI: The 696 does use nice radial mount brembo's, but monobloc?  No.