220 miles down 401 to go on new 696

[cmorgan47]

so i picked up the 696 about a week ago, after months of questioning the value of "the list," and the longest day of meetings in my life.  my buddy troy gave me a ride out to the dealer(tt motorcycles in clinton township michigan...awesome guys) and, after many jokes about them scouring the hardware stores for "ducati red" spray paint, we arrived under stormy skies; pretty much immediately after sitting down, the thunder clapped and they opened up.  great... new tires... rain.... but fortunately, the loan officer took forever filling out the paper work, so by the time she let us out of the bank--the doors having been locked moments after we arrived--the storm had passed and the streets were dry.  back to the dealer, signed over the check, proceeded to put my signature on any piece of paper they shoved in front of me, and i was outside waiting for jose to bring it around.

first thought: "i never want to turn it off, cause i don't want it to stop making that sound"

so jose gave me the perfunctory tour of the bike, pointing out features that i barely paid attention to and handed me the key.  took it for a quick spin around the block, and when i got back, the grin said everything they needed to hear.  had to sit for a moment and collect myself before heading home.

first impressions on the ride home: "i cannot get over how much power there is at just above idle.  it's crazy... and that sound"

over the weekend we had horrible weather and i had some other responsibilities, so i only put about 100 miles on it.... basically scanning through my cell phone for people i could make envious, then dropping by.  i let a couple of guys ride it around the block and they all came back with the same grin... and variations of "i hate you now."

in those first 100 miles, however i realized a few things:
first and foremost, i freaking love this bike.  perfect size, light as can be nimble and flickable, yet very planted feeling.  doesn't feel floaty even at higher speeds. 

great low end power, HARD to keep under 5500... the engine spins up effortlessly.  cannot wait for breakin miles to be done.

it's quite comfortable, but the tank does cause some "issues."  especially on crappy detroit roads.  one bump gave me a feeling i haven't experienced since "ramp days" as a kid.  a few more miles into it, however, and i discovered that with a proper riding position--weight on feet, knees on tank, elbows dropped--it is incredibly comfortable.  and even easier to ride.

the mirrors actually work!

though i haven't found the "magic neutral" i can certainly see how you might.

good lord, the brakes are amazing.

....more to come....

[Porsche Monkey]

Congratulations. Great write up and welcome to the nut house.

[Brett]

My buddy JWG on here is picking his 696 up today from getting his break-in service done. Now I get to ride it

[nkryptit]

Nice Buddy, glad to hear you finally got your motor-bike, and that you're enjoying it.  I'll have to head east sometime, then we can find out which color is faster, red or black

[Aminul]

I'll agree that the guys at TT are great to deal with.  

Unfortunately the last time I left there the rain hadn't let up.  Glad you enjoy the new bike.

[Binary]

The M696 is TERRIFIC!

I agree, I figured out the right footing and knee position from the nut crushing. I got the magic neutral twice; it was my fault, I  let the clutch go to soon before I clicked into gear.

[cmorgan47]

the next hundred....

so last night, the weather around here finally cleared up to the point that i didn't have to check the hourly forcast on weather.com before heading out.  immediately i decided to blow off all evening responsibilities and play my "but i just got the bike!" card with the wife.... this was met with limited success, but she wasn't home and i'd rather ask forgiveness than permission any day.

took off and headed up jefferson ave along lake st. claire for a while.  these are some of the only decently paved roads in detroit and offered a sharp contrast to the crap-tacular ones you use to get to it.  buttery smooth, the bike just does what you want and affords you all the time you like to get lost in the thoughts.

new favorite thing: the guys who are too cool to look, but can't help looking.  awesome.

seriously, the handling on this thing makes a joke of the "twisties" available in SE michigan.  it just begs for more, constantly asking "this is all you've got?"  but the police were out, so the speedo stayed low as i cruised along watching the sailboats float by.

at one point, coming up to a light, i decided to test the slipper clutch.  we've all read it.  i know it's there.  i've never had one, so i didn't know what to expect.  doing about 40, i pulled in the clutch and dropped 2 gears to hear the undeniable "thunk" of first.  without moving the throttle a bit i nervously let out the clutch--keeping it covered all the while--and the engine just caught up and the bike slowed down.  no wheel chirp, no locky feeling at all.... amazing.

eventually turned back inland as troy had gotten a new engine in his 89 CBR and wanted to test it out.  we found some more "twisties" near some of the inland lakes, and again the bike just laughed at what michigan had to offer.  it's just too easy to take the corners.  you constantly want to go bak and take it a bit faster; this time the speedo was kept low because i was following and the CBR was leaking fork oil on the right side of it's front tire at an alarming rate.... troy was understandably nervous and riding quite a bit beneath his normal pace.  still loads of fun.

planted and stable.  zero frame flex.  zero wobble or drift.  i trust the bike.  that, my friends, is an incredible feeling.

on the way back,  i took the lead.  fell into the first right a bit too fast, but just pushed a little harder and made it through.  the headlight of the CBR fell back a bit.  floating through the gentle turns, it's just effortless.  gliding, reassuring you with every input.  simply amazing.

towards the end of the fun stretch, there was an uphill left 90.  a car had just passed through it so i could see the line perfectly, dropped two gears, leaned it over and powered through the turn.  midway through, still leaned over, i passed over a couple of bumps and the suspension just absorbed them without a bit of wobble.  i would've been changing my shorts and cleaning the seat had i been on my CB.

in short, i'm in love with this bike.  first ducati, but i've been lusting after it since it was a 620.  this was the summer i'd intended to buy the 695, as my car is paid off, but then they had to completely redesign it into something that, though i was a bit hesitant at first, i fell in love with the second i saw it in person.  maybe all the monsters behave this way, and i'm just used to "vintage brakes" and "classic chassis" but holy crap, i'm impressed.  tremendous amout of bike for the price and the perfect one for me... small, light, easy in the city, fun in the curves.

heading to cadillac this weekend, which should complete my break in miles. 
expect more info and pics after that.

[cmorgan47]

I figured out the right footing and knee position from the nut crushing.

it's like it's trying to make you a better rider, eh?

[monsterista]

the next hundred....

so last night, the weather around here finally cleared up to the point that i didn't have to check the hourly forcast on weather.com before heading out.  immediately i decided to blow off all evening responsibilities and play my "but i just got the bike!" card with the wife.... this was met with limited success, but she wasn't home and i'd rather ask forgiveness than permission any day.

took off and headed up jefferson ave along lake st. claire for a while.  these are some of the only decently paved roads in detroit and offered a sharp contrast to the crap-tacular ones you use to get to it.  buttery smooth, the bike just does what you want and affords you all the time you like to get lost in the thoughts.

new favorite thing: the guys who are too cool to look, but can't help looking.  awesome.

seriously, the handling on this thing makes a joke of the "twisties" available in SE michigan.  it just begs for more, constantly asking "this is all you've got?"  but the police were out, so the speedo stayed low as i cruised along watching the sailboats float by.

at one point, coming up to a light, i decided to test the slipper clutch.  we've all read it.  i know it's there.  i've never had one, so i didn't know what to expect.  doing about 40, i pulled in the clutch and dropped 2 gears to hear the undeniable "thunk" of first.  without moving the throttle a bit i nervously let out the clutch--keeping it covered all the while--and the engine just caught up and the bike slowed down.  no wheel chirp, no locky feeling at all.... amazing.

eventually turned back inland as troy had gotten a new engine in his 89 CBR and wanted to test it out.  we found some more "twisties" near some of the inland lakes, and again the bike just laughed at what michigan had to offer.  it's just too easy to take the corners.  you constantly want to go bak and take it a bit faster; this time the speedo was kept low because i was following and the CBR was leaking fork oil on the right side of it's front tire at an alarming rate.... troy was understandably nervous and riding quite a bit beneath his normal pace.  still loads of fun.

planted and stable.  zero frame flex.  zero wobble or drift.  i trust the bike.  that, my friends, is an incredible feeling.

on the way back, however, i took the lead.  fell into the first right a bit too fast, but just pushed a little harder and made it through.  the headlight of the CBR fell back a bit.  floating through the gentle turns, it's just effortless.  gliding, reassuring you with every input.  simply amazing.

towards the end of the fun stretch, there was an uphill left 90.  a car had just passed through it so i could see the line perfectly, dropped two gears, leaned it over and powered through the turn.  midway through, still leaned over, i passed over a couple of bumps and the suspension just absorbed them without a bit of wobble.  i would've been changing my shorts and cleaning the seat had i been on my CB.

in short, i'm in love with this bike.  first ducati, but i've been lusting after it since it was a 620.  this was the summer i'd intended to buy the 695, as my car is paid off, but then they had to completely redesign it into something that, though i was a bit hesitant at first, i fell in love with the second i saw it in person.  maybe all the monsters behave this way, and i'm just used to "vintage brakes" and "classic chassis" but holy crap, i'm impressed.  tremendous amout of bike for the price and the perfect one for me... small, light, easy in the city, fun in the curves.

heading to cadillac this weekend, which should complete my break in miles. 
expect more info and pics after that.

Congratulations!

Finally!!!!!

I'm now even more confident that it'll be worth the wait.....I can see from your description (geeeezzzz....it's almost like a new-found love affair with your Italian mistress...LOL) that your wait since Feb was well worth it!

Enjoy!  Enjoy!  Enjoy!!!!!!

Ride safe and have a blast!

[cmorgan47]

it's almost like a new-found love affair with your Italian mistress

um, yeah.... almost.

[Howie]

Congrats!

Great write-up