Looking for guidance on buying my first Ducati monster

[jkaiser]

Hello all,
I'm John and new to this forum, so far it has been great reading all the posts and learning a lot.
I need some guidance or to say probably looking more for why I should buy a monster 796....
To tell you about myself, I am 44 ears old have been riding street bikes for 24 years and dirt much longer and this is currently my second summer without riding and I have been miserable, I always owned sportsbikes, but the last bike I owned was a 91 Harley sportster all hot rodded out, I hated that bike & hate the whole Harley scene, it was a big mistake buying it and it was a complete nightmare and when I finally sold it I lost over 1500 dollars just to get rid of the piece of crap, before that I had an 06 Honda cbr 600rr which I bought brand new paid cash (I loved it), but after 3 years I sold it due to something stupid in which I should and could have kept it (long story, has to do with a girl).
So now I am actually jonesing like a drug addict to get riding again.
I love the sportbike scene especially the moto gp and superbike series, but when I went looking at sportbikes at the dealer I now have to finance one for the first time and you know what that means, yup full coverage insurance and me being older and having a perfect driving record my insurance will still be $2000.00 per year on a sport bike, and yes I shopped around, but when I checked into the Monster 796 i'm only looking at $1000 per year for full coverage which is a lot better and affordable, when I first saw the 796 I loved the looks, I read all the reviews and read the pros and cons but I want to hear it from actual owners.
I want to know comfortability cause I have to drive 30 miles on the highway one way to get to work.
How is the power on the 796?
Is it a lot of fun to ride?
Is there a whole lot of maintenance?
Is it dependable?
I guess what I am looking for is convincing that that the monster is a good bike to buy and I know it is not a sportbike, I know it has to be my decision but I want to be influenced by others on this matter.
Please sell me on this decission
Any info would be great.
Thank you and looking forward to meeting new friends.

[Slide Panda]

Why not the 1100?

The 796 is the middle Monster presently. Gets some nicer bits, but not all of them. The 1100 will have superior suspension components for example. But that's a different discussion.

So to your questions
Power - good. Less revs, but a good bit more torque than you'll be used to from the i4s. it makes for a visceral, athletic feeling ride IMO.
Fun - well that's personal prefernce and most folks here are going to say yes 
maintenance - No more than any other modern bike really. The valves do get checked more often than something like that Honda true BUT when it comes time, there's a lot a lot less to it. On the 796 there's 4 valves to check, two are quite easy to get at. On the Honda, you've got 16 that are a pregnant dog to get at. otherwise they are like any other bike in regards to other components
Dependable - that generation hasn't been around for a super long time, so the LOOONG range projections are just guessing right now. But, I have a 2000 900 that's pushing 40k miles. In that time, outside of regular maintenance work, it's had 3 issues which costs me a total of $150 + my time. Outsie of that it fires on the first push every time

While the Monster isn't a pure sport bike like that CBR, the 1199, Gixers etc it is a good sporting bike and affords you some more flexability. You're not riding shoulders down, ass up which gets tiring after a while.

[Anchorism]

So far my 796 has had around 8500 almost 9k miles on her and ive loved every bit of it!  The hp isnt there but the torque is rediculously fun.  Its nice to be able to pull out of any gear.  As for comfort, ive done a few 2-300mi rides and feel ok afterwards. As panda said the 1100 is an awesome choice.  If i could go back i wouldve bought the 1100 over the 796.  Not the EVO model though.... i am biased over the whole dry clutch bit.  That being said the 796 is a fun bike with lots of grunt.  If you have any particular questions feel free and ask.

[jkaiser]

Thank you so much Panda and Anchorism.
As for the 1100? I wish, but it is out of my price range on what I can afford and to try and keep my payments down to a minimum as with insurance.
Since the bike is air cooled how is it in stop and go traffic in the summer heat? it has been in the 90's hear in Rhode Island this week and expecting more heat in the future.
And i'm questioning the wet clutch, what are the benefits for a wet as to dry?

[bob795]

Hi John,

I ride Monster 795, same engine as 796 but on a diffderent frame. This is my first Ducati, and I think I can help you to decide  

I bought the monster because I like the look of it. One day on a way to lunch I passed by the Ducati showroom here and decided to go in. I saw a Monster 795 on the floor, really like it, then I sat on it and a week later I purchased it. I thought if if it doesn't suit me (ergonomically) or if it doesn't suit my need which is use the bike for commuting, I will sell it. BTW, I always commute on a motorcycle, prior to this monster I commute on a 2002 Sportster for 10 years. Well, turned out I really like the Mosnter. It's the perfect bike for me. It's been a year now and I commute on the bike every day, rain or shine.

To answer your question:

Power: It is powerful enough for me. It's quick, which is important to over take cars on the street.

Fun: It is really fun to ride. In traffic jam it's fun to ride cause it's light and nimble that I can just filter through traffic without no problem. It's easy to ride. Practically I know no traffic jam.   For spirited ride on weekends, if you can find twisty road, it's really fun.

Maintenance and dependability: I haven't owned it that long so I don't know how the maintenance or dependability is in the long run. But, so far it's been trouble free. I had done 2 oil change so far, 1 front brake pads change and routinely lubed the chain at least once a month. That's the maintenance I have done.

Now, in stock condition, I found the bike was not really comfortable for me. The stock handlebar caused  pain on my right wrist and the stock seat, kept pushing me forward and not really comfy to sit on. So I changed the handlebar and the seat not long after I owned the bike. With those two changed, the bike became a really comfortable bike for me.

You asked about how it is in traffic. Well I live in Jakarta, Indonesia, a tropical country where it's always hot and where the traffic is really horrible. I never have any problem with slow moving traffic in hot temperature. It's a great bike in slow moving traffic. I often have to ride at a speed of 5 kph for 2 or 3 kilometer...well "often" is not the right word, cause I have to do that every day  and it handles great in slow moving traffic.

[Slide Panda]

Fair enough. Budget's important.

Well any bike will get warm in traffic. No FHE riding a 796 in traffic so I can't say. My 900 doesn't have any temp guage. But, my 620 did - on the occasions I'd get stuck in stop n go, during the Northern Virginia summers (I scoff at your 90s) it would get hot, but never tripped the HI temp display FWIW

Benefits of wet vs dry - well you don't really have a choice now any whoo - unless you buy used. The dry clutch came down from racing - it could be vented allowing it to run cooler under high strain use. It has the side benefits of being super easy to swap plates on when the need comes and you may if you wish spend your hard earned cash on all sorts of farkles you can show off, like my shiny SpeedyMoto pressure plate. On the down side, if you have an open cover, it is exposed to the environment which can lead to rusty stuck plates if left sit in the damp for a while. Also, if you have a cut away cover, small open cover or none at all you do risk greater damage to the clutch in the event of a oopsie. But, if you have it covered with something beefy that damage issue is mitigated (as much as possible)

One 50/50 point for the dry is the noise. It's a unique noise - some love it some hate it. On a worn clutch it can be quite loud especially with an open cover. But, one can take steps to quiet a dry clutch, even an open one.

For the wet - a lot of the transition stems, IMO, from noise. Wet clutches are quieter than even a fully covered dry clutch. I don't know if there's a mechanical call for them to be wet - but the smaller monsters have been fit with APTC clutches since 2005. The APTC is a sort of slipper mechanism that minimizes minimizes drive line lash/ rear wheel lock in the event there's an aggressive downshift, without the engine RPMs to match the road speed. Not sure if wet vs dry has any impact on longevity - perhaps one of the guys who runs a shop will have some insights there.

[jkaiser]

That is so awesome thank you all for the input, it was all greatly appreciated.
I am going to my Ducati dealer tomorrow and sit on one to feel it out and then look into financing and how much payments will be, and if all goes well I will own one sooner than I think.....
So again It was great to join this forum and to get the answers that I was looking for, I know down deep inside the monster is my best choice I just wanted to hear it from actual owners instead of the moto articles and reviews from youtube.
Thank you all again, be safe and happy riding, I will let you all know what is going on with an update.

[Curmudgeon]

John,

A 796 is not a "lesser" bike to an EVO. They are largely identical with the exception of the BHP and forks. Neither has a decent shock. That's ~ $625 to resolve with a "cheap" Ohlins. The only other thing you need is a 14T front sprocket for $40-. That will make town easier and you'll possibly find a use for 6th gear. Check out my signature line for my other mods which were done before I bothered to pick up the bike. I've got 20+ years on you both in riding and "mileage".

Since I was really trying to replace my Pantah 600 SL with a 796, I did not need the extra 13 BHP of the EVO although a bit more of the 18 ft. lbs. difference in torque would have been nice. I'm too old to wheelie everywhere anymore anyway. That extra torque will also add vibration from the bigger "bangs".

Here's my intro thread in case you want to see where I'm coming from. http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=50673.msg929505#msg929505

Opinions are cheap but to answer a few of your questions:

Power is decent. Downshift a cog or two and fit that 14T. Vs a Jap 4, Ducati power is deceptive. The bike is not "peaky".  You'll be riding everywhere a lot faster than you think.

As others have said, the bike is quite nimble and neutral. The steering is telepathic, so you're going to go where you want to go. Just be sure you mean it because that's where it's going. 

Fun is subjective. It's PD sporty but with a more "grown up" seating position which you may want to refine.

Daily maintenance is the usual PSI and pre-flight. Service intervals are 7,500 miles. That will cost you more than a Jap bike. A dealer with a master tech is useful as these engines are "different". How's your local dealer? Some will consider a Siemens bike fairly D.I.Y but I don't.

The new bikes are fairly dependable if you keep water out of them and don't tinker with yours too much. They take ~ 1,500 miles to break in. They start out a bit ragged with the odd glitch but you'll feel it getting smoother and the fueling and sound get better. Siemens EFi is adaptive.

Strongly consider that DU-737 Ohlins with a spring for your weight. Have the dealer set the sag for you and back off the damping screw one click. The bike will be perfectly balanced then with no bad manners. The stock 796 fork isn't brilliant but is not bad at all. If you don't belive me about the shock, ask Skybarney.  http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=48158.msg1168181#msg1168181