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Starting to ride again

3K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  Bub 
#1 ·
So, I was out last year with a buddy riding (on his second bike before he sold it: 2012 GSX-R 750) and really caught the bug again. I used to ride about 15 years ago (I am 37 now) and mainly rode 600cc-750cc sport bikes. Was looking at getting a Harley (I know, I know) so the wife could ride 2-up with me and be a bit more comfortable. I just don't like the look of most of the Harleys out there, so I started looking at sport bikes a bit more.

THEN THE DUCATI MONSTER 796 POPPED UP ON MY SCREEN!!!

Wow, is this bike super sexy and muscular. I have been looking at a few different Monsters, from a S2R to the 696, 796 and 821. I really like the 796 with the single sided swing-arm and red trellis frame.

Are there any things that I should know when looking for a used 2010-2014 Monster 796? I figured finding a bike with service records would be a plus, but most dealerships don't list as having them (lots of dedicated owners offer up the service records though). Should I make sure the belts have been changed before buying or is it really not that expensive to have the dealership do following a purchase?

Been lurking on the forum few a week now and you all have great looking bikes.

Thanks for the responses in advance.
 
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#2 ·
Hi! Awesome news about riding again! So I was in your exact position about 2 years ago, except I had a Harley Wide Glide, and my S.O. thought it was so uncomfortable that she wouldn't ride on it, even after I dumped $500 on an allegedly comfy seat. Also the Harley handled like crap, and actually punished you for riding it correctly, but that was due to HD's poor decision to put an 80mm front tire raked out on a 700lb bike. Anyway, when I was looking for a new bike, EVERYTHING was on the table. I took my girl with, and she sat on everything with me, and rated each bike from 1 to 10 on comfort. I test drove them and rated them myself. This allowed us to have talking points on what we would compromise because understandably, no bike would ever be all 10s, particularly when you have a budget of $9k or less! The Monster 796 was almost all 7's except handling was a 9, she rated it as a 7 for comfort. We tried a goldwing just for fun that she was more comfy on... but my ratings were not as good... so it worked out.

The 796: The single sided swingarm is great! 1 nut to get the rear off, can't beat it. Chain adjustments are fairly easy, oil changes are a freakin' breeze! My biggest complaint is the battery location. So within my first 10K miles of riding, my starter died. This is apparently common. Replacing them isn't too difficult, but requires you to open the left side flyweel houseing. My starter died, it seems because my voltage regulator wasn't functioning correctly. The Voltage regulator was a 20 minute job to replace with a MOSfet regulator, which shouldn't run as hot so should theoretically last longer than the stock diode regulator. My regulator was $70 or so. There is an aftermarket starter that is only a few hundred dollars. I would recommend having enough in your toy fund to cover those parts. The valve service intervals are crap though, 7500 miles, my last one ran about $600. The 15,000 mile one will likely be much more. Anyway, the nimbleness, handling, and style are enough for me to love the crap out of the 796, so there are the warnings. It is pretty easy to work on though, and that is something amazing.
 
#3 ·
Hey savaship,

Great info! I was looking at the HD Roadster (not enough power for me) and the Wide Glides. Glad to know that they don't really handle that well, I never liked the look of that super skinny tire on the front to begin with.

I will have to get the wife out with me to take a look at the Monsters and see how she feels on the back of one. Are there really any aftermarket seats available that are more comfortable? I have only found the Sargent seat and haven't seen many reviews on it.

The maintenance stuff I am looking forward to handling (not sure on the belts and the valve adjustments) since I do all the maintenance on my 2008 Saab 9-7x Aero and will handle the wife's car once it is out of warranty.

Hoping to find a good deal on a White 796 with ABS within the next few months.
 
#4 ·
Yeah, the maintenance other than the valve adjustments goes really nicely, other than the 28 screw fuel tank lifting procedure to get to the battery. There's also a service manual that is usually accessible on this forum.

I think the Corbin seats are more comfy than the sergeant, I have a sergeant, and it gets me by, but I'm short so I needed the low profile seat. http://corbin.com/ducati/dm119.shtml

If you see one with the stock fender, don't feel bad if you kick off the taillight... I did :frown So I put a Fender Eliminator on mine :grin Now it looks super clean!!!

The high exhaust on the 796 makes putting bags on for trips a little more difficult. I got sheets of high temperature silicone for baking, and layer those between my bags and the exhaust, seems to work really well.

I bought my bike from MotoCorsa in Oregon, and they shipped it to me, transaction went smooth as butter, and Christian there is amazing. They currently have a 796 white, (you'll have to check if it has ABS) with an already eliminated fender for $6,999

Let us know how it goes!
 
#5 ·
The Monster is a great and useful and versatile bike, one-up. It's not good for two-up unless you keep the rides short (60 miles or so). My solution was to get my wife a starter bike and MSF course, and eventually her own Monster, so we ride together that way. I'm thinking about getting a two-up bike, and that's more of a sport-tourer shape (e.g. Moto-Guzzi Norge). I'd suggest trying out some other options before getting a Monster 796 for two-up. MultiStrada, maybe Diavel, maybe ST3 (used, not currently in production).

PhilB
 
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#6 ·
Thanks for the heads up about the when carrying bags. That may not a big issue but you never know weekend trip will come up, lol.

I am really digging the NRC Fender Eliminator kit with the LED turn lights. The kits really do clean up the rear of the bike.

I will have to take a look at the 796 at MotoCorsa.

Any thoughts on ABS vs. non-ABS? I kind of like idea of traction control (thought it only came with ABS models), but the ABS isn't really a big deal. Never had it on a bike before, so really wouldn't miss not having it.

PhilB - the wife wouldn't ride much with me, just the occasional trip around town (when the kids are at the in-laws) and maybe a 60 mile trip up to Lake Geneva, WI once a year for the weekend. Really wouldn't want a two-up bike at the moment. Maybe once the kids get older and can look after themselves (have a 10 year old and 3 year old) so that I could take more trips two-up with the wife.

Would love to get her riding, but I feel that is an uphill battle.

Thanks for the input.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the heads up about the when carrying bags. That may not a big issue but you never know weekend trip will come up, lol.

I am really digging the NRC Fender Eliminator kit with the LED turn lights. The kits really do clean up the rear of the bike.

I will have to take a look at the 796 at MotoCorsa.

Any thoughts on ABS vs. non-ABS? I kind of like idea of traction control (thought it only came with ABS models), but the ABS isn't really a big deal. Never had it on a bike before, so really wouldn't miss not having it.

Thanks for the input.
Yeah, I have the NRC kit on my Monster, and it looks nice. My friends say they can't see my turn signals unless they're really close, so I may put some bar cap lights on to increase visibility.

My thoughts on ABS is that it WILL save you from death or certain injury someday. Living in Northern MN I have had a few close calls with deer, and ABS is the reason I'm unscathed and the bike isn't damaged, my Non-ABS Harley riding neighbors on the other hand are still recovering from injuries after going down in October due to a deer. Is it necessary? no. If it's a race bike you may not want the extra weight, but if it's a street bike, I wouldn't pass it by. Also, there are no models that I know of where the 796 comes with traction control, the manual is a little misleading, but traction control was only available on the 1100 models. The 821 however comes with traction control.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the info about the ABS guys. I really wasn't thinking about deer and what not, but I do get them from the forest preserve near my house and have had a few close calls in my SUV. ABS is on the list of must have.

I have a few that I am looking at in the Chicago Suburbs and surrounding areas. May have to really look nationwide as I am pretty set on a white 796. These white ones are like unicorns, only see a few around the country for sale.

Is there anything to worry about regarding early model years of the 796 vs. later years (I know it is only 2010-2014, so not a big difference really)? I know some times there can inherent problems when new models come out, but I haven't seen anything referenced on the forums at all.
 
#10 ·
... Is there anything to worry about regarding early model years of the 796 vs. later years (I know it is only 2010-2014, so not a big difference really)? I know some times there can inherent problems when new models come out, but I haven't seen anything referenced on the forums at all.
Nothing significant. Ducati does the Lego-brick thing a lot -- making new bikes out of combinations of proven parts. The 796 even when it first came out didn't have much on it that was new. Savaship covered the known issues pretty well in post #2 above: starter and regulator. The basic package is proven. There's some weirdness around the black keys/red keys/keycard, so make sure anything you buy has all of that, otherwise you might end up having to mess with the instruments/alarms/ignition in a potentially expensive way.

PhilB
 
#12 ·
PhilB - Good to know that many of the parts are tried and true from previous models. Will definitely be on the lookout nationwide for a White 796 with ABS over the next few months (can't make depiction till I found out if I am go into laid off for the summer).

I was looking up the key deal and YIKES! That will be a major deal breaker if all keys/cards are not available for the bike I plan to buy.

Savaship - Once I have a Monster in the garage, I will let you know and we can plan a ride one time you are out this way. I haven't really seen many on the road, so hopefully I can find some other Ducati riders locally when the time comes.
 
#13 ·
PhilB - Good to know that many of the parts are tried and true from previous models. ...
Yep. That's the theory I went with in buying my Monster right when they came out in 1993. My M900 is one of the first thousand Monsters ever built. But I didn't think that was a big risk, as I could see even then that it was basically an 888 frame with an SS900 powertrain, and those were proven bits. Just the cosmetic bits were new, really. 24 years and 260K miles later, I've been happy with it.

PhilB
 
#15 ·
Only other maintenance issue I know of that hasn't been mentioned is the plastic gas tank and ethanol-blended fuel. My white '13 796 has a plastic tank, and it sat in a garage for about a year before I bought it. I'm sure my tank has swelled, but I've switched to non-ethanol fuel and I believe it has become a non-issue at this point; my biggest problem now is finding 93 octane non-eth fuel... If you are curious about the plastic tank issue, just Google 'Ducati Ethanol Tank' and start reading.

Just got my 7500mi service at AMS in Dallas, $1450 out the door... new belts, new rear tire included. I plan on doing my own maintenance eventually, but I'm in a time crunch right now and it was easier to just take it down and have them do it.

Riding 2-up on a 796 sounds like it would work... but I wouldn't. Let me put it this way... I wouldn't want to be on the back of my 796.

Coming off a liter inline-4 sport bike, I was curious to see if I would miss the power... I don't, really. There is no denying I miss the full-throttle acceleration of my CBR1000, but I sure don't miss the porky pig-ness of it... and how often do I really get into the throttle like that anyway? The 796 has plenty of power (even in stock form) but where it really shines is it's nimble handling.

Good luck finding yours...!
 
#16 ·
BigStogs, I was in similar situation - I was bikeless! Ducati was always at the top of my dream bike list to get back into the sport. Ended up buying an Artic White 796ABS '13, which I enjoy immensely. One great thing about the 696/796 series is that there is a lot a product support from the aftermarket for accessories.

As a thought, you could pick up a black or red bike and change out the body panels/fairings to the white later. I have bought nice O.E. fairings from other members on this forum for in the range of $300.

I've attached a couple of pics- one when I first got the bike and one after I "monsterized" it.

Good on ya!
 

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