Hello all- Looking to by my first Monster but need some of your input first!!!

[markk900]

another +1 on not worrying about mileage....both phil and eric have great advice. My dirt bike has more than 13K on it!

I wanted to say one other thing though: you say this is going to be your first bike....is that first bike *ever* or ? Hopefully you have spent some time and effort in training (take the MSF course)...while nothing wrong with a Monster as a first bike, they are sophisticated, fast, high performance machines and you can easily get in over your head if you've never ridden before. You might honestly be better served with a more entry level bike to get some miles on before you jump into the deep end.

Kinda combining the two thoughts: I got my first street bike in 1978 (a Honda 400 that I thought was HUGE), and I rode it 10K in one summer. Barely broken in at that point! So mileage is essentially irrelevant, but seat time on a bike you can handle can start you on a long and healthy life on 2 wheels.

[SDRider]

13k is nothing on a bike as long as it has been maintained according to factory recommendations. I'd prefer a bike that is ridden and well maintained over a bike with low mileage that has been sitting for years.

[QuietConfidence]

Originally Posted by eric9877

+1 on not worrying about the mileage. I picked p a 09 696 with 77k miles- other than the fact that he lost a belt on it and trashed the verticle cylinder- I took the engine apart and found all the internal were in excelent condition. In general the US market uses bikes for toys, while the rest of the world uses them for regular transportation. Just think- why would people ever spend that much on an aircooled low hp bike if it fell apart after 10k miles? You could get a honda for 2/3 the price and everyone know how well their products hold up to the test of time.

Again, blue book means squat- the market on bikes fluctuates so much between regions and weather that it's not so cut and dry. Sell a bike in january in michigan and you'll lose money, wait till spring and it goes up >20%.

Finally- titles and salvage are the diference of a peice of paper. I've seen plenty of clean title vehicles that have been horribly wrecked and hastily repaired, and plenty of salvage vehicles that needed minor cosmetic corrections to be mint. If it had full coverage insurance- the companies don't like to repair bikes and just total them out even with minor damage. If it had liability only- people have been known to slap them back together with horrendous damage and sell them off, leaving you on a death trap. paper is not truth.

I got a salvaged S2r with bent forks- I measured out the rest of the frame and it is as straight as anything else ducati sent off the assembly line. $400 on e bay and It's got new forks and clamps. The rest of the bike is solid after I did all the maintainence. S even a wrecked salvage has potenial to be a great bike.

On anything used- if the owner doesn't hand you the service reciepts, figure in a valve adjustment and belts, oil/filter, brake and clutch flush.

Now for an 07 695. It should have a plastic tank that will not repair all that well, but, like the exhaust, stack parts are readily found on e bay and craigs list. In my opinion having riden an S2r and a 696, the newer chassis is lighter, with a tighter turning radius, and much more responsive. The older feels like someone put the pegs too far back on a harley, and the new one feels like a comfortable sport bike. So you might want to try a few out to see which version you like better before you dive into the money pit.

Awesome! Thanks for the post.

[QuietConfidence]

Originally Posted by Ducati 23

Just be patient. You'll find the right bike for you. 13k is on the high side for mileage. Plus there are plenty of Monsters out there. Try www.searchtempest.com, it allows you search all the craigslist sites across the country. That's how I found mine.

Wow, this site is great! Thanks again!

[QuietConfidence]

Originally Posted by markk900

another +1 on not worrying about mileage....both phil and eric have great advice. My dirt bike has more than 13K on it!

I wanted to say one other thing though: you say this is going to be your first bike....is that first bike *ever* or ? Hopefully you have spent some time and effort in training (take the MSF course)...while nothing wrong with a Monster as a first bike, they are sophisticated, fast, high performance machines and you can easily get in over your head if you've never ridden before. You might honestly be better served with a more entry level bike to get some miles on before you jump into the deep end.

Kinda combining the two thoughts: I got my first street bike in 1978 (a Honda 400 that I thought was HUGE), and I rode it 10K in one summer. Barely broken in at that point! So mileage is essentially irrelevant, but seat time on a bike you can handle can start you on a long and healthy life on 2 wheels.

Thanks for the advice here. To answer your question:
This not my first bike. I have had two dual sports - Suzuki DR 125 and a DR 350. I know that these bikes will handle nothing like the monster and it will be a learning curve all over again, I do have the fundamentals of riding down and I have clocked a fair amount of road time. I also plan on taking a MSF course.Thanks again for the post!

[markk900]

Funny: I still have a DR350 as well.....if you've gotten good seat time on the DR you'll not have problems with the Monster....yes its a LOT more powerful and handles totally differently, but it won't be hard to get used to it!

Mark