[Guest]

I figure you guys would like to know how I have finally come to buy a Ducati Monster.

I have been riding the same bike since 1991 when I bought a 1991 Kawasaki Ninja C model. I learned to ride 6 months before I bought that bike. It has served me well over the years. It was my daily transportation when I was in the Army. It was my daily transportation when I lived in Jaurez, Mexico. College. California. I have been roadracng for 10 years so the street bike got ridden hard. Every part that could break on the bike did.

During my senior year in college I had a poster of a Ducati 900SS on my wall. I knew that when I finally graduated from college that I was going to buy that bike. In red. And then my wife got pregnant.

So here I am in Austin, TX. The Ninja is on the 3rd motor and I still want a Ducati. Every once and a while I see a monster in the neighborhood and I get the bug for a Ducati again. I hear that the Monster is a great bike. The guys that I Endurance Race with both buy Ducati's. Damn, they sound good. That Monster in the neighborhood looks good. I can see myself on one of those.

I finally decide to buy a new bike. I have decided to go for a hoolagan. I start looking for Triumph Speed III or IV. There is one for sale here in Austin at the dealership. I talk with the shop and they want to give me a demo. The salesman and I have a lot in common and talk seems to keep turning to his bike (916). I bought a new street jacket from the dealership. Yellow. To make the story short, the Speed III sold before I got to ride it. I rode the Speed IV and just didn't like it.

Time to start looking for a different bike. So I was talking with the other bikers at work about my motorcycle search. I was talking with one of the other guys about how I didn't like the ride of the Speed IV and he mentioned how he went though the same problems with his latest bike. Either you like the ride or you don't. So Friday night was spent going over the "cycletrader". I picked 2 bikes to go look at on Saturday.

Saturday morning was spent teaching my son to ride a bicycle. On the way bike I heard a motorcycle go by. By the sound it had to be a Ducati. I mentioned something to my wife as a hint to let her know that I was seriously looking for a bike.

So I get back to the house and there is a motorcycle sitting in front of my house. Yellow. The guy is using a cell phone-while sitting on his Monster. I have already decided to start looking at Monsters so I figure I might as well ask this guy his opinion. We talk. He starts to describe the options on the bike. It's one of the bikes that I was going to look at later that day. The guy lives on my block. The bike that I see every 6 months and lust over has been sitting in a garage down the street. Yellow. I just bought a yellow jacket.

Let's start it up. Lets hear what it sounds like...... You know what it sounded like. Maybe I'll take it for a ride and hate it. Listen to that dry clutch. What a racket. I love it. I haven't even taken off. ****. I can't hear anything but that angry noise of the motor. Let's ride it. Maybe I'll hate the way it rides. Sweet. Front tire is just where I want it. I shift into 2nd while riding around the neighborhood. I look at the speedo and get disappointed becuase the speedo is in 'kph' and needs to be changed. Actually that was 'mph'. Maybe this bike likes to run.


It's now Thrusday. People talk to me and all I hear is that motor. My wife talks and I hear the clutch.

I think I have problems.

I think I know the solution. I made the offer tonight. $5,100 for a yellow monster. Its mine. faring. c/f. 916 forks and brakes. Money changes hands on Monday. T-5 days and counting. How will I make it through the weekend? How I will be able to work on Monday?

so now you know how i found the bike of my dreams sitting in front of my house. Its been hiding down the street the whole time - patiently waiting.

 

[Skier]

;D

good story, that what I would call Faith !

All I can say is that hang in there, it is worth to wait.

Go through this board while you waiting, and I guess you already have good gear.

Ride on, there is no turning back...

Skier

 

[Guest]

nice story......how about another in a week.....

 

[test-reg]

it was destiny. congrats [smiley=waytogo.gif]

 

[Mark1305]

Good choice and good story. My episode wasn't as dramatic, but as I checked one last shop before closing the deal on a good used Kaw ZX1100 at a great price - I walked in and saw my first Monster. Yellow 900. I knew it was all over for my wallet. Best choice I made ;D

Sounds like you probably did most or all of your own wrenching to keep the Ninja going for so long. If so, you'll love the simplicity and accessibility of maintenance items on the Monster. You already love the ride and the sound - and that's what sets them apart.

 

[Guest]

t-4 days and counting....

i did all of the work on the old ninja. i figure that i will be working on the monster pretty fast also. the bike runs extremely rich when cold. it starts to load up within a minute of starting the engine. i figure that the carbs just need a good cleaning.

i am really lucky that one of the guys at work is a real motorcycle mechanic (mmi) and has the guys over to his garage on tuesdays/thrusdays for bike nights (fix your bike or watch bike videos). he's also a serious ducati/moto guzzi guy. looks like i'll have someone to show me how to adjust the valves.

the only thing i don't like about the bike is that the current owner armor all'd the tires - the tread of the tires i'm not really sure how to get that off. anyone have ideas on how to get the armor all off of the tread?

dave

 

[Jason_S4]

Great story, that's how I felt before getting my monster. Just wait til you see all the mods you can make. Your wife is going to just love it.

 

[Guest]

out of curiosity, what model and year monster did you buy?

 

[Guest]

the bike is a 96 monster 900. it has 6800 miles. current owner has only put on 800 miles in 2 years. he didn't do any of the mods, so i have no idea what's been done to the motor internally. the bike has carbon fiber exhaust cans, tail section, clutch cover and other bits. it also has fully adjustable forks. the real sellers on this bike (for me) was the low miles and upgraded forks.

 

[Guest]

I have to say congrats, and if you can entertain us with another story I may be inclined to give you a set of MONSTRACK MIRRORS

Have fun with your new duc!

 

[Guest]

Hey kevin, for a free set of mirrors, I'll feed you the biggest line of sh!t you ever heard! ;D

 

[Guest]

T-1 day.
pick the bike up tomorrow depending on when the money finally shows up in the bank account. hopefully i will have the money in the morning so i can pick up the bike at lunch. i might just and spend the rest of the afternoonn riding.

cleaned the garage today so there is a nice warm spot waiting.....

 

[Guest]

t-1 day still. kinda hard to get the money out of the bank on Columbus Day (dooooooh). should be picking the bike up at 12:15 tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Guest]

;D finally picked up the bike today! i sware that speedo is waaay off. jumped on the freeway on the way home and the bike was immediately showing 90. figured it was wrong but i slowed down anyways. i spent the whole ride home wondering how far off the speedo is on the bike. ever been on a stretch of road with no speedo and wondered how fast you were going? that's the way i felt. my wife followed me home - at least she would tell me how fast we were going. then at a stop sign in the neighborhood a cop got between me and my wife. he followed me all the way through the subdivision. man i was worried because i had no idea how fast i was going. i set the speedo on 40mph (in a 30) because i figured that i might as well do a constant speed. if i get pulled over i figure i have a pretty good excuse (first time riding the bike home after purchase - yes sir, here's my licence and insurance). so he didn't pull me over but my wife was suprised because she said that i was doing 40 with the cop behind me. she also wanted to know why was i doing 90 on the freeway? dooooh!

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

I got my good news today. My closing on the house is Oct 23rd. I have a very early appoitment. So I am scheduled to pick up the S4R at 2 the same day. Thank God.

 

[Guest]

t+2
i've had my ducati for 2 days now.

i really wish that i could tell you that the bike is great and everything is wonderful in my life since i got a duc.

i wish that i could tell you but i can't.

maybe i should warn you - warn you of what will come if you buy a ducati.

what the h*ll is up with this bike. there is no balance. maybe my mistake was that i have ridden a japanese 600 for the past 12 years (ref 1991 kawasucki ninja c4). i'm used to the smooth power. where did it go? i'm used to riding to work and daydreaming (they call it visualising) while i ride in to work.

my ride in is ruined.

what the h*lll do i look forward to now? its just that noise from the motor (aggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugrraah - shift and repeat).

i try to ride this monster to work. i just need to get to work.

i don't care. there are a lot of roads that lead to work. there are the straight roads with cars. i hate riding with those cars. they look at me while waiting for the light. maybe they are pissed that they can't hear their radio at the light. maybe they don't like me playing with the throttle at the light. if they look at me, i point to the motor and give them them the big (what, it's a bike and it runs like [email protected]).

maybe i am waiting for the green.

WARNING - Things that SuCk abuot this bike:
1 - uneven tire wear. who wants a bike that always has the front tire in the air? waste of front rubber.
2 - wasted rear rubber. what the h*ll is up with that rear tire coming out of turns? i am keep writing this line in the road that saays "C" as i pull out onto roads. what a waste of rubber.
3 - gas. i can't seem to take a direct route to work. maybe it is related to monster issue 1 and 2.
4 - sleep. i can't. i a riding my favorite road. ggrrrraaaaahhhh (shift).
5 - clutch. who would ever curse a bike with such a racket? except maybe at the lights with the girls in the car next to me. come to papa.
6 - work. god do i really have to go to work?

----------dooohh wife's coming.

 

[Guest]

So its a love hate kind of thing..... Like being married.

 

[Skier]

t+2
i've had my ducati for 2 days now.


WARNING - Things that SuCk abuot this bike:
1 - uneven tire wear.

 

[Guest]

t+3 days.
went to the austin ducati dealership today and ran across someone who recognized my bike. it has been frustrating not knowing the history of the bike. i know that someone did a lot of custom work, but i just didn't know the extent of what has been changed and where the parts were purchased. i know that the forks aren't stock. the bike has carbon fiber. it has clip ons rather than handlebars. it has different gauges. it has machined aluminum all over. it's just a question of where did all these parts come from.

well the mechanic at austin ducati recognized the bike. turns out owner #1 was a machinist. these aluminum parts aren't bolt ons. they were made by the original owner. the mechanic starts pointing at my bike. 'those forks are from a 749. the brakes are also 749 brakes. see the front axle. that's original. don't loose that. no replacment. the footpegs were turned by him. don't drop it. there are no replacments....' he was almost as excited as i.

now if i can only clean up the carburation.