[mmoore]

First bike: 620 v. older 900

First bike: 620 v. 800

First bike: 620 v. s2r

First bike: 620 v. s2r

First bike: 620 v. s2r--carrying a passenger

First bike: s2r v. s4r

First bike: s2r v. m1000 v. s4r

620 or 800 from an EX500

s4rs v. s4r v. s2r1000

Excellent article on superbikes (info applies to 4V monsters as well)

 

[M.Mouse]

821 vs 1200s. What are your thoughts? I'm looking at upgrading and am finding it difficult to decide between the two.

 

[mykim72]

What do you plan on using it for? Dont think you can go wrong with the s4rs...

 

[M.Mouse]

I will be mainly using it for fun. As in long windy roads. I'll be keeping my old gs500 for commuting to and from work. I felt like I had more control with the 821 but I loved the acceleration of the 1200. The salesman said I'd probably enjoy the 1200 more in the long run but i thought he might have just been trying to sell the more expensive model.

 

[S4Rt]

What do you plan on using it for? Dont think you can go wrong with the s4rs...

What he said.

 

[mykim72]

Well i guess it boils down to how much fun do you want to have? 1200 has adjustable front forks...more power...better braking feel...at the cost of a little bit of nimbleness from the 821...any bike will be fun...but the more you spend the more fun you have...even modifying it...i think

 

[Ducmon1100]

Dude if you have the money for the 1200.... Why even think about the 821???

 

[Boltznnuts]

Yeah go for the 1200,can't substitute for that extra power,overall feel.wait till you throw some after market pipes and go.

 

[alicia]

which model is more suitable for beginner？

 

[marlene996]

Beginner like first bike? 696/796. At least for a year, and put 12,000 mi+ on it and then upgrade. I would not recommend a beginner on an 821 or 1200 ever. They have so much stinking power. I wouldn't even recommend the 1100. It's like asking to drop it or worse.

Everyone says "no I'm not going to drop it." But I dropped my first bike, a 1991 CB750 the first time because I went into a blind corner on a hill which had an inconvenient speed bump I couldn't see and light gravel on the road right behind the speed bump which some truck nicely left me.

And the second time in SF driving off from the curb, right into an old trolly track groove at 10-15 mph and BAM.

With the experience I have now, I think I can handle that stuff better, simply because I can expect to happen, I look for more and I see more, but with my first bike there was SO MUCH going on, learning the bike, learning traffic, and just the pure excitement it's impossible to see and prepare for everything.

 

[philb]

M.Mouse, if I was to buy a new Monster, it probably would be the 821. I've ridden both, and the 821 had a great balance that really spoke to me more than the 1200.

Both are more modern, much better handling, and better bikes than the old S4 series that some here are touting. The S4Rs is fun in its way, and was a remarkable bike in its time, but the entire reason Ducati created the StreetFighter was that the S4 bikes did not have (and could not be made to have) chassis and handling that matched the power. The new Monsters are engineered to have that, and thus are in a sense more a technical development of the StreetFighter than the Monster.

which model is more suitable for beginner？

Neither one. Indeed, no Monster, not even the M620, is a good beginner bike. Get a 250 or 300 to learn on; move up to a big bike later.

PhilB

 

[bshinn]

M.Mouse, if I was to buy a new Monster, it probably would be the 821. I've ridden both, and the 821 had a great balance that really spoke to me more than the 1200.

Both are more modern, much better handling, and better bikes than the old S4 series that some here are touting. The S4Rs is fun in its way, and was a remarkable bike in its time, but the entire reason Ducati created the StreetFighter was that the S4 bikes did not have (and could not be made to have) chassis and handling that matched the power. The new Monsters are engineered to have that, and thus are in a sense more a technical development of the StreetFighter than the Monster.

Neither one. Indeed, no Monster, not even the M620, is a good beginner bike. Get a 250 or 300 to learn on; move up to a big bike later.

PhilB

Bingo...........get the Asian bike of your preference in 250-300CC for about half the price. Learn on it for a year or so and move up.

Cheaper buy-in and cheaper to repair when the inevitable happens. After that move up. If you are EXTREMELY humble and self disciplined, move up to whatever Monster your wallet will allow. If not, step up to an older 695/800 for the same reason and keep progressing from there.

There's a reason the FAA won't let you go from the right seat of a Cessna 172 to a Citation right away, no matter how deep your pockets are.

 

[marlene996]

There's a reason the FAA won't let you go from the right seat of a Cessna 172 to a Citation right away, no matter how deep your pockets are.

No but they will let you start in the left seat of a V-tail Bonanza.

I don't agree with starting on a 250-300. I find them underpowered. With that bike you also need to know how to open it up hard to get out of sticky situations. Unless you are just riding on 50 roads or around town. And it's not going to give you the power-handling experience you will need if you plan to just straight to a liter bike or even a 821 later.

I'd suggest Ninja 500, Suzuki 650, or Honda CB750. The last one is heavy, BUT is SUPER forgiving, big enough to use right away as a commuter bike without worrying about being underpowered, over powered, or not seen, and easy to ride. I'd say your size and weight should play into your decision in the sense I wouldn't start out on a bike I can't pick up off the ground if I drop it somewhere remote.

 

[SwiftTone]

I would also suggest going with a 3-500cc bike. The smaller bikes really do teach a lot to new riders and have less tendency to overwhelm. I started on a 1994 cbr600, got a 200rc51 in 2012, then a s2r1000 in 2015. I've learned a lot in the 30k+ miles under me. I do think it would have been better for me to start smaller. I'm having way more fun on my s2r1000 than my rc51 which has 30hp more.

I find it funny when guys on 600 supersports or bigger and bikes with more power comment on how they need get a liter bike so they can keep up with me. They are dumbfounded when I tell them my bike has less than 100hp.

My point is that you learn way more about riding when you don't have all that power.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

 

[jduke]

I'm with the small, cheap bike as a first. Ride, learn, fall down, ride more, build confidence, sell it, buy larger.
Nothing worse than getting a bike too large, you won't learn as much because you'll be riding afraid.

 

[S4Rt]

I have to parrot what everyone else is saying. Start on a smaller bike that first off is cheaper to buy, and fix when (not if) the first fall over happens. Plus you actually learnt to ride on a small displacement bike.

Once you have some saddle time you realize it's more fun to go fast on a slow than it is to go slow on a fast bike.

 

[philb]

... I don't agree with starting on a 250-300. I find them underpowered. With that bike you also need to know how to open it up hard to get out of sticky situations. Unless you are just riding on 50 roads or around town. ...

You can find yourself in sticky situations on any size bike. Opening it up hard to get out of them just makes it worse if you don't already know what you are doing. I *very much* advocate starting small -- less than 30hp is best. You have to learn how to *avoid* sticky situations. You have to learn to look ahead, plan your moves and passes, be in the right gear and keep your engine at its peak, conserve momentum and keep your corner speeds up -- all the skills of a good rider. If all you want is to be able to ride well enough to get to the bike night at Starbucks, you can start on anything. If you want to be a skilled rider, start on a 250 and stay on it for at least a year; two is better.

... And it's not going to give you the power-handling experience you will need if you plan to just straight to a liter bike or even a 821 later ...

and of course the answer to that is to not go "just straight to a liter bike or even a 821 later"; your second bike should be something midsize, like a 500 or 650, smaller Monster, older 750, etc. Spend a year or two on that. THEN get a big bike if you feel you really want one. One thing the mid-size bike can teach you is that you don't "need" a big bike. With modern performance, *nobody* NEEDS a big bike on the street. You may *want* one, and that's fine (especially if you have taken the time to develop the skills). But 75hp is more than enough to handle anything the street has to offer. I've ridden quite a variety of more powerful bikes, up to 200hp, but my old M900 Monster, with its 75hp, has plenty for real life. There are times when more than that would be fun, but in the last 22 years of riding it, I have never actually needed more than it has to offer.

... I'd suggest Ninja 500, Suzuki 650, or ... I'd say your size and weight should play into your decision in the sense I wouldn't start out on a bike I can't pick up off the ground if I drop it somewhere remote.

Taking your size and weight into account is a good idea. Pretty much anyone can physically handle a 250, though. Starting on a Ninja 500 can make sense if you're a larger than average person; if you're 6'3" and 250lbs, yeah, go with the 500. I don't recommend the 650, or anything that powerful or greater, for *any* beginner.

PhilB

 

[bshinn]

No but they will let you start in the left seat of a V-tail Bonanza.

There's a reason the FAA will let you start in a V-Bonanza..............another qualified Aviator is sitting about 6" to your right keeping you from doing something too stupid! I'm not aware of any dual control motorcycles. :grin

Starting on something in the 500cc class is by no means ill advised, I did it on a VF500F in 84. One of the smarter decisions I have made in my life was letting the salesman talk me out of the buying the 83 VF750F I walked in to buy.

Start small and step up if your ego will allow it! I would have been faster in the end if I had swallowed my pride and learned on the the Yamaha RZ350 I was thinking about at the time.

 

[marlene996]

I just wonder how many posters have started on a 200-300. Then gone to 500-600 and then gone to the liter.

My guess is less than half. That sounds really nice and all but passion drives a lot of choice and we all didnt end up bad riders or worse off for going a little bigger.

I'm not so worried about someone who buys a 620 as a first bike or an 821 or 1100 as a second bike. I'm more worried about the guy who buys a Panigale or Hyabusa or R1 within a year of starting to ride.

 

[S4Rt]

125 Vespa.