The original city bike…
Apr 20th, 2010 by Leo
This blog isn’t really about announcing new bike models and products…but we’ll make an exception for the newest Ducati, the Monster 796… Most of you know that the Monster is the original city bike… A sporty bike specifically designed for real world riding and commuting around cities…the look of the original Monsters helped a whole generation of us decide we wanted to ride. With the redesigned 696 they did it again by modernizing everything that made the original Monsters great.
The new 796 is mainly about minor tweaks… a wet clutch (better for when you’re stuck in traffic) plus a few more horses without much more weight, which makes the 796 a better all around bike (the 696 seems a tad under powered for spirited riding). For the truly power hungry there’s always the Monster 1100 that went on sale a few months ago – although it lacks the impossibly light weight of the smaller Monsters…and might still feel heavy and slow compared to typical super-sports in the same price range…
So here’s a quick “cheers” to the folks who brought us one of the first performance bikes with city bikers in mind! And a link to a proper review from people who actually know how to do stuff like that.
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Any thoughts as to whether the 796 would make an appropriate (or at least not dangerous) first bike v. the 696 for use in the city? Thanks.
Eh… any bike is dangerous, right? But I don’t think one is more dangerous than the other.
Personally, if it were a buddy of mine, I’d seriously question the need to have a Monster 796 as a *first* bike… because the focus in the beginning ought to be on developing some basic riding skills… basic skills that are hard enough to learn on smaller, lighter bikes…without NYC traffic.
But having said that the 796 is very light. And judging from the specs, I suppose the it isn’t much more difficult to learn to ride than a 696… So if someone were thinking about the 696, it would make sense to go for the 796 instead…
Interesting. That was essentially the point made by the sales person at the Ducati dealership. I have been thinking of the 696 as an “advanced beginner bike,” and so was wary of stepping up to the 796. Do you think the 696 is already too much to handle (in terms of skill progression) for a beginner? It makes sense that it would be easier to learn fundamentals on a smaller, lighter bike, but I had considered the 696 to be in the “small, light” category (if somewhat at the upper boundary).
Also, the price differential is relatively small between the 696 and 796 (and I am interested in new models primarily because of the availability of ABS). My concerns with the 796 are all safety-related: eg, increased power delivery or reduced margin of error for beginners. It offers I think about 7 more horsepower (and a similar torque number) v. the 696, but both come much sooner in the rev range.
Hey Edward,
I think in terms of safety the difference between the 696 and 796 are negligible… And what’s more important than the hp is the way the power comes on, whether it’s smooth and predictable… Which v-twins usually are…
At CSS this year they’re using the 190hp BMW this year as the student bikes…instead of the 110hp 600’s they used last year… And they’ve had FEWER accidents than previous years. Because the BMW has predictable throttle response – and probably also because people are more careful knowing they’re riding the fastest production road bike in the world…
So 7 or so horsepower shouldn’t really make a difference in terms of safety as long as you’re trained and careful and respect the thing…which most Ducati riders do anyway.
I’m a big believer in underpowered bikes with skinny tires for developing riding skills…125’s and 250’s for dirt, or the EX250. But those things are so affordable, you can always decide to get one later for wet weather commutes.
Thanks for the helpful responses. Also, I’ve enjoyed your site. I’ve done a substantial amount of reading on beginner motorcycles and I can say that your posts have answered a number of my lingering questions in a way that is both more succinct and lucid than most other sites. Also, the fact that you’re focused on NYC is a great benefit as well.