Monster 696 - First big bike?
Discussion
Currently on a 125, doing my tests in March. Thinking ahead (as you do) to what's next. My initial thoughts were some form of used Triumph twin, however I notice that Monster 696's are about the same cost; now I can't stop thinking about them.
I'm 5;9 and will be using the bike for leisure etc.
Any thoughts? Ta!
I'm 5;9 and will be using the bike for leisure etc.
Any thoughts? Ta!
You'll be fine with that. Like with anything new, take some time to get used to it, but dont be afraid.
I went from riding a scooter to an SV650 once I passed my test. I had a lot to get used to, but I didnt die. I didnt drop it either, except that one time in the driveway when washing it.
Ducatis are lovely!
I went from riding a scooter to an SV650 once I passed my test. I had a lot to get used to, but I didnt die. I didnt drop it either, except that one time in the driveway when washing it.
Ducatis are lovely!
Echo the above. Riding is too much fun so get the bike you want.
First proper bike I ride was a 797 demo from the dealer. I thought it would be too much but it was anything but. From there I went looking for a 796 and ended up with an 1100 evo. The only experience I’d had prior was my lessons on a 125. 12k miles later I’m doing alright. It’s a fun, relatively light and characterful bike to ride. Seems a lot of parts from the bigger engined monsters bolt straight to the 696, so easy and cheap to find s/h upgrades. Doubt you’ll be lacking on power, and the gearing on the 696 is probably much nicer around town.
I think the evo has a riser on the bars compared to the 696. I’m 6’1 and it’s comfortable but I wouldn’t want to be any taller. I had the seat reprofiled to stop my balls being crushed against the tank which seems a common complaint on all models.
Belts are easy to change yourself, I did those and ignition upgrade the week I bought it having never worked on a bike before. Desmo service doesn’t look impossible to me but obv look for one that’s had it recently. I usually shy away from one marque forums but Ducati uk and .ms are decent communities with lots of advice and bikes for sale.
First proper bike I ride was a 797 demo from the dealer. I thought it would be too much but it was anything but. From there I went looking for a 796 and ended up with an 1100 evo. The only experience I’d had prior was my lessons on a 125. 12k miles later I’m doing alright. It’s a fun, relatively light and characterful bike to ride. Seems a lot of parts from the bigger engined monsters bolt straight to the 696, so easy and cheap to find s/h upgrades. Doubt you’ll be lacking on power, and the gearing on the 696 is probably much nicer around town.
I think the evo has a riser on the bars compared to the 696. I’m 6’1 and it’s comfortable but I wouldn’t want to be any taller. I had the seat reprofiled to stop my balls being crushed against the tank which seems a common complaint on all models.
Belts are easy to change yourself, I did those and ignition upgrade the week I bought it having never worked on a bike before. Desmo service doesn’t look impossible to me but obv look for one that’s had it recently. I usually shy away from one marque forums but Ducati uk and .ms are decent communities with lots of advice and bikes for sale.
I bought a 2011 796 as my first bike, so a little experience if I might offer it.
It's light enough that it's not hard to move about for a newbie, the V-twin is very forgiving of being in the wrong gear as it's very torquey.
Reliability on mine has been one hiccup short of faultless - the reg/rec wiring lives behind the oil cooler and isn't a waterproof connector, it didn't actually break but it was starting to go very crusty so that needed doing, otherwise perfect. Quality overall is very high, it's not the bad old days of Ducati where it's waiting to fall apart, the quality of the pipework/loom/routing etc is all up there.
Belts are technically every two years, but the 797 has an identical setup (it's a slightly modified version of this engine) and they're every 5 years, so you could stretch it if you want. I'll do them every 2 years as I do all my own work. Valve adjustments are supposed to be 2 years as well, mine hadn't been done at all when I got it, and they were bang in the middle of spec.
From a practical perspective it's actually better than you'd think - tank range is easily over 130 miles when pressing on, more like 160 if you're just cruising up the motorway. The rear subframe is easy to attach straps to so you can fit a roll bag with clothes etc if you want to go away for a couple of days.
The only mods I've done are fitting a tail tidy and a pair of nicer levers (both Evotech, excellent) - the originals adjust for span but were a bit uncomfortable, plus the new ones look nicer. Plus a set of exhausts of course, I went with a pair of arrow cans over the usual Termis, just because they were held the price and sound almost identical. The original exhausts do sound decent if a little muted, it wouldn't put me off the right bike.
If you're laying it up over winter then get a battery charger if you can - the alarm/immobiliser can drain the battery after a couple of weeks, and being a V-twin it needs a good kick to get it started.
If it fits you properly then I wouldn't hesitate to go for it, I think mine will be with me forever as it fits me like a glove and rides fantastically well. I'm 5'10" and 32" leg to give you an idea of fit, it's a little bit forward leaning but once you've got over 30mph the wind props you up.
It's light enough that it's not hard to move about for a newbie, the V-twin is very forgiving of being in the wrong gear as it's very torquey.
Reliability on mine has been one hiccup short of faultless - the reg/rec wiring lives behind the oil cooler and isn't a waterproof connector, it didn't actually break but it was starting to go very crusty so that needed doing, otherwise perfect. Quality overall is very high, it's not the bad old days of Ducati where it's waiting to fall apart, the quality of the pipework/loom/routing etc is all up there.
Belts are technically every two years, but the 797 has an identical setup (it's a slightly modified version of this engine) and they're every 5 years, so you could stretch it if you want. I'll do them every 2 years as I do all my own work. Valve adjustments are supposed to be 2 years as well, mine hadn't been done at all when I got it, and they were bang in the middle of spec.
From a practical perspective it's actually better than you'd think - tank range is easily over 130 miles when pressing on, more like 160 if you're just cruising up the motorway. The rear subframe is easy to attach straps to so you can fit a roll bag with clothes etc if you want to go away for a couple of days.
The only mods I've done are fitting a tail tidy and a pair of nicer levers (both Evotech, excellent) - the originals adjust for span but were a bit uncomfortable, plus the new ones look nicer. Plus a set of exhausts of course, I went with a pair of arrow cans over the usual Termis, just because they were held the price and sound almost identical. The original exhausts do sound decent if a little muted, it wouldn't put me off the right bike.
If you're laying it up over winter then get a battery charger if you can - the alarm/immobiliser can drain the battery after a couple of weeks, and being a V-twin it needs a good kick to get it started.
If it fits you properly then I wouldn't hesitate to go for it, I think mine will be with me forever as it fits me like a glove and rides fantastically well. I'm 5'10" and 32" leg to give you an idea of fit, it's a little bit forward leaning but once you've got over 30mph the wind props you up.
Edited by Krikkit on Monday 17th January 12:00
HybridTheory said:
I thought about one but I sat on it and it was a bit to leany forward for me
This ^^ you can't tell by looking, at least sit on one or preferably ride one before decidingI went to a big independent to look at a variety of bikes and found what I liked the look of and what I liked sitting on were quite different
I found the same on a test ride too, 390 felt lovely in the shop but the 690 felt far better on the road
KTMsm said:
HybridTheory said:
I thought about one but I sat on it and it was a bit to leany forward for me
This ^^ you can't tell by looking, at least sit on one or preferably ride one before decidingI went to a big independent to look at a variety of bikes and found what I liked the look of and what I liked sitting on were quite different
I found the same on a test ride too, 390 felt lovely in the shop but the 690 felt far better on the road
http://cycle-ergo.com/
snagzie said:
Well you can get a good idea from here (pretty sure everyone knows this though)
http://cycle-ergo.com/
I've used that before, whilst it shows the general idea, the reality is different IME, everything from weight, seat / tank shape etc makes a difference for the bikes in the middle groundhttp://cycle-ergo.com/
It's a lot easier now I've ridden 30+ bikes but when I was looking for the first few I found the massive variety on offer very hard to sort through to find what I liked - everything from position, weight, 1/2/3/4 cylinders etc
I bought a 2 year old Monster 695 (last of the old trellis frame, round headlight but similar engine to 696) as my first bike, more than 12 years ago. I still have it.
Lots of people will tell you to buy something cheap and crap as a first bike "because you'll drop it" but my instructor advocated for buying something you really like - because then you'll want to ride it, and nothing improves your skills in that first year or two than lots of miles. I wanted a Monster, and bought a Monster.
They're great bikes, compact and low enough for early confidence, quick enough to be interesting (especially on the road), and while they're not the last word in touring comfort you can do decent miles on them, the riding position balances your weight against the wind nicely. You can play around with riding position a lot with different bars, risers or even clip-ons. Ducati reliability improved a lot in the years since Texas Pacific acquired them in the late 90s, I've had no problem with mine. Battery might go flat after months idle but I charge it and it fires straight back up.
Lots of people will tell you to buy something cheap and crap as a first bike "because you'll drop it" but my instructor advocated for buying something you really like - because then you'll want to ride it, and nothing improves your skills in that first year or two than lots of miles. I wanted a Monster, and bought a Monster.
They're great bikes, compact and low enough for early confidence, quick enough to be interesting (especially on the road), and while they're not the last word in touring comfort you can do decent miles on them, the riding position balances your weight against the wind nicely. You can play around with riding position a lot with different bars, risers or even clip-ons. Ducati reliability improved a lot in the years since Texas Pacific acquired them in the late 90s, I've had no problem with mine. Battery might go flat after months idle but I charge it and it fires straight back up.
Krikkit said:
I bought a 2011 796 as my first bike, so a little experience if I might offer it.
It's light enough that it's not hard to move about for a newbie, the V-twin is very forgiving of being in the wrong gear as it's very torquey.
Reliability on mine has been one hiccup short of faultless - the reg/rec wiring lives behind the oil cooler and isn't a waterproof connector, it didn't actually break but it was starting to go very crusty so that needed doing, otherwise perfect. Quality overall is very high, it's not the bad old days of Ducati where it's waiting to fall apart, the quality of the pipework/loom/routing etc is all up there.
Belts are technically every two years, but the 797 has an identical setup (it's a slightly modified version of this engine) and they're every 5 years, so you could stretch it if you want. I'll do them every 2 years as I do all my own work. Valve adjustments are supposed to be 2 years as well, mine hadn't been done at all when I got it, and they were bang in the middle of spec.
From a practical perspective it's actually better than you'd think - tank range is easily over 130 miles when pressing on, more like 160 if you're just cruising up the motorway. The rear subframe is easy to attach straps to so you can fit a roll bag with clothes etc if you want to go away for a couple of days.
The only mods I've done are fitting a tail tidy and a pair of nicer levers (both Evotech, excellent) - the originals adjust for span but were a bit uncomfortable, plus the new ones look nicer. Plus a set of exhausts of course, I went with a pair of arrow cans over the usual Termis, just because they were held the price and sound almost identical. The original exhausts do sound decent if a little muted, it wouldn't put me off the right bike.
If you're laying it up over winter then get a battery charger if you can - the alarm/immobiliser can drain the battery after a couple of weeks, and being a V-twin it needs a good kick to get it started.
If it fits you properly then I wouldn't hesitate to go for it, I think mine will be with me forever as it fits me like a glove and rides fantastically well. I'm 5'10" and 32" leg to give you an idea of fit, it's a little bit forward leaning but once you've got over 30mph the wind props you up.
You've had me looking at these today as I was considering a 797 for my first bike. The 796's seem pretty much evens on price to a 797 considering they are older but there aren't many about, is that just the time of year or are they getting rare now? What is considered high mileage on one a 796, anything to worry about around 15k? Sorry for the thread hijack op.It's light enough that it's not hard to move about for a newbie, the V-twin is very forgiving of being in the wrong gear as it's very torquey.
Reliability on mine has been one hiccup short of faultless - the reg/rec wiring lives behind the oil cooler and isn't a waterproof connector, it didn't actually break but it was starting to go very crusty so that needed doing, otherwise perfect. Quality overall is very high, it's not the bad old days of Ducati where it's waiting to fall apart, the quality of the pipework/loom/routing etc is all up there.
Belts are technically every two years, but the 797 has an identical setup (it's a slightly modified version of this engine) and they're every 5 years, so you could stretch it if you want. I'll do them every 2 years as I do all my own work. Valve adjustments are supposed to be 2 years as well, mine hadn't been done at all when I got it, and they were bang in the middle of spec.
From a practical perspective it's actually better than you'd think - tank range is easily over 130 miles when pressing on, more like 160 if you're just cruising up the motorway. The rear subframe is easy to attach straps to so you can fit a roll bag with clothes etc if you want to go away for a couple of days.
The only mods I've done are fitting a tail tidy and a pair of nicer levers (both Evotech, excellent) - the originals adjust for span but were a bit uncomfortable, plus the new ones look nicer. Plus a set of exhausts of course, I went with a pair of arrow cans over the usual Termis, just because they were held the price and sound almost identical. The original exhausts do sound decent if a little muted, it wouldn't put me off the right bike.
If you're laying it up over winter then get a battery charger if you can - the alarm/immobiliser can drain the battery after a couple of weeks, and being a V-twin it needs a good kick to get it started.
If it fits you properly then I wouldn't hesitate to go for it, I think mine will be with me forever as it fits me like a glove and rides fantastically well. I'm 5'10" and 32" leg to give you an idea of fit, it's a little bit forward leaning but once you've got over 30mph the wind props you up.
Edited by Krikkit on Monday 17th January 12:00
SamG40 said:
You've had me looking at these today as I was considering a 797 for my first bike. The 796's seem pretty much evens on price to a 797 considering they are older but there aren't many about, is that just the time of year or are they getting rare now? What is considered high mileage on one a 796, anything to worry about around 15k? Sorry for the thread hijack op.
Prices seem to have been holding steady for the last couple of years - about £5k buys you a good 796.Tricky one to call - the 797 is obviously much newer, with the nicer dash (if that kind of thing floats your boat). I haven't ridden one, but from the specs I think it'll feel a bit slower being at least 15hp down on the 796. What swung it for me were the underseat exhausts and single sided swing arm as a vanity object.
Mine had 1796 miles on it when I test rode it, now on a few hundred under 10k, and it feels absolutely fine. 15k miles wouldn't worry me at all as long as it's been serviced, although you might want to budget having the forks serviced at some point, valve clearances checked, odd bits like that if they haven't been done to make sure it continues to ride as it should.
Incidentally on any Monster I'd have the "+" version which is the rear seat cowl (again looks whoring) and the little screen - it really does make a difference.
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