jvh

Bloody Italians I muttered in Dec 2006 when I lost about 800 Euros and a digital camera in Rome to the thugs. But that brief trip during Christmas taught me enough of their style and culture and how exotic curves are part of every element they design LoL! I became a sucker of anything Italian from then on.

Bloody Italians I muttered when I first drove the FIAT Palio 1.6 GTX in Aug 2008 experiencing the brute power in the stylishly made hatch (way before Punto ;-) I know Punto wins hands down in looks)

Bloody Italians I muttered when I first saw the Ducati Monster 796 in flesh in Mumbai Dec 2010. To say it was love at first sight would be an understatement because when I saw it again in the not yet launched showroom on Lavelle road Bangalore, the love for the beast was rekindled and made me wonder what it was the first time then. The manager was good enough to allow me to test the riding ergonomics and feel the bike for a good half an hour without flinching. A quick word with wifey later during the day was all it took to confirm the booking the very next day.

Yeah, this is what those Italians do to you. Strike the chord somewhere in the heart and during the process allows your head to go kaput.

I don’t know if I’m qualified enough with the bike to pen down riding experiences for I would like to wait for some time maybe a couple of months and write the experiences. But what I will do is just brief you on what it is to ride this bike so far (a few days). It’s surreal, out of the world experience. This is my 1st V-Twin experience and was pretty much at ease and was not sure what all that fuss was about the vibes. There are definitely vibes compared to your I3 and I4 inline. My only other riding experience on >350 cc bike was with Honda CB 600F for short durations of 2 weeks (rented) whenever I happened to visit abroad and Triumph Speed Triple which I rode for just a few kms. The riding has been very minimal and will hope to add my experiences as and when I clock the miles

Handling – Its amazingly easy to ride in the twisties and swerve around at will in the chaotic Bangalore traffic. On the day of the delivery, it had rained in Bangalore and I was apprehensive of riding on the slippery and mud-patched roads but once I hopped on the bike and slotted the gear, all fears vanished and it was just too comfortable all the way.

Power Delivery, Performance – Pretty linear delivery, tall gears and very much usable power band for street riding. On highways, it’s no sloucher but I would have preferred a bigger windshield for the wind blast is quite powerful at speeds above 110~120 kmph. I was warned by the dealer about the bike having the tendency to wheel-spin but did not encounter it myself so far. Amazingly, every monster owner had a story to tell to the dealer on the spin. May be other owners in the forum can pitch in?

Riding ergonomics – Perfect for a medium height person. It has a slightly forward stance, foot pegs arched slightly backwards, wide handle bars and a big tank to support bellies. I guess 6 footers and above will find it slightly cramped. The seat height is spot on for my medium height and the bike is a marvel to control. This was my only hesitation before plunging big bucks on this. Will I be able to control the monster? Rest assured brush off all those fears.

Looks – Well, it’s really a monster and a very good looking one ;-)

The bike is a great compact package and sometimes you wonder whether it’s really 800cc unleashing almost 90BHP. The bike does have presence, and what a presence it has. After PDI, I did some running around UB City and Lavelle road and boy what a reception it gets.

I haven’t checked mileage yet and will update you once I get some consistent figures. Hope you enjoyed reading my brief review. I will update frequently as I clock the miles.

I never hop on the bike without the full gear which consists of

Jackets – Dainese racing leather jacket, Alpinestar hallow leather jacket, Joe Rocket Atomic 4 textile jacket. Wife wears an FLM mesh jacket.

Pants – Dainese leather pants

Helmets – Shark RSR2, Scorpion EXO 750, HJC IS-16 Scratch. Best part is both mine and wife’s head sizes are same. Most of the time am on Shark but am really really impressed with Scorpion as well. Very under-rated but effective helmet. Best bang for the buck

Gloves – Ducati Corse leather gloves, Alpinestar SMX-2. Wife also wears Alpinestar SMX-2

Boots – Thor 50/50. Wife wears Icon tarmac. Am looking for full length proper riding shoes. Should be able to pick one in the next few months

Knee/Shin guards – Alpinestar Bionic knee guards (if I ride without leather pants) but have to say am not really comfortable with the knee guards.

The reason I have written about the gear elaborately is to stress on its importance. Don’t go in for something which does just about does the job. Invest in the best. And you all know about ALLGAT and the better to sweat than bleed stuff.

Sorry about the poor pics! The bike deserves better and will be adding up more very soon. Bloody Italians, don’t you think?

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Noor

Ownership thread approved

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kinshuk.arya

it has again started raining sbks on xbhp.... congratulations on your monster..... great review there....

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n_aditya

Yeah, bloody Italians... and mighty congrats to one really happy Bangalorean.

I've been waiting for news on your bike and here it is. Glad you are fully prepped up (gearwise) and all set to tame the monster.

Would love to ride with you (if you can manage to keep your right hand in check ) so do keep an eye on the Blore G2G thread. Please PM me your number if you dont mind sharing it.

Once again, Many Congratulations and wishing you many years and miles of happy and safe rides.

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ASIF AHMED

wow! way to go my friend!!!!! lovely bike! looking forward for some nice pics!!

Rony

I want one

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niks_devil666

Ain't she a beauty ! congrats !!!

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Haroon

Congrats on the monster and wish you many many miles of enjoyable riding.
Looking forward to a more detailed riding experience of the bike later.

Ride safe.

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jvh

Thanks Kinshuk!

Thanks Aditya! Sure, would love to ride with you guys too! Sending a PM right away.

Thanks Asif!

Well, get one

Thanks Nikhil! How's the FZ1 doing? Looks like you are more on the road than on the screen (going by your thread updates)

Thanks Haroon! Will surely do. Just a matter of time .

BTW, I forgot to pen down my dealer experience. Well, the delivery got delayed by a month citing some shipment and customs issues. But I think the dealer was pretty honest in keeping me updated and the reasons were quite genuine. But most importantly, for me the manager/engineer is very knowledgable about bikes in general. He's a Mech Engg and a trained Motorcycle mechanic. Very easy to talk to and approachable. He personally assisted the technicians during the PDI and gave some very good tips on riding torque monsters in particular. Apart from taking the delivery of a fantastic bike, my discussions with him have been very fruitful and its quite encouraging that he will personally look after my bike whenever it enters their premises.

BTW, here's what I got with bike along with a bubble cover and a makeshift cover. Have ordered for a battery tender, paddock stand and fork/axle sliders.

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sudeepnbr

Ah, finally its there!
Congratulations jvh sir! Hope to ride with the Ducati soon...

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