Having just checked the 'bay, there's not much difference in price between 1100, 1100Evo and 796's, perhaps insurance is a whole lot cheaper on the 796 which may make them more in demand? I don't know - guessing.
i Whatever, I'm a sucker for Ohlins front and rear and Marchesini gold rims..... so I'm sold on the 1100s...it's less powerful than my evo was too, marginally. I also wished I had the dry clutch on my evo.
I have an 1100S, lovely bike. The wheels are nothing special, no lighter than a 796, just cast ally painted a horrible muddy gold colour.
That gold looks a shimmering metallic to me! The Marchesinis on my SS were much lighter than the standard rims.
Nah, they look shite. Always hated them on my bike as they are pretending to be something that they aren’t.
We had a conversation with John in Italia Moto a few months ago when Mrs M was temporarily contemplating changing her M796 for either a M797 or M821. They had one of each in at the time which Mrs M liked both. When we approached John to discuss the potential change, he openly talked her out of it on the basis that she would be effectively downgrading from her current steed... His main points being the following... The M796 has always been desirable with both those coming in to the biking world and those have been around a while. It is a much better quality product than the latter versions (Audi bean counters influence on the later two models) - Mrs M did also comment they didn't feel as well put together when trying them both. It is far better looking with the SSSA. The newer models have very little performance (if anything) wise over the M796 due to the 796 really hitting the 'sweet spot' in the handling department for the little monsters. Mrs M already has a set of Leo Vince end cans and remap to suit on hers which negates any power advantage the newer models may have out of the box. The M796's pretty much levelled out just after we purchased 2 years ago and it was still worth near as damn it what we paid. He envisaged the M797 & M821's depreciating to a greater extent and bottoming out below where the M796's have due to the 'less desirable and lower product quality' factors. Needless to say... Despite Italia losing a potential sale, John was clear in his message and advice on the matter. With regards to their being very little between the 796's & 1100's, I would imagine the cheaper insurance and the fact it probably seen as a better bike for newcomers to the biking scene are contributing factors.
Probably shouldn't say this, but . I bought my 796 because there were no decent SV650's about. I had a triple and a four cylinder in the garage and fancied a twin.
And I've grown to love it. It was white but is now red with a white stripe, also with added carbon goodness. Just a couple of more bits of plastic to replace and it will be done.
What did you do with your white bits? Keep them or sell them? I’ve a mad idea to get white bits for mine so I can change the colour if I feel like it.
Yes I still have the white. Only had the red fitted for about 3 months. I do like the white as it really makes the red frame standout . Will probably swap back later in the year. It's like having two bikes for the price of one. At least that's what the neighbour thought when he saw the red .
I paid £4k from a dealer for mine. I also got them to do the belts and valve clearances service which was due (worth £800 ish?), change the clocks (which were cracked) and it came with Termis, which I sold for £350 so it actually only owes me about £2,800. It also came with Rizoma mirrors, brand new 2CTs and R&G crash bungs all round. It was a PX bike in a Triumph dealership, they wanted it off the floor, it was December and the salesman wanted his Xmas bonus, and I wanted another Ducati, so it was smiles all round. Notwithstanding the bargain basement price I paid for mine, I think the 796 holds its value better than the 696 which is not as desirable due to having a narrow rear tyre, too few horsepowers in its engine and too many sides on its swingarm. The 796 has arguably better looks than the 1100 which looks a bit early 2000s with its silver frame and wheels, but still has the SSS and a wide rear tyre. Plus, a newish rider would struggle to insure an 1100, while insuring a 796 is not too bad. I know this is because I bought the 796 with the intention of my girlf eventually getting her bike licence and I would put her on the policy so I did the due diligence before pulling the trigger. The 796 really hits that sweet spot where it has enough oomph to make it fun, but not so much to overwhelm a newbie. Plus they don't weigh a lot, the clutch pull is light and they have a low seat height. It is also definitely the best looking of all the Monsters old and new (IMO). I absolutely love mine. Out of all the bikes I have owned (10+ Ducatis, including a bespoke custom, plus about the same number of other bikes), I think it might be my all time favourite.
