I can see from your profile that we're the same age. Nothing like a growling Ducati to keep you young!
There's been a slight delay in the delivery of my monster because Ducati Glasgow told me that it, two 1299 Panigales and another Ducati, I can't remember what, got stolen from a container somewhere in Europe while it was making it's way here. I'll have to wait another couple of weeks - not that I'd have been out on it anyway. My Mutley and 696 Monster are sold so I am now bikeless for the first time in years. :fearscream: I only got the 696 in February. I liked it a lot and it was really what made me decide to go for the 1200 Monster. I was looking for something with 696 character and Mutley power.
My new Monster is getting delivered on Thursday. Woohoo! I think I'm going to miss the Mutley's heated grips. :fearful:
I'll check them out. Well, the bike arrived today along with rain, hail, some sleet and I'm sure there was a rumble of thunder a minute ago. The standard exhaust system came with it, in a box, along with the performance map key. I didn't know I was getting both systems. Happy days. It looks stunning and sounds good in the garage. :smirk: I've not taken the dB killers out yet but I guess that just has to happen at some point. :smilingimp:
Bought my 1200s 2 months ago, and it is great bike. Have other bikes, mainly off road for trail riding but wanted something for the road that was comfortable, but had a sportier performance without going full sports bike route, & was fun for a weekend blast! Opted for the S over the standard bike because of the suspension upgrades (and it looked better to be honest). Only criticism would be the clearance on your heel to the pillion footpegs, so would recommend a longish test ride to make sure it fits you ok? Stripe looked cool so worth considering, as the small fairing will make a differance. So, noise, looks, performance, what's not to like...
Thanks Herbert, I had a 696 for a while. A lovely bike but I was also running a multistrada and, as much as I liked the 696, I missed the power.
I test rode an S with termis and the stripe with standard cans. I take a size ten and do get on my toes when cornering but I must ride toes in or something because I didn't have a problem with the rear footrest hanger. I loved the termis but couldn't justify the spend for a bit of noise but they were on offer and came free with the bike. The offer was time limited and is why I bought the bike in December.
Hey MrH, The Furygan gloves are pricey but I do have an ancient furygan leather jacket and it's a solid bit of kit so I dare say the quality is there in the gloves. What's the battery life like when they're set to toasty?
I can't find the instructions, but they last well. Not helpul i know! They don't take long to charge up. They are pricey, but they have been great.
This is probably the last post I'll make on this thread. I think I have closure. It was dry today for the first time since I got the monster so I went out and put a bit over 100 miles on it. It's new so I'm running in and am restricted to 6k rpm. It's just getting going and I have to shut off. Frustrating as hell but that's just the way it is for now. But even so - what a great bike. When I got the multistrada I remember thinking what a superb bike it was and wondered "where do you go after this?". I imagined after I wore it out I would just get another one coz there really was nowhere else to go. But I was wrong. The multistrada is an amazing machine. No doubt actually "better" than the monster because of its all-rounder capabilities. But I'll tell you what, as much as I loved the mutley, and I put 13k miles on it in a year, it never made me feel like I felt on the monster today. Taking looks out of the equation - the mutley ain't a looker and the monster so is, it's basically the same engine and both bikes handle well so all that's left really is the ergo's, right? ... Wrong? I think the mutley is just too refined or something so the visceral element is missing. The mutley went to sixth form college then university and the monster got kicked out of school aged 14 for antisocial behaviour. The mutley is civilized and only really got me grinning when I was booting it on. The monster makes me feel good all the time, even sitting at traffic lights - once I've finally got the fecking thing in neutral. The monster has bags of character and comes with a great soundtrack. It's grumbly, guttural, barky and very shouty - a cacophony of antisocial noises that is entirely missing from the multistrada. Why is that important? I really don't know and I really don't care. All I know is it makes me feel good. I am one happy bunny. Oh, speaking of noise - for the first outing I whipped out the db killers and, yup, it's loud. This brings me to a really important question. What earplugs would you recommend because foam ones just don't cut it. But for real, earplug recommendations would be appreciated.
I rode my Monster today, although an 821 stripe, I try to ride mutley one week and then the monster the other, they are so different, 821 so light and small, stock exhaust really good to makes me smile, but then so does the DVT with the termi on. I only ask myself should I have got the 1200 Stripe, the 821 does handle really well being a shorter wheelbase, suppose horses for courses, but the Monster is just for fun local stuff.
Horses for courses is absolutely right but as for the monster being just for local fun stuff, maybe tobydog12 would tell you different. Have a look at http://ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/sharing-good-news-monster-luggage.36855/. Yes, you'd be more comfortable on the multi at higher speed but that's not all there is to it. I've been all over Europe on naked bikes in my youth and it was great and, as a bonus, my neck muscles are now so strong I can crack walnuts between my chin and chest.
I meant for me @Wally although I would be tempted to play on my monster in the Ardenne for a few days, but the motorway would get on my nerves after a while, though to be fair the Monster is not that bad at high speeds for a naked, but for me it is all about how easy it all is. Multi Hands Down
