Hi, sorry if this has been covered but I am brand new member. I am currently doing my class 'A' test and I am looking for the new bike already. Obviously the Ducati wins on looks and I fancy the Monster 821 or 1200 but would love some advice. 1. I want something reliable. 2. It will be my daily commute, all be it 16 mins per day there and back. 3. A bike I can use all year round in the Cumbrian rain. 4. Something for that Sunday ride out in the Lake District. Will the Monster do what I need. Some know it all's in work recon it's a summer bike but I am nowhere near convinced. All advice welcome. Many thanks. M
Either bike would be fine. Modern Ducati are reliable pretty much. However maybe the 821 would be a better idea if it's your first bike. Insurance might be a killer on the bigger one I guess. If u can afford it and won't kill yourself get the 1200 as that 821 swing arm looks like it's off a Chinese made bike.
I commuted on my 99 748 for 3 or 4 years in all weather, not huge miles (3000 odd per year) without any probs bar the rectifier (common fault on the old ones). Id say you'd be ok on a new one. Theres plenty of bad reliability stories on here as there is on any other bike forum but i think for every one there is dozens of happy customers. Keep it maintained as you would any vehicle and you'll be sound im sure. Ducatis certainly have there idiosyncrasies but thats part of what makes em so special and not just another jap multi. At the end of the day you either get the love for em or ya dont.
I took out a monster 1200s at Silverstone the other day and absolutely loved it. It would be amazing blasting around the Lake District. I would add however that a naked bike isn't ideal all year round. You'd be better off on something with fairings if you are riding any distance all year round and commuting etc. Also naked bikes are not great over 100mph in the dry, bit of a nightmare in the rain. if it's just your short commute in the rain then it's not such a big deal.
mp66, can't offer you much in the way of advice, but I can at least say that I passed my test recently and have just bought a Monster 821 (though I don't actually have it yet since I've been waiting for all the Italians to come back off holiday). I also will be commuting on it, though sadly not in Cumbria but instead fighting my way through London. Still, hopefully I'll get out and about a bit on the weekend. Incidentally, for me the choice was between a 696-ABS and an 821 - the 821 won because (at least in Urban mode) it was a bit more friendly for my novice level (I think mainly due to the smoother bottom end and tempered throttle mode), both were supremely enjoyable rides though. Personally, I think that the 74hp from the 821 in Urban mode will be more than enough for me for a while, especially for the commute, and then having the touring/sports mode to open up and "unlock" with time (willpower required ) should keep the bike plenty interesting for the foreseeable.
The 821 is the better of the two. The low speed running on the 1200 is awful with lots of surging at low speed on small throttle openings. The 821 is a much nicer engine.
I rode the 1200, I like to think the 821 would be better because as has been said the 1200 can be a bit lumpy!
I've ridden the 1200 a couple of times (2 hours the first time and 4 hours the second.) Great bike and only lumpy if you can't ride a bike properly
Total cobblers, it's nothing to do with the ability of the rider. The 1200 Multistrada I test rode last year didn't exhibit the poor low speed running that the 1200 Monster I rode did. It might have been the 1200 I tested was not a good example and needed setting up, but I can only go by what I found on a nearly new model.
if you would consider 2nd hand there are loads of very nice older aircooled monsters for sale they are more than fast/powerful enough for any road and will be cheaper to maintain than water cooled bikes, especially if you are putting lots of miles on them if you plan to ride in all weathers then i recommend treating the bike with ACF50 and rinsing any salt off with cold water as often as possible to preserve the finish of the bike
Well, as you say, it may have been a poor example. The ones I rode were perfectly smooth in all types of traffic (town, country, motorways, A roads, B roads etc). I'd put it down to my superior riding skills but I guess the bike could have been most excellent
Get used to rust and chalky fittings.... Ive got a hyper (1100evo) and 90% or so has been replaced with stainless or titanium fittings - still got more to go....had to powder coat the subframe, rear footpeg hangers, front cylinder head cover, front brake line guide - all rusted or chalky on a bike that I got with 4.8k on it and it had lived in a garage when not being used... I was at Riders in Bristol earlier on this year waiting for mine to be MOT'd - a demo monster 1200 with 500 miles on was already starting to corrode.... That said if you can get over all that theyre reliable and great fun - cant see myself getting rid of mine any time soon.
Well all I can say is I've done just over 3k on my 1200 & it's the smoothest Ducati I've owned . 2 1098's & 1 Panigale. The twin spark motor is soooo smooth , but if you try & ride around Town in 3rd 4th or 5th & your not over 5000rpm it will be lumpy .(very lumpy) I've found if you just hold onto the gears longer & rev it goes like f**k. This is only what I've found & the is fantastic ! Even better handling with 2ct's on it. Have another go & ride like you stole it
Get ready for the corrosion then.... It's coming faster than you think.... Caliper bolts will be first...
