Ducati Monster Forum

Posted the same thing on the Speed Triple forum. Currently own a Suzuki Bandit 1250  great bike but 540lbs wet and looks like evrything else. I've decided I want either a Monster 1100 or a Speed Triple. Give me the pros and cons of the Monster !!!!   PLEASE....I'm soooo confused.  I have not slept for days...............

Farther down in the general forum there's a topic about Best/favorite thing someone's said about your Monster?  Here you will find hundreds of compliments that come with owning such a fine italian machine. Specifics, I can't tell you since I've never riden a triple. But Ducati is more unique and monsters are very fun to ride.

You can't go wrong with either.  The Monster has less power but also a lot less weight.  The Speed Triple has incredible bang for the buck.  Both companies have pretty good demo programs, take a ride on each!

I imagine that you would get a great deal of attention on either.  Triumph accesories appear to be cheaper and at least as good of quality as Ducati's.  The Speed triple sounds pretty mean with their Akropovic exhuast, but the Duc still has the best sound opened up. 

Please take both for a test ride as others have suggested.  Keep in mind that the numbers on paper will likely be deceiving.  I had a '07 Bandit 650 which I traded for a 696.  While I don't regret getting rid of the Bandit (I found mine too heavy as well), I didn't realize what a nice bike it was until I got the 696.  The Bandit will likely have quite a bit more power than the 1100.  I can't speak for the Speed Triple, but I'd have to assume it would also have a lot more punch than the Monster.

Hopefully Pompetta will come along.  He has a lot of Bandit experience.

Hey RC!

tango59 - The Bandit is a different class of bike than the Speed Triple or Monster.  It's a comfy commuter/tourer with much more wind protection than the other two bikes.  However, the motor puts out quite a bit of torque.  My '04 Bandit 1200 is around 71 ft•lbs @ 3400 rpm.  My '04 is air/oil cooled and carbed, and for me it's a keeper: inexpensive, good gas mileage, good looks, TONS of aftermarket parts and EASY maintenance (tappet-style valve adjustment).  The new liquid cooled/FI 1250 is a fantastic bike by all accounts (maximum-suzuki.com is an excellent site from which to gather information).

As for the S3 vs. the 1100, that's more difficult, and as others have said, take each for a demo ride.  I've not ridden the 1100, but I've ridden a Speed Triple and it's tons of fun.  Plus, they look and sound great (a local rider has one, and I ogle it every chance I get!).  

Have you at least seen/sat on each one?  Did either bike "speak" to you?  In the end, it's a matter of taste.  Only expert riders push either of these bikes to their limits, so buying the S3 because is has more power only makes sense if you're taking it to the track and wringing its neck.

P.S. You think the Bandit "looks like everything else?"  I have the Suzuki tank decal covered on my Bandit, and I get almost as many questions about what it is as I do with my Monster.   [laugh]
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d147/pompino/DSCN2127-2.jpg)

P.P.S. Oops, I just re-read your post...you OWN a 1250.  Now it's imperative that you go ride an 1100/S3!!

In a perfect world, you could keep the Bandit and get an 1100 as well!

Is the streetfighter out of the question?

I'm not going to try to convince anyone to buy a certain bike.    Go ride them.    If you can't decide, flip a coin.   If you're tempted to go two out of three flips with the coin then the first flip was the wrong bike.

oh...and unless you're buying it for other people's opinions and posing (a valid reason), buy what you would ride if you could never be seen on it and couldn't tell people what you bought (as in which one is more fun for you to RIDE).

Bikes personalities for me are dominated by their motors.   AIr cooled Ducs and the Triumph triple are quite different.

Oh..one bit I allways mention in these buying questions.....your Duc dealer will make or break your owning experience.   If you're near one with a not-so-great reputation here, you either hopefully do all your own wrenching or you WILL be back here upset with the whole Ducati thing.

what happens if your Duc dealer IS your Triumph dealer? Either way your boned! Hah.

Posts like this make Statler's comments worth reading, even though he STILL hasn't sent me my shirt.   ;D

Seriously though, as Chris said, the two motors in these bikes are so entirely different it is amazing.  I started off with an S2R800 and a Daytona 675, and then ended up selling the S2R for a modded out S1000.  Now I know that neither of my bikes have the motors that come in the bikes you are considering, but for me the SC is far more entertaining to ride, even in full on sport mode.  So much so that the Daytona is about to go up for sale.  Now with that said, the Speed Triple would get a seriously hard look if I were in the market for a more commuter/town friendly bike (with a great big set of balls mind you) and I could not find the KTM SM that I like.

I had a 96 bandit modded into a 1250 something CC monster.  Made 155hp and ~100 ft-lbs as well.  Bought it already done with tons of gizmos for $2500.

I wish I had never sold it, but traded it in for the 07 s4r.  Now, the duc is quite a bit better in all but a straight line, but something about the B1200 I really miss.

I'd keep it [thumbsup]

+1

Some people like twins some don't. Only way to find out is to try it for yourself.
But if your buying a new bike to impress strangers get a Streetfighter or a Harley.

Ya lost me. A streetfighter would be a hell of a lot of fun to ride. I don't see how its 'to impress others'. Have a negative ride experience?

^

What he said.

WTF?

Yeah, didn't mean it like that. Just saying that if a persons reason for buying a bike is to derive stares and positive commentary from passers by, then a Streetfighter or a Harley would get someone allot closer to their goal then a Monster or Speed Triple. 

Looking back at it, my response really had more to do with Scotzman's post then it did with tango's though.

Regarding a negative ride. If you take a close look at my avatar you'll see part of the end result of my Streetfigher experience.

Why should you buy a Monster rather than a Speed Triple?  Because a Monster is a DUCATI.   duh!  lol

Even if they're decent bikes, no one comments much if you say you have a Triumph, but as soon as you say you ride a Ducati, they are now more interested.

But more seriously, it also has to do with your personal preference in design, performance, comfort, sound all the way down to the cost. You can't go by someone elses' personal preferences for a motorcycle.  That's up to you and your personal preferences are never wrong.

Just like one rider may prefer a Harley cruiser and another rider may prefer a Honda and another likes Yamaha.

Though one thing you also may need to consider is the availablity of service techs for the brand of motorcycle you are planning to buy if you expect to have someone else perform the maintenance on your bike. Though most Ducati dealers I've seen also sell Triumphs.

I think a Streetfighter is less to look at than a Monster or the double-boobie'd Triumph. Both have the excitement of being from a marquee manufacturer.

ONE THING TO CONSIDER (PRO'S/CON'S)
- Ducati has a race heritage, as such, you can follow your brand on tv and online to see how they are fairing in WSBK and MotoGP. Its fun to watch the privateers make something more out of it, and communicate with the community. Larry Pegram is excited to watch. And there are many Ducati shops that purposefully orient themselves towards the track and racing. DucShop in Atlanta is wonderful, and is very race oriented.

- But Ducati costs more. All around. Little more jingle up front, little more jingle at service time, little more jingle for the nonsense billet or carbon fiber accessory you might want to adorn it with.

- Both have limited number of authorized service centers, which could pose a problem on a long trip. That being said, my bike is pushing 20,000mi (its still a baby) and hasn't ever had a real problem, only times an issue cropped up was when I tried to "improve" something and hadn't done enough homework.

And for me, the streetfighter was an awesome ride to demo. I'd love to have one, because I think Naked Sports are 'tons-o-fun' and that one comes with extra fun. I have not crashed one, but don't think that would give me a negative opinion of the bike, but probably some feelings about my riding skills. 


If I were you, I'd make sure to sit on each for 20 minutes minimum at the dealership with hands on the bars (put some bike related literature on the top triple or gauges). This will give you a feel for actual comfort, more so than quickly throwing a leg over and then hopping off and making a possibly incorrect call.

That should not replace a demo ride if available (and if only one shop offers demo rides, that should play into your opinion as well)

Memphis no longer has a Triumph or Ducati dealer. Closest dealer that I know of is in Little Rock.  Having to trailer a bike 2 or 3 hours for warranty work wouldn't be a deal breaker (relatives in L.R.). Really don't care about impressing anybody with brand A or B.   I commute more than anything else. "Track Days" ? "My faster days are far behind me". The Bandit is a great sport/touring bike but leans more to the touring side. The Bandit 1250 has some serious EFI issues that Suzuki won't recognize that have almost gotten my ass run over.

How are ergos and comfort ?

What are the "Must have/do" mods  (performance, comfort, yaddaa, yaddaa, yaddaa) ?

Howsit do on long trips ?

Thanks guys/girls

My bike did great from Dallas to Las Vegas.

I have changed the seat to a Sargent seat. There is a great mechanic shop in Nashville (4th Ave. So.) called Corse Motorsports. They aren't a dealer, but can do all work, etc. Nashville also has a dealer if you need to buy a new bike (Bloodworth's BMW), but I do prefer Corse for all related work.

Alain and Andy at Corse can also point you to good mechanics for valve adj. etc in Memphis.

That Speed triple is the tits.  Weight, power and power characteristics combined with price is looking very good.

The air cooled Ducati 1100 might get blown into the weeds by the Triumph.

If I were comparing a Ducati with the 1050 Triumph it would be the S4RT or a used S4RS - pretty much same specs.

I got Ducati in my blood - 36 years worth, but if I were to buy another stock MC, it would probably be the Speed Triple - and it wouldn't stay stock long.

Look for a low miles S4RS garage queen.  They're out there and with Ducati performance goodies.  Dead stock the Ducati's aren't so good.

LA

Are you searching for Ducati dealers through the Ducati site or have you searched for all motorcycle dealers in your area that could sell Ducati?
Shops that sell or service Ducati may not be an actual "Ducati dealer", but may be a dealer that sells all brands of bikes or a dealer that sells European bikes or something like that and these dealers are not always listed.

Have you checked around Nashville or is Little Rock closer to you?

There are some dealers which may not have Ducatis on their sale floor, but they will order them and service them.  It just may take some extra searching to find these dealers and may require some phone calls or just visit as many motorcycle dealers you can find and just look around and ask.

Another pro about Ducati is that they are more well known to offer demo rides and have Demo Days which many other manufacturers and dealers don't offer.

It may be more beneficial to take a long trip to a Ducati dealer and be able to demo ride a bike and decide if it is the right bike for you than buy some other brand from a local dealer that you aren't even able to demo ride and end up with something you don't like.

In the words of Sgt Drucker.

 But this here I don't need to sell and you know it, 'cause this here is the kind of shit that sells itself.

+1   [laugh]

OP - most of your new questions have been answered many times over.  Look around the board a bit.   :)

If it will be your only bike, get the Speed Triple. Less to worry about.
If you have half a dozen bikes, you need a Ducati in there.

I can kinda comment on this topic I guess.

Two of my top choices when I bought my last bike were the Speed Triple and (of course) Monster. In the end I found a sweet looking green Speed Four and my current bike - a red Monster 620. Both were good deals, but the Speed Four had three times more miles. Anyway, I convinced the Monster owner and manager at the dealership with the Speed Four to let me test ride both.

I rode the Speed Four first, and while it was fun, it was not nearly as comfy for me and it was quite heavy (mainly given that it looks like a light bike). When I threw a leg over the Duc I immediately noticed three things: 1. I fit perfectly, 2. I could toss it around, and 3. the bike had a "soul" like nothing I had ever ridden.   

There's something about Italian machines - be it cars, bikes, or whatever else - even when they're not the most reliable or the fastest, and despite higher cost of ownership, there always seems to be something there that moves you. Sometimes (in the case of older Italian cars for instance) you can't see it but in the case of the Monster you do get some viseral clues: the trellis frame, the evil stance, and the unique sounds. And you won't ever forget you're riding something special because there will always be someone oogling your bike through a tinted car window or feverishly asking questions at the gas pump. People are drawn to the name, looks, and sounds of a Duc.

The above is not to say that you won't have a great time on the S3 or that no one will get excited at the sight of it. After all, it's still my second-favorite bike behind the Monster and they are very similar in many ways. For me there were pros and cons to each, and the Ducati soul is what sold the bike for me.  [thumbsup]

i disagree, my 2V Ducati has been trouble free. Its not "more to worry about" than any other bike has been. And its been more fun to tinker with than any other.

x2  [thumbsup]

My past bikes were a real PITA to work with. I enjoy going out into the garage and doing something to the Duc without having to remove a hundred little screws and clumsy fairings, etc. It all just hangs there. Like it's own engine hoist. ;D

+1

Other then a electrical issue with the "safety relay" I've had 20,000 trouble free miles on the 01.

Yep. I've got 20,000mi on my '99 and the only thing I have been unhappy with was the OEM battery, which was a vented instead of sealed. Then again, that was a common battery style on lots of bikes at the time.