Ducati Monster Forum

I've got a friend of mine looking for a motorcycle.  He used to ride dirt bikes and has always wanted a street bike.  He came up to visit this weekend and I got him hooked on Ducatis.  I showed him the website and talked to him about the different bikes that Ducati currently has, and he expressed interest in the new Hypermotard 796.

I was wondering what you guys think of the bike in general, and of it being a first street bike?  I would be mentoring him in street riding and he's mature enough not to be stupid.  He's also 5'9" and around 280lbs.

It's a very good street bike, probably easier to handle in traffic than most (all?) Monsters. The overview and bike control is better suited for traffic and tighter twisties. Maybe not so much above 100mph?

The forks are non-adjustable, he'll need at least new springs front and rear.

Anybody else want to chime in?

(http://stuffcountrypeoplelike.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/windchime.jpg)

He expressed interest in the Ducati "streetbike" that most resembles a dirtbike. Hmm, is he sure he really wants to ride on the street?
$10 grand is a chunk of change to lay out if you might not be into it. Why not steer towards used; perhaps a 995i speed triple or a Bandit 1200?

I feel the same way, that is quite a leap of faith. So many nice street bikes can be had for way cheaper. You could get a used monster, 620 or 750, in nice shape for about 3 or 4 grand. That would make a great street bike plus you might find some nice mods already installed.

I'd steer clear of anything with less torque than an S2R 1000 for someone who enjoys dirtbiking.  He might miss the throttle wheelies.  Smart money there is that used HYM1100 models have been going for around 9K.  TORQUE!

The H796 is a blast to ride. It wheelies like a champ, light to toss about on the street.

At 280lbs and with that experience on a dirtbike a used 1100 hyper might not be a bad choice.

the suspension is going to be way maxed at 280.
at 220 my M1100 front end is maxed out.

simple respring. i weigh around there and have had both front and back resprung.

FWIW, before Christmas I was getting quotes for brand new left over HM1100s for $8500 to $8800.  Cheaper, more power, and adjustable forks.

for the price bump it up to an 1100.  796 is way too much money - IMO - for what you get.  1100s models are going for same price if not lower with less than 3k miles.  Just my pennies worth.

eh, its not way too much money for what you get, if what you want is a lower powered Ducati. Perhaps a person doesn't want gobs of power because they are a newer rider, or inexperienced, or perhaps their insurance company jacks rates up quite high

Waaay off topic - what about your screen name, less is more?

BTW, I agree that sensible isn't always bad.

moving towards a less geographically misdescriptive

Price-wise, its hard to shave a lot of dollars off from a higher displacement model to a lower displacement model without trimming lots of features away. As is, the only changes from the 796 to the 1100 are the clutch, suspension is set higher, the flywheel is from the 848, and different bore/stroke. But all of these components have counterparts in the 796. They don't delete features, and the cost of a crank that's one size or another will be very nearly the same.

So how price it substantially less than the H1100? Tiny markups? or jack up the markup on the 1100s?