Ducati Monster Forum

I love my Monster but have been eyeing a GT1000. The relaxed geometry and two up capability intrigue me but I'm not willing to give up agility and durability. I commute daily, year round on the monster and would do the same on the sport classic.

I know this is a monster forum but I trust you guys with advice. I also posted on ducati.ms under the sport classic group to get feedback. So, am I nuts?

Going to ride a 2007 GT1000 later this week.

The SC's are nice bikes.

I only got to test ride one for about 20 miles, so my exp. Is limited. The one I rode was the sport1000s, so it had the old school fairings

I thought the ride position was much more aggresive than the monster, so as a commuter it you might not last as long. Power was great and spot on. The handling was weird. Hard to put into words, you have to ride one to see...just real different than the monster.

All in all, I loved it. Thought it was great and oh so purdy, but not sure I could ride it everyday

The SportClassic GT is the bike that attracted me to Ducati in the first place.  I could never afford one and a monster came around at the right time and price so here I am.  I am still thinking about the GT or an ST3 or ST4 for longer distance touring.   I took the GT for a spin 3 years ago and was very impressed but the extent of my experience at that time was 3000 miles on a '85 Honda Nighthawk 650.

I am interested in your conclusions.

No such animal.  What you rode was a Sport1000S.

I sold my S2R for a Sport1000 a few years ago.  It is by far a different beast now than it was when I got it, but I would never dream of letting it go for another monster.  One thing though, I got into mine knowing it would be an aggressive ride, but again, it's not the same bike that you're looking at.  At the end of the day, go with the bike that speaks to you and stirs your soul.

The suspension sucks. A good friend had one of the first 2006 GTs. The fork is non adjustable and all he could do was change the fork oil weight and got some different springs for his weight. Maybe Progressive brand??? Not a big deal but they cut costs on the forks. Like my S2R1000 the shocks suck too. All they do is keep the rear fender off the tire. He did a shock swap but I can't remember the brand he used. Certainly not Ohlins. But after those minor twicks he was a very happy camper. He also installed some aftermarket Staintune slip ons with ecu work. Lastly he had a friend make a one off, color matched, custom quarter fairing out of fiberglass with a wind screen. It looked very nice and professional and gave him the needed wind break he wanted. He was a tall guy. 

I like the GTs but they still look a little weird with the monster truck tire to fender clearance on the rear.

Yes, thanks for the correction.

You're crazy.






No, actually I can't blame ya a bit.  I think all the sportclassic bikes are pretty brilliant.  And, while I prefer the look of the sport1000(s), I like the look of the gt gas tank better.

After putting wider & taller bars on my Monster, I'm not sure I can actually *enjoy* riding another bike.  My SS feels like it's work to ride compared to the Monster.

JM

you're crazy.

I wouldn't trade my monster for a sport classic, but I'd sure love to add one to the stable. The riding position isn't something that my back could handle as a daily ride.

The Sport 1000 is more fun to ride, but definitely less comfortable than the Monster.

The GT1000 should be fairly comfy; I've sat on them but never ridden one.

Thanks for the feedback. The GT1000 is definitely more relaxed than the Sport1000. I'm looking at the GT 1000. I'm looking forward to riding it.

the_Journeyman, what bars did you put on your monster?

i almost got a gt1000 instead of a monster too... i saw one on craigslist going for around 5k and i was pretty tempted, but in the end chose the monster.  my only issue with the look is still that huge weird rear fender... not sure what kind of mods have been done to make it a bit more palatable, but if i ever got one, that would be my first mod.

Yeah, I think some of y'all are getting the Sport 1000 confused with the sport classic GT1000. The GT is a very comfy upright classic and the Sport 1000 has very low clip on type bars. I should know... I have one. Duc offers higher "comfort" bars for the Sport 1000. I have them on mine. The GT is a very comfortable riding platform. I think they even offer a higher bar for it too. Like I said, once the $1.95 suspension front and rear is sorted out it would be a great ride. I remember Pro Italia cranked out a trick all Ohlins version (like my Back in Black Sport 1000) and it made me drool!! [drool] [thumbsup] [Dolph] Neat scooter. [Dolph]

The rear suspension isn't all that bad stock. Well, at least on the '06 Mono versions. The shock is fully adjustable and can give a decent ride if you take the time to set it up right. But again, I'm thinking about the Sport1000. The GTs came with dual shocks that I believe were non-adjustable.

I wanted a gt1000, but I do not want a plastic tank. I'm waiting until the time is right to get one used.

I've never ridden one, but you can go here to compare ergonomics.
http://cycle-ergo.com/ (http://cycle-ergo.com/)

I think a MTS might make a better commuter/2-up bike.

Yeah... I see what you mean about the fender/rear wheel clearance. I looked at the Moto Guzzi V7 Classic for comparison and the rear fender looks much better. The one I'm looking at has leather Ducati bags that hide that huge gap. Here's the link.

http://www.myersmotorcycles.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?sid=06197626X7K5K2011J7I25I37JAMQ6027R0&veh=25468&pov=2196326 (http://www.myersmotorcycles.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?sid=06197626X7K5K2011J7I25I37JAMQ6027R0&veh=25468&pov=2196326)

I think it looks better with the bags and they'd be useful for commuting. It all has a nice set of Termi pipes. I'd replace the mirrors with bar end mirrors before leaving (IF I decide to pull the trigger...   ;))

Bags are very useful for commuting!!!  That does look nice with the bags too.  FWIW Myers is my local dealer and are usually really good to work with!

JM

I'm going to Myers tomorrow morning (I live in Spartanburg, SC a little over an hour away) so we'll see what happens. I learned about Myers through Facebook believe it or not. Last week I won a T shirt by answering "what is the best bike..." question. Interesting how marketing plays out sometimes.

Cool, didn't know they're on Facebook!  They're about 35 minutes away from me, I'm over in Waynesvile, about 30 minutes west of Asheville.

JM

I like the GT1000 a LOT - the riding position is pretty comfy.

The time I took one out for a demo I thought to myself it would make a very nice sport touring mount.

It very much reminded me of the comfort/capabilities of my Guzzi Breva 1100.

The V7 is a great bike, but I doubt most Ducatisti would enjoy the more tractor like motor (broad torquey powerband, not very peaky and not particuarly fast). It's a great bike and I'd like one too, but as more of an around town bike or lazy touring mount.

Well... I think I'm going to go for the GT1000. I may regret this but I just posted the Monster in the for sale section. If you want a great, very well maintained, low mileage Monster go have a look!

DAMNIT MAN - where was this 2 months ago when I was SCOURING the net and classifieds for a red 620!!!! Cash in hand - arghhhhhhh. We would have bought that in a heartbeat.

I'm very happy with our 696, but would have loved to have had that 620 instead.

Oh well - best of luck.

On one last word, honestly, remembering how similar the GT1000 is to my Breva - IF YOU CAN POSSIBLY justify owning 2 - keep the 620 you WILL NOT regret it.

RIDE SAFE,

Kev

I would LOVE to keep the 620. I thought of justifying it by keeping it for my 21 year old. He'd love that but my wife would KILL me. Literally. Also, paying for 3 kids in college beginning this fall doesn't allow for the luxury of keeping two bikes!

Ahhhhh that's what student loans are for.

My wife is/was the first from her family to go to college (and then grad and med school after that). We paid every dime on our own (and will be for the next 10-15 years at least - current balance $195k). Oh well, life goes on.

3 more of her siblings have since graduated from college - 3 more on top of that planning to go still...


Anyway, it's a gorgeous bike I can't imagine you'll hav a problem selling it.

Best of luck with the GT1000!

post more pics once you get the bike and i'm sure you're going to love it :)

haha, though it might not work that well for you as a selling line, the cl ad i saw for the 5kish gt1000 comment was "THIS BIKE WILL GET YOU LAID" haha

Have you thought about getting rid of a couple of the kids to make room for 2 bikes? Just asking. ;D

I've thought of that... on SEVERAL occasions! Especially since I have - are you ready for this? - 6 kids.

ouch  [bang]

Thanks for the link.  That's pretty sweet.  [end thread jack]

Oh boy... I rode an '07 and an '09 GT1000 today. Both had full Termi system. Wow... I'm definitely getting one. Now I just need to sell my '05 620.

Well... after posting some nice, sweet pics of my Monster I think I've decided I'm going to keep her. She's just soooo gorgeous! There's really no problem owning two Ducatis, right? You can love them just the same, right? After all, I have 6 kids and love them all the same.

+1 on the go for two.. .hat is what I ended up with, Monster gets 4 of 5 or so for the daily commute and mainly the GT for the long rides, its like sitting on a couch...

V/R,
Nick

Got an offer on the monster that I just can refuse and the GT1000 is available. I'm going to seal the deal on Saturday. So, soon will longer be a monster owner but I hope you guys still let me hang out around here.

Well... the Monster just left with her new owner and I'm just about to head out to pick up my 2007 GT1000. Mixed emotions about seeing her drive off but I made the right call. I'm super stoked about the new (to me) ride.

(http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/dro0496l.jpg)

^^ True!  [laugh]

Well, I know you'll enjoy the new bike, just hope you don't regret letting that beauty go.

Honestly, I'm a bit of a bike whore and over the past 2 decades I only ever really regretted letting one bike go - and that still haunts me a tiny little bit.

But there are plenty of bikes out there so I don't dwell on it (much).

Enjoy and RIDE SAFE,

Kev

You are a father of 6 kids.......IMO you've earned the right to own 6 bikes.  [cheeky]