Ducati Monster Forum

Hello everyone I did a quich search on the forum and did not see a  a sticky for this topic "If there Is I am sorry"

This summer I am planning on touring the great Canadian north on my new Monster 696 and was just wondering if anyone has gone ridiculously far on theirs and how was it? Also any useful tips on gear and mods that would help me out "696 specific"

If nothing else it will still be fun to hear other peoples stories

Jenn's had no problem with some 1k mile weekend trips, up to Massachusetts or down the Blue Ridge.

We might consider a better seat eventually, but the only real modification we made for touring was to add the OEM passenger grab rails so she has a solid place to anchor a tail bag.

(http://www.gigabikes.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10081/2012-07-01_09-20-25_725abc.jpg)

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/539695_3247347629852_936392944_n.jpg)

Well, I rode my 796 from San Diego to San Francisco and back on the pacific coast highway on a long weekend last year.  Considered riding it cross country and came up with the following list: (coppied directly from an email I wrote to a friend last year)

---

$135 for the Givi fit kit
$245 for the Givi V46 in matte black (+$38 for the stop light kit)
$125 for the Givi T437N Tank bag (28-39 liters) (I would have to rig straps to the trellis to hold it...but doable)
$30 for tankslapper 3M kit to protect against said straps
$189 for the Givi side bag frames (may or may not need to reinstall the factory tail section...grr.)
$149 for Givi Arrowbag soft side bags (19-25 liters)

So that's 135 liters of additional storage for $873...compaired with Ducati tank and side bags for $1000...and that doesn't give you the bubble..
 
And im pretty sure with all this I can retain my current tail bag..

Also check out Kriega ...their stuff gets rave reviews and is pretty inexpensive.


...Givi also makes a touring windscreen, and I would of course need the touring seat for like $250..

---

If your pushing north I would consider heated grips too.

(all depends on how long your looking at being on the bike and what time of year.)

For riding gear on my trip I went with my Scorpion Hat trick jacket, and scorpion deuce pants with dianese insualted touring gloves. (we saw temps in the low 40s and I was plenty comfortable.  toes a little cold, but that was in Sidi Vertigo boots, hardly a touring boot.

My bike has since gone the direction of the track vice the tour, but ive got other plans for that. Hope you get some ideas from this.

I've done 2000 km round trip twice on the 696.
first was 2-up with stock bars and comfort seat, no side bags. wife had to wear a backpack which caused issues. but i was fine  [evil]
second was solo with side bags and large bag, stock seat with zero-rise clipons. zero issues.

Thanks! Now if ducati will ever send the parts I ordered

Ill check it all out "North as in southern canada" st johns nefoundland to victoria bc and back through the northern states all in all a 16000km trip

It's definitely doable. I rode my 696 from L.A. to D.C. and back this past summer. Needless to say, it was an amazing experience and I plan to do it again someday. No real mods to speak of, but for storage, I went with the Ventura set-up.

http://www.ventura-mca.com (http://www.ventura-mca.com)

It's not the cheapest option, but it gets the job done. If I could go back, I would pack (much) lighter and just utilize the Ventura pack for all my gear... Also, it's easily removable - which is a nice feature for when you inevitably run into roads worth 'exploring' without the extra weight.

As far as gear worth mentioning, I packed a few MSR gas canisters (which came in handy). Even in the summer, it can get pretty cold at night or in high elevation, so pack accordingly.

Best of luck in your adventure! Remember to take, and more importantly, POST pics!  [beer]

Oh, and please disregard the giant bigfoot... it was the best pic to clearly illustrate my set-up.

ETA: I had to replace my rear tire and the original chain during the trip, FYI.

(http://i49.tinypic.com/34i1vnq.jpg)

(http://i47.tinypic.com/213g8ye.jpg)

(http://i47.tinypic.com/jpan11.jpg)

I don't have a 696, but I did do 10,000 miles on a S2R from LA to Alaska.

The Ventura rack is a good thing to have. Try to get waterproof roll bags, they'll save a lot of headaches. Anything that comes with a "rain cover" probably isn't good enough. A tank bag would be good to rest on and to block the wind.

You'll get a lot of looks. Because long distance Monster tourers are pretty damn rare  ;D

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWNTGTtVYsU/UKBIFxyAVqI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/MiJSc1BFqXU/s1600/IMGP2617.JPG)
Oil terminal in Seward, AK

I rode last summer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Southern California, up to San Francisco and back. We put on about 7500 miles.

When we were done my stock chain was wrecked. Had to change out the stock rear tire on the way home but at that point i had almost 11,000 miles on it. I'm at 12,500 miles and the front tire is still not bad.

The gas tank is a bit smaller than i would like so i made a bracket for an extra fuel can. I used it once in Tulsa and once in the desert. It's this with a custom bracket to the bike. http://www.kolpinpowersports.com/products/fuel-packs-and-brackets/fuel-pack-jr-with-pack-mount.html (http://www.kolpinpowersports.com/products/fuel-packs-and-brackets/fuel-pack-jr-with-pack-mount.html)

(http://dortek.ca/bike/1.jpg)
(http://dortek.ca/bike/2.jpg)
(http://dortek.ca/bike/3.jpg)

For my gear i used a 30L dry bag strapped to the back and a 14L tank bag. Next time i go for a trip i am going to look into the Givi brackets for side bags and the rear hard case. Also i would get a dry bag with straps so i can wear it as a back pack.

I also got a national cycle large windscreen and it made a huge difference. http://www.amazon.com/National-Cycle-Ducati-Vstream-Windscreen/dp/B006574F80/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1359573021&sr=8-26&keywords=national+cycle+ducati (http://www.amazon.com/National-Cycle-Ducati-Vstream-Windscreen/dp/B006574F80/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1359573021&sr=8-26&keywords=national+cycle+ducati)

I made a blog if anyone is interested. http://californiamotorcycletrip.blogspot.ca/ (http://californiamotorcycletrip.blogspot.ca/)

man, talk about a cool first post  [Dolph]

Lurker!  ;D

 [thumbsup] [thumbsup] 

I love reading touring posts like these.[thumbsup]  I really envy you guys.  [drool]

I have been lurking since i bought my monster Feb 2012. It is actually my first bike. Apparently my first riding season has impressed a few people on our local board.

i did 10,000 miles over the course of 4 weeks.  rode 2-up with the wife from NYC to california and back, coming through canada on the return.

my biggest piece of advice, don't overpack.

Fack, you averaged 360 miles a day 2-up.  [beer]

i did a few long trips and 500+ miles days on a M750.

keep the weight low, don't try to wear a backpack for long runs.
get waterproof gear for you and the stuff you are carrying


i'm still working on this part. after you figure out what you need, go through it again and get rid of at least 1/4 of it. then when you are packing the bike, get rid of another 1/4. then figiure out what you really donb't need and take off another 1/4. more room to carry stupid crap you pick up along the way or for food if you are camping

The king of "don't overpack" is Stopintime.
I cannot believe how little he brought all the way from Norway to Italy. and it all fit in the tiniest little tank bag.   [clap]

Me on the other hand built two saddlebag mounts, tank bag and roll bag and still feel I could have brought more   [bang]

i'm having him pack for me on my next trip
my downfall is always the socks and underwear. it's like i'm a child of the socks and underwear depression: always afraid i won't have enough so i hoard them

I wear padded bicycle shorts under my leathers when I am on a trip. I carry one pair of jeans for wearing when not riding, and no underwear. So the total clothing is a pair of jeans and two tee shirts. I wear the same one each day when riding.

I went on a one week trip with her (around 1500miles), waterproof bag and tank bag (worked good enough). (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9oHUzmLGeLE/T9Mq0Yho1ZI/AAAAAAAAAow/3scSWzELpBs/s547/P1010853.JPG)
As long as you ride most of the day you don't have to worry too much about spare clothes. I think it is a terrific bike for travelling. Lots of fun and comfortable enough. The only thing i added was an outlet for the navi.

Klaus

2 pairs of socks. You don't need any underwear.