First 50 mile review (2012 Monster 796 ABS)

[shamoo]

Just wanted to post up a quick review of my thoughts after putting ~50 miles on my new Montster 796 ABS.

Here's my intro thread for more details: http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=54802.0

I picked up the bike with only 2 miles on the odometer.  Having just moved, and being busy with unpacking and work, I hardly had any time to ride.  After 3 weeks, it's sad that the first 50 miles I put on the bike so far was done all yesterday.  

Here are my thoughts/comments after riding sportbikes previously:

*  Everything I read about being in the correct gear is absolutely correct.  I find myself mostly in 2nd gear (or even 1st!) when I'm around town.  VERY different than the inline 4 cylinder bikes I've ridden in the past.  Even on the freeways, I'll be in 3rd or 4th maybe and my rpms are still low.  Just to confirm, it's fine to be in 1st gear around town, right?  In a car/sportbike, it just doesn't feel right.
*  I'm still in break-in mode, so I'm not revving high.  The bike seems to run out of power in the mid range when I'm at about 5,000rpm.  It feels like that's about it, but then when you crank the throttle, you'll find there's plenty of power left.  I'm very happy about that.
*  Much more wind since there's only a small windscreen and your legs aren't as protected (behind some sportbike fairings).  It'll take some time getting used to, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.  Eventually when I take it commuting between Irvine and LA, it might be a bit cumbersome over long periods, but we'll see.  Wearing my mesh jacket it's pretty bad haha, but with my leather jacket it's much more bearable.  
*  A few times on a cold start, the bike will just stall/shut off immediately.  The dealer said that it's still very new and it'll take some time for everything to break in.  If it still happens after 200 miles, let them know.  
*  At first, the upright nature of the motorcycle took a lot to get used to.  Turning felt very strange and I'd have to slow down quite a bit for turns.  After the first 50 miles, I'm pretty comfortable already and I love the upright positioning.  
*  The instrument panel is a bit hard to see in the daylight.  At night, it's fine.  Any easy fixes to make this brighter?  
*  The kickstand is tougher to reach with your foot when you want to park the bike.  On my prior sportbikes, there's a little thing sticking out where your heel can catch.  Then you simply push down and put the stand down.  On the Monster, the stand is tucked in behind/under the left footpeg so you really have to look where you have to put your foot.  A little annoying, but it's not bad.  

All in all, I love it.  I have yet to use it for my intended purpose (commuting 2 days a week 100 miles a day), but so far it's amazing.  The torque is amazing and while obviously not as fast as a sportbike, it's plenty fast for me.  I was initially worried that the 796 would be noticeably slower than the 1100 Evo I tested, but in normal situations, I couldn't hardly tell a difference.

Next goal, try to get out with some of you guys on some rides to meet more people.  I'm new here in this state and it would be pretty awesome to meet new riders.  I love that you can ride all year here.

[Coffeebaron]

Hey there- congrats on a great purchase, i've done about 550-600 miles since getting my 796, and so far loving the rides.

I've experienced a similar issue with the stalling after start- letting my bike warm up (freezing temps in uk) and after a couple of mins, it shuts off, starts again fine, and remains ok- dealer mechanic adv it's normal as it operates on a cold map to warm up then switches- possibly what it's doing with yours?

There should be a function in the menu options on the dash to increase the illumination- I've yet to try it myself, but I believe the manual will tell all

I know what you mean about the gearing- I ride mine two up every day in traffic-always in 1st/2nd and find myself switching often- may try the 14T front sprocket- been adv to get that done by fellows on here.

Also do you find the bike is lumpy and slightly like it's dragging on the brakes when you first set off, but as it warms up it's fine?

[Curmudgeon]

 

Guilty of suggesting the 14T to Coffeebaron ASAP on the 796. It's only got a 15T for EC drive-by noise testing and won't pull 6th to redline probably anyway. Fit a 14T and you can use 6th at 70 MPH rther than 80. It will also make maneuvering around town easier but remember the limited steering lock.

You shouldn't need 1st with the 14T except when crawling. Unless you change the ECU and slip-ons, the bike isn't very happy under 4,000. 6,000 RPM is OK for short spurts. After the 600 mile service, you can run it up to 7,000. Have that 14T installed at the 600 mile service. The bike will run a lot better after 1,000 - 1,500 miles. It takes ~ 2,000+ to completely break in. Then you can judge. Right now, upshift and downshift like mad and forget the brakes unless you really need them. An L-Twin is the opposite of a Jap 4.

PS. The 796 is not slow. 

PPS. Consider Tech Spec pads so that you can grip the "tank" with your knees at low speeds. Easier on MY back anyway. http://www.monsterparts.com/pc/621500SS/696/621500SS.html

[HotIce]

To me, the bike shutting down when coming to a stop, happened only once, at the very early stages.
I think it tuned itself, and now even if it wanders to lower RPM while stopping, it never shuts down.