New Monster 1100: Initial 600km Impression (PICS)

[DRKWNG]

I've been keeping track of gas mileage.  For example, I used 9 liters in 166km on my last tank.  I'll see if I can get an average, and convert into units that I understand. 

9 liters equals 2.377 gallons and 166km equals 103.147 miles.  So with that in mind, you were averaging about 43.393 miles per gallon.   

[Spidey]

Ok, I found my piece of paper with gas mileage.  You wanna do the math, DRKWNG?

180Km -- 10L
98km -- 4.5L
140Km -- 6.5L  (this was riding hard, no stop and go and no sitting in traffic)
166K m-- 9L

That 140km and 6.5L seems wrong, no?

[DRKWNG]

That 140km and 6.5L seems wrong, no?

Not really that bad if you were riding it pretty aggressively.  6.5L is about equal to 1.7 gallons, so it wouldn't be too hard to imagine burning that off in about 87 miles.

[Speeddog]

That's 45.8 mpg over those 4 fillups, pretty good.

[PizzaMonster]

Yeah...Pretty amazing mileage.  And also a pretty amazing performance.

(Except for ergos and aesthetics) .....Hmm!!  I don't know if I'd call that a home run in my book.

But thanks for the review.  It's probably the most comprehensive and least biased review I will ever read on this bike.

[factorPlayer]

How exactly did you get ahold of this bike again?

[DoubleEagle]

Spidey, how does this bike compare to an S4Rs ?

Looks)

Handling)

Brakes)

Ergos)

Performance)
                                 Dolph

[Big Troubled Bear]

Spidey, you should have been a moto journo

[greenmonster]

Nice writeup! Thx!

[Monster Dave]

Nice writeup! Thx!

I agree about the write up - very well done! However, in my humble opinion, asethetically the new monster is still ugly as sin. At least now it has some muscle!

[Spidey]

This is the final installment of my amateur m1100 review.  I've now had a chance to get back to the States, process my reactions to the m1100 and spend a few days on my beloved m1000SS for further comparison.  We also heard a long presentation at the World President's Meeting from Ducati about the m1100, along with Ducati's other new offerings and plans for the future.  I'll try not to repeat what I've already said about the bike.  All the pics are after a week of riding in the rain and grime, so don't pregnant dog that the bike ain't all purty and ready for a magazine photoshoot.  In no particular order . . .

Weight.  169kg.  Wow.  Wow. 

Styling.  Ok, it's grown on me a bit.  I'm still not a fan, but the bike looks good.  Some of that may have to do with the fact that it's a blast to ride.

Bars..  The bars are still a bit off.  A couple of us decided that if you just rotated the bars toward you a bit, they'd be a billion times better.  For fast riding, we wanted them to be just a bit closer to us and dropped a wee bit.  I think an eight of a turn  would make a huge difference.  Someone should give this a shot and report back how it works.  I'd also like to amend something I said earlier.  Clip-ons (below the triple) might not be a good idea on this bike.  They'd be *really* aggressive.  One option might be clip-ons with built in risers and/or some adjustability, like Tomasellis. 

Ergos.  Just like I reported earlier.  Really great for twisties, not ideal for long cruising.  A number of folks reported that they really liked the view from the cockpit.  On previous monsters, you can see the front fender from the seat and there is a long view of the tank from the seat.  On the M1100, you see less of the tank and can't see the front fender (at least my midget ass can't see it).  It makes you feel more exposed, more naked, and more “out there.”  It's pretty cool.  This goes hand-in-hand with the new weight-over-the-front wheel bias of the new monster.  I really like it.  Ducati describes it as a “more active” riding position.  I just call it fun.  In other news, my balls have mostly recovered.    

Height.  It's 40mm taller than the 696 and feels it.  I like it.  Ducati told us that they did this with a longer shock and longer stroke (130mm v 120mm) in the forks and 10mm higher seat in the front.  Here's a pics of the seat and the seat angle.



Handling.   I've said before that this bike handles really well.  I'd love to see what it'd be like in the S version or with some suspension mods.  Yummy.  More important, datv and DanTheMan have come around.  They confirmed that the handling in the twisties is great, even with the stock suspension.  Really good turn-in.  Much better than earlier monsters.  This bike is a blast to ride.  Ducati described the bike as “made for curves” and not for “throttle freaks.”  As much as I hate to agree with the marketing guys, that's spot-on.  They also tried to make it more stable and succeeded brilliantly.  You are still affected by windblast, but it feels much more stable than the s2r1000.   This is a FUN FUN bike when the road gets twisty and tight. 

Engine.  I've already raved about this engine.  Being able to compare it to my hopped up m1000SS says a lot.  The M1000SS spins up a lot faster and has more meat down low (some of that is gearing), but the 1100 can compete in stock form.  It really is great.  Ducatiâ€"in their presentationâ€"told us that we should be shifting at 7k because it's designed for mid and low-end torque.  I'm interested  to see what an exhaust and PCIII will.  <grin>  Ducati says that because of new manufacturing techniques (thinner, but just as strong cases), the engine weights 3kg less than the 1000. 

Mirrors.  The stock mirrors are well done and a huge step up from the early 2000s Mickey Mouse ear mirrors.  They looks like Rizomas, are easy adjust and give you good view to each side.  I normally like monsters with bar end mirrors, but these are a pretty good compromise especially for stock mirrors. 

Wiring.  Ducati finally figured out how to hide the wiring.  IT's about time.  It makes the bike look a ton cleaner and saves the need to spend all that time trying to figure out how to get rid of all those f'n zipties on earlier modeals.





Triple clamps.  The redesigned the triple.  The triple has risers that are two pieces rather than one and appear to be attached by a single bolt.  I *think* it's going to make the triple look a lot cleaner if you put on clip-ons.  In older models, if you switched to clip-ons, you'd have to live with the risers cast into the triple, grind them off, or hide them with a cover.





The lower triple is burly.  Me likey.



Brake lines.  The brake lines have an SBK set-up.  That's good if you need to change out the lines, because you only need to change out one line rather than get a complicated T-junction. 



Brakes.  Did I mention they're 4 piston, 2 pad?  And that they're great?



Clutch.  I really like the clutch.  But I figured out why I had an initial so-so reaction.  The clutch on my M1000ss (999 master, aftermarket slave cylinder, aftermarket clutch plates and basket) picks up mid-way through the lever travel.  The clutch on the m1100 picks up *really* late in the lever  travel.  It takes some getting used to, but once you do, it's fine.  It's also a bit easier to drag the clutch slightly with one finger, which I found myself doing a bit.  Dunno if that's good or bad, but I liked the feature.  I wonder how it would feel when the clutch plates start to go, since the pick-up is already so late in the lever travel.  Just a thought.

Oil filter.  For some reason, the oil filter hangs out there a lot more on the m1100 than on the 696.  It looks kinda weird to me, but it's probably a wee bit easier to access.  Here's an m1100 oil filter. . .



And here's a 696:


Gauges.  I'm not a fan of electronic gauges, but these work well.  I particularly like that the main gauge is revs.  Also, it's great to be able to see revs, speed and trip mileage all at once.  Those as the three main functions I use (other than oil temp), and I like not having to scroll through to find them.  BTW, did I already mention how nice it is to have a toggle for the gauge on your left hand?  My M1000SS is set up like that and I love it.  They got it right with the M1100 by moving the toggle from on the gauge itself to the controls.  One grip was the oil temp reading.  It's pretty small and can be hard to read while you're moving.  Also, it's a bar graph.  I'd rather have a digital reading. 



Choke.  They got rid of the manual fast idle!!!!  Thank god.  It took them long enough.  Now, you just start up the bike, and the computer sets the fast idle.  Finally.

Notice something missing?   


Oil lines.  They got this one right too.  For years, the monster has had the right side oil line crossing the belt covers, while the Multi and Hyper have both oil lines coming up the left side.  The lines crossing the belt cover makes the engine look more cluttered.  On the m1100, they routed both the lines up the left side.  It cleans up the right side of the bike a lot, which is the side that gets the most attention as it has the clutch and the SSS.



Turning radius.  They fixed the problem!!!  Monsters have always had a pretty shitty turning radius.  But with those somewhat strange looking air-vents in the tanks, there is now enough clearance for a much tighter turning radius.  It's a welcome change. 



Drop damage.  Someone (no, not me) dropped their M1100 at 3 mph.  Almost no damage.  Scuffed handlebar end and bent shifter.  Not scratches on the can or swingarm or tank ding or other damage.  That gets a plus.

Gearing.  Mine had 15/39.  Dunno what the US versions will be.



Gearbox.   It felt like a typical Duc gear box â€" lots of clunk as you shift gears.  I found clutchless upshifting and downshifting to be very smooth, easier than on datv's S4r and similar to my direct linkage GP shift-equipped M1000SS

[Spidey]

How exactly did you get ahold of this bike again?

World President's Meeting in Spain.  I went on behalf of johnc's NorCal DOC.  I don't know WTF johnc was thinkin'.   

Spidey, how does this bike compare to an S4Rs ?

Looks)

Handling)

Brakes)

Ergos)

Performance)
                                 Dolph

Dolph, I rode an S4rs a long time ago and then only for a very short bit, so I don't remember enough to make a good comparison.   Sorry.  As for looks, you can make your own call.  Ergos on the S4rs are pretty much the same as the s2r1000, so what I've said in my prior posts applies. 

[Spidey]

My Summary:

A vast improvement.  Engine is a kick ass street engine with lots of fun torque.  Much, much lighter than prior models (and you feel it). The brakes are ideal for hard street riding.  The ergos and handling make this a great twisties bike, but it's not for "throttle jockies looking for 150mph straightline speed."   They fixed a lot of the little niggling problems with prior monster models.  The looks are controversial, particularly with the older monster crowd.  Long rides make my balls hurt.  While most older monsters need lots of mods to make them feel good (IMO), this is a much better stock package. 

In short, this is a really, really fun street bike.   

My pics of the bike are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28553001@N05/

Here are some of the pics (after a long week of rain and muck riding):



































The rearset with the big nut at the swingarm pivot:





Oh yeah.  One last thing.  It took a while to figure out the sweet spot for power wheelies.  The sweet spot was much different than my M1000SS.  It left me with some weak-ass wheelies for the first day or two (see below) until I got it "worked out."    

[Capo]

World President's Meeting in Spain.  I went on behalf of johnc's NorCal DOC.  I don't know WTF johnc was thinkin'.   

They could not have chosen anyone better, you did a damn good job here, thank you. 

If your ever over this side of the pond, I like to introduce you to some fast motorcycles 

[Greg]

First off thanks for the great write up - interesting to see how you liked it the more you rode it. Will there be an 1100 in my future? I'm not sure, I certainly believe you when you say the engine, brakes, handling are all better on this new Monster. For me it is mostly a matter of styling. I still find it hard to like the looks of this bike, but I must say that after looking at the 696 in person at the dealer, they do look better in person than in pictures. If somebody would just release an exhaust that looks cleaner, and sexier like my Zards, then I could probably love the rest of it.
There again being the cheap bastard that I am, I'm not likely to purchase a new one. So I have 2-3 years to let somebody else buy one, and then I'll take it off their hands, for a nice price