Monster challenge not so great according to owners....suggestions?

[Bill in OKC]

I only saw a couple of bikes, reminded me of the Roland Sands thing.  Custom paint.  Ducati wanted new customers and I think they've got them.  The water cooled 696 at Indy is the best custom example I've seen.

[GLantern]

I finally found the pics of the bikes from the challenge and in all honesty every single one SUCKS.  80% of them don't even have open clutch covers they are all just custom painted bikes.  Do something unique with them!  Everyone and their mom can get a custom painted bike like that. Chop the whole passenger seat off and remove the rear pegs, add an open clutch, build a unique exhaust or something!

I guess dealers just need more time, and i agree that the challenge should have been done in a year or two when more parts are available.

[duccarlos]

I finally found the pics of the bikes from the challenge and in all honesty every single one SUCKS.  80% of them don't even have open clutch covers they are all just custom painted bikes.  Do something unique with them!  Everyone and their mom can get a custom painted bike like that. Chop the whole passenger seat off and remove the rear pegs, add an open clutch, build a unique exhaust or something!

I guess dealers just need more time, and i agree that the challenge should have been done in a year or two when more parts are available.

The Daytona bike has a custom clutch cover, but that was not built by the dealer.

[zooom]

I finally found the pics of the bikes from the challenge and in all honesty every single one SUCKS.  80% of them don't even have open clutch covers they are all just custom painted bikes.  Do something unique with them!  Everyone and their mom can get a custom painted bike like that. Chop the whole passenger seat off and remove the rear pegs, add an open clutch, build a unique exhaust or something!

I guess dealers just need more time, and i agree that the challenge should have been done in a year or two when more parts are available.

on the 1st part of what you said...if you walked into a showroom and that kind modification was done to a machine and still coined as a "NEW" bike...would YOU buy it?....that is something that alot of these dealers still have to consider...there is a tradeoff on how much of a loss they might take on putting alot of time and parts into something if someone isn't going to buy it...

also on waiting a year or 2 till parts are available...the whole gambit was to piggyback the launch/release of the machine at the local dealer level and to inspire a little excitement....waiting 2 years doesn't exactly accomplish that...

[duccarlos]

As someone else has already pointed out, I also think DNA has gauged interest in these bikes by the DOCs and the websites like this one. Along with the "challenge" pretty much every dealer had a 1100 launch last weekend. They are truly trying to get the general public excited about this bike.

[EvilSteve]

An enthusiast will never look at a Monster Challenge like DNA or a dealer.

This was a marketing exercise involving dealers. The Monster Challenge involving enthusiasts was a marketing exercise involving the enthusiasts, the goals were similar but the method was different. Ducati wants to promote the new bike, a DMC would not do that, it promotes the brand.

I enjoyed going to the DMC I was in, it really was a lot of fun but don't mistake this DMC for the original.

The bikes were all pretty uninspiring due to the goals and timeframes, I am however happy that this many dealers participated, they're all in a bad spot right now with the economy the way it is, I really hope it brings in business.

[motogpfan]

I think the problem was too much  bling, I threw all kinds of ideas at Daytona and the only one they let me do was the clutch cover.

The Monster IMO should be a mean looking sport bike that was stripped down, only the essentials, should be dark, simple and to the point. Loud paint belongs on a chopper, not a Monster.

I wish they would have run with my theme, I think it would have won, but what do I know.

[Duck-Stew]

If it were given more time, more hype it may have brought even better results than it did.  I *nearly* contacted a local dealer to see if they wanted my advice, but honestly...I'm slammed busy right now and don't have the time for what they would likely not paid me for.

The M1100 has a lot of potential (M696 too btw) and in time, there will be acceptance of the new model versus the classic Monster.  It is inevitable.  There will always be preferences for one over the other (I don't think you'll find someone who really loves both....but I hope I'm wrong).

If it were me, I would have had a lot of time into small-ish mods that 'finish' the overall design intent that usually gets bastardized to make a price point (accountants should do books, not bikes). 

(NOTE: I haven't seen the pics yet so I don't have an opinion on any of this, these are just my observations.)

[DCXCV]

As limited as they made the contest how much more successful could it have been?  The goal was to promote a new bike through the dealer so, as many have pointed out, there is a limited parts bin and a mindset by the dealer (totally justified) to not put a lot of money and time into something that they still have to sell. 
If they want a big contest with inventive ideas they have to wait and allow people to throuw more money at their own bike.  But then it isn't a new model promotion anymore, is it?  there was nothing in this idea that was going to get existing owners to pony up cash for a new monster.  It may have gotten some people who are new to ducs more interested in the new bikes.  The only way they'd be able to tell is to poll the people who buy them.

[breakdown]

I can't wait to see the results after the M1100 really gets chopped up and changed around.  I'm sure it will be a pretty cool looking bike after all is said and done.

[Rameses]

Wanna generate excitement about the new model?


Have the challenge open to all models of Monster, new and old, and see if one of the new ones wins.

[duccarlos]

Wanna generate excitement about the new model?


Have the challenge open to all models of Monster, new and old, and see if one of the new ones wins.

The point is to promote the new model, not to compare the 2.

[motogpfan]

The point is to promote the new model, not to compare the 2.

+1

judging by everyones comments the old one would win hands down.

[fasterblkduc]

I have nothing against dealers at all but when I heard that this was a contest for dealers to customize a new Monster, you lost me right there. I don't care about timeline, what kind of bike it is, or any of that...it's just not exciting to see dealers bolting on parts or buying paintjobs. I never even saw any of the photos from this competition.

Seeing enthusiasts being creative is where it's at

[duccarlos]

No one owns an 1100 yet. With more time, I'm sure the dealers would have created what would eventually become some of the aftermarket for this bike. Instead, they made due with what they had, which wasn't much. Termis, paint job, and as many small things they could find that fit from the old one.