696 unveiling at both AMS's friday and Sat (w/ BBQ on Sat)

[Dallas 1098]

Free food? I'm there 11:30 or so.

[James.M]

What if we don't have free food to being?

There will be free food, mr. clean.

[RichD]

Dude, it's BBQ... No Tequila 

BYOT! 

[James.M]

BYOT! 

I do believe I'll have a new friend tomorrow

[Dallas 1098]

Just no repeats of your reported yawning in technicolor incident please.

[RichD]

Just no repeats of your reported yawning in technicolor incident please.

If your thinking of the "Floor Salad" (KING Floor Salad -W-- a side of Patron, specifically) incident...
No edibles were regurgitated... merely a knee balance trick gone bad (In the middle of telling a good story -concentration briefly wandered...)

I did ask it be saved in a brown manilla envelope -we'll see...

If this was in reference to something James did... Well... I have (and probably don't want) any knowledge of it!

-R

[James.M]

Just no repeats of your reported yawning in technicolor incident please.

no promises but I'll do my best not to!

If this was in reference to something James did... Well... I have (and probably don't want) any knowledge of it!
-R

Dont worry I'll just give you another re-enactment of it...

[Ronr]

Just came from Dallas shop and it is there. I like it in person. Very nice tapered Termis on it, one per side. Its red and the split headlight looks pretty slick. Nice dash and startup light show. Clutch pull is superlight and the seat height is lower than my 1098 by 1-2 inches. Tailchop may be tricky. Can't tell how far back the frame structure goes. Would love to go for a spin.

[bryant8]

I stopped by AMS today and checked out the 696. I think it's a lot better looking in person. It sounds great too with the Termi kit installed.

Ron the tail chop is just 2 bolts now. Giannis showed them to me under he beer tray.

[calscrazy]

        my wife and i went by ams-a where they have the white one. she likes it alot. it was her favorite in the entire bldg. i like it alot and i think it's a great looking bike but i don't know if it satisfies my idea of a monster. it's very clean, white is defintely the color to get, love the gauges with the short windscreen, the way the exhaust mounts, just a very clean look for a naked. having said that i don't know if i am completly sold on the mirrors, headlight and turn signals yet. i look around the board(s) and think in my mind of how no 2 really seem to look the same but on that one i just feel as though the mods are limited. according to mark they almost all will have that look eventually. he says it has the power of the old 900's so maybe in due time i will come around. i do feel ducati has done a very good job of moving a product forward for the demographic they are trying to reach.
         while we were there i showed her the red 848 and she said "NO!". showed her the 1098  and again "NO!" she doesn't like the white stripe on the black s2r 1000 and don't think red really fits my personality. of the two she preferred the black with the white stripe as do i so i think when it comes time to step up that will be the way for me.

[♣ McKraut ♣]

yeah, thought it looked good overall as well; unsure if i would want to buy one, though (at MSRP, anyway).  that tail was so freaking long...and pointy.  no "tray" anymore.  i just wish the passenger pegs would have been set up a little more like the s2/4r...so you could just unbolt them.  and not sure if i liked the use of the older traditional style wheels on a bike that's so "new" and radical and advanced etc...would have thought the wheels would be edgier or something.

sounded great with the termis.

[♣ McKraut ♣]

and, maybe it's just me...but $345 seems like a lot to pay for a weird-looking backrest:  http://www.monstrack.com/backrest.html  (we saw a monster with this on it at AMS today)

[James.M]

stopped by today, and must say it looks like... I did have a sneak peak at it at the motorcycle show eariler this year... anyways, after further reviewing I think its a great bike. just a few stripping of parts and it will even look better...

[Giannis]

Few pics from the event...  http://www.flickr.com/photos/23235371@N08/sets/72157605114174803/

i think the bigger version(s) will have  removable passenger pegs 

[fastwin]

Should have stopped by on Saturday coming back from my ride. Looked like there was a lot of food and not enough "eaters"! I saw it on Friday when I was dropping off the 916 again (shades of Cory!) and Ron was picking up his 1098. I feel the same as him and the rest of you... it looks nice in person. Same was true of the 1098 at the Dec. '06 debut. Looked so so on the internet but kickass in person. Maybe the 696 isn't officially kickass but it looks good in real life, even better with the Termis. Just hope that isn't another $3,000 option on a $8,700+ "beginners" bike? Sure has received some good write ups from the Euro press release rides. I wouldn't be in the market for one but I'd love to take one for a spin.

Maybe I'll trade them my awesome but extremely fussy 916SPS for two 696s!!