Monster knock-off

[TiAvenger]

I hate to be argumentative, but did you try to buy a ninja 250 last year?  I was put on a 6 month waiting list, and still haven't received a call. The demand is here, there just are not any low priced, good looking starter bikes sans the kawa.  If they brought that here with a price tag of 3-4.5 k, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[junior varsity]

Same here. And I believe Honda has discontinued the Nighthawk, have they not? That used to come in "small" as a flavor.

[mitt]

Id rather be seen on that as opposed to being seen on a 696.

Kind of a +1

In my opinion Ducati forfeited or put up for grabs the Classic Monster design with the new 696 and M1100 - so Honda was smart and took it, and made a nice looking bike.


mitt

[Travman]

Kind of a +1

In my opinion Ducati forfeited or put up for grabs the Classic Monster design with the new 696 and M1100 - so Honda was smart and took it, and made a nice looking bike.

mitt

Agreed.  Ducati doesn't have any claim on that look anymore.

[duclvr]

I hate to be argumentative, but did you try to buy a ninja 250 last year?  I was put on a 6 month waiting list, and still haven't received a call.

There is one collecting dust at the dealers right now.

[Raux]

alright i give. NOT comparing this to the 696.
i think it's overweight. i would like to see a 250cc bike come in under 300 lbs.

[TiAvenger]

Kind of a +1

In my opinion Ducati forfeited or put up for grabs the Classic Monster design with the new 696 and M1100 - so Honda was smart and took it, and made a nice looking bike.


mitt

That's the worst part.  They (Ducati) have proven that they can build a great handling, great new motor, lighter air cooled monster. But in doing so, they changed the aesthetics.

They fixed everything that was wrong, only to screw up what was right.

If you like the 696 design, by all means keep enjoying it. I was drawn to monsters by their design, when it left, so did I (for monsters anyway.)  

[junior varsity]

I'd like to double +1 on Mitt's comment.

The new fangled headlight designs on the Ducati's look like Aprilia's. Changing the "monster" to something else, and introducing another bike, Streetfighter, is a confounding business move. Both have the futuristic angular headlight looks, the Streetfighter much more so.

Starting to look like Tuono's and Shivers.

[Duck-Stew]

There is one collecting dust at my dealers right now.

Was it an '07 & older, or an '08?  What part of the country are you in?!?  I was put on the wait-list too...  Found one dealership who was putting a $500 premium on their only green one available for 3-months.  I said:   and walked out.

My $.02 on the Honda:  Bring it on.  There need to be cool, friendly, low-powered intro bikes as options in this country and the more the merrier.  I would own the bike pictured if it were available in the states.  I'd chop the tail, do some low-ish bars and just enjoy myself on some the of the goat-trail roads around here.  

[TiAvenger]

alright i give. NOT comparing this to the 696.
i think it's overweight. i would like to see a 250cc bike come in under 300 lbs.

You do realize that's wet weight right? 

Dry its probably around the 300 mark

[Triple J]

Looks pretty good. The rims look a lot nicer than the standard 3-spoke Duc rims.

Honda already makes an almost exact replica of the Monster. When I was in Melbourne last summer they were all over the place. I have no idea of the engine size...maybe some of the Aussie members will chime in.

I'd still take a 696 over it...actually an 1100. But then again, I don't need or want a beginners bike.

[duclvr]

Was it an '07 & older, or an '08?  What part of the country are you in?!?  I was put on the wait-list too...  Found one dealership who was putting a $500 premium on their only green one available for 3-months.  I said:   and walked out.

Don't know what they were charging it was for sale when I bought my 696.

[Raux]

i do like the 696's i've seen with the original round headlight put on them. starts going back to the original look. i also like the polished rear subframe that was on the Indy 696. made it flow more with the bike. still waiting for a nice 'light' looking rear set WITH passenger pegs of course in black. the one thing about the new monster is its modularity. changing even the tail on the old monsters required hacksaws. imagine a totally new 'tubular' monoposto rear subframe for the 1100!!! there are sooo many possibilities. but even being a 696 owner, i still loved my original 99 monster 900 city. to me, both ducati, both beautiful in their own way, and two different generations of monsters.

anyway... back to the monster rip offs, there have always been companies trying to grab ahold of ducati success by stealing their designs.

but that honda is NOT like the original monster frame. from what i can see it has a subframe configuration also. and yes now i see the wet weight.

geez.. i'm going to bed. try not to beat up on other ducati bikes ok 

[TiAvenger]

hell a 09 ninja 250 is 374 lbs. 



The last generation supersports are ugly too 

[Spidey]

That thing looks more like a monster than any bike I've seen (other than a monster, of course).  What a cool starter bike.