Monster 696 350 mile ride - Now with pictures

[Rizzo]

Anyone rode a 696 for a 5 hour trip?

If so details please.

I'm considering doing one myself but not sure what kind of pain to expect.

[Danmack_98]

Just recently went on a trip in wisconsin.  We rode about six hours each day for two days.  I was amazed how little pain I had.  Only soreness between shoulder blades, but even that was cured with the night's rest.  I rode with a backpack and the dp touring seat.  We stopped and got off the bikes every 45 min. to an hour.  The guy on the cruiser riding with us had the same shoulder pain as me and my brother on an sv 650.  One of the best times of my life!

[Slide Panda]

Anyone rode a 696 for a 5 hour trip?

That's it?  That's just a good day of riding.  600 miles in a day with 4 days worth of gear... after 1000 mi in the previous 3 days including deals gap - that's different 

Since the monsters don't have big tanks, you'll be stopping about every 1/3 of your millage total for gas anyways.  Just be sure to grab a little stretch before you start off, each stop and at the end.  It only takes a couple minutes, but can help a lot.

Stay hydrated since temps are creeping up and mind your posture.  A lot of the wrist/elbow/shoulder pain that people get tends to come from leaning their weight on the bars. 

[DucatiTorrey]

I took my 696 on a 660 mile trip over 3 days, 2 of which were heavy riding, all slab.

The last day was about 400 miles total, 300 was straight through at the end of the day, from the Mackinac Bridge to Kalamazoo on 131 and some side roads. It was a bit hard on the back, but the worst part was the cold (45 - 50 degrees) and the now flat spot on my tire.

i would still have done it again though, it was a good trip up north.

[Privateer]

I've done about 330 in day, on a Palms to Pines run down here in SoCal.  If you're getting gas every 100 miles or so, it's not so bad.  Stretch a little bit each stop.  My worst problem was a numb throttle-hand thumb about 70 miles from home, and then a cramp in my hip flexor soon after that.

pulled over, stretched, and everything was OK.


I find straight highway riding is the worst because you're not really changing positions at all.  I'm sure cars think it looks funny, but I just change my position every minute or so. 

[TrpprJhn]

I just did 1500 miles over 4 days through upstate NY, Vermont, the Berkshires, and wester Connecticut. I think that the Touring seat is a must. I used a tank bag and the DP rear seat bag. My helmet gave me more grief than the bike.

I found that when my left hand went numb, I would grip the tank with my thighs, put my weight on the pegs, and relieve the pressure on my arms and hands. It was overall a very comfortable ride. Epic journey, I would do it again. The only real limitations are the

1) limited range on a tank of gas. 150 miles is a lot, but I found that all my rest stops were at gas stations.
2) Even with the two bags, I was cramped for storage. I got by, but would be nice to have more space.

I rode every twisty road I could find, because the 696 is less forgiving on the slab (wind resistance, short wheelbase=choppy ride)

So I'm picking up my Multistrada this evening.

[Gator]

I rode from Portland Or, to Cleveland Ohio on my 750.
The seating position is similar.

I would say in 5 hours you will only have a sore throttle hand not much else.
Just stop often at least once ever hour or so and just walk around a bit and drink plenty of water.
and don't carry a bag. Get luggage or a tank bag if you need to take anything with you.

Don't worry about getting there in 5 hours just enjoy the trip and post up some pictures.

   

[Mad Duc]

I did a long trip shortly after I got mine - I was hurting for 3 days afterwards. Why? Because all my previous riding was short - 45 minutes or less. If you get out for a couple trips of an hour or two before you should be able to figure out all the quirks for you & your bike. For me the seat KILLED me after about 3 hours and my throttle hand went to mush after about 4 hours. If you're riding slab get a Throttle Rocker or something similar, it will make it much nicer for your hand. It sucks on the twisties though. It gets in the way too much.

[darthmoto]

I did a 1000 mile SF to LA and back trip one weekend. Not alot of slab, mainly curvy roads. I was pretty much fine after getting back except my left wrist became swollen as a result of the long reach of the clutch lever. I don't have XL sized hands, so reaching to grab the lever a couple hundred times a day was definitely what did it. I recently did another long trip but with CRG shorty levers and I haven't had problems since.

Oh, and rotating the handlebars slightly back a bit helps ALOT. The angle down of the grips makes it much more comfortable on the wrists.

[Rizzo]

Looks like enough to convince me to go.

Hopefully the weather participates.

[Raux]

just got back from a 2000+ km road trip 2-up riding the whole way. sore spot is my right shoulder since i couldn't get off the throttle. wife got a lot of wind blast starting at 160kph. so kept speeds less than 150kph. most breaks were at the 100km mark and we put gas in every 200km.  her thighs were sore. apparently the seat is a bit wide where she has to grip. on the way out she was wearing a backpack... really bad move... with no beackrest it was really draggin on her and loading her down. on the end of the trip down there are breaks were getting to be every 30km just to get her some relief. we mailed EVERYTHING back. just kept a tank bag. next trip i'll have a givi case for storage.

[Rizzo]

700 total miles
One headless bee sting to the wrist.
94 degrees
20mph head wind
50mpg at 85 mph
Ducati Bliss.

My website - http://therocketfactory.com/