what made u adore the ducati monster

[Monster Dave]

For me, I wanted something different, something sexy, something with brutally raw looks, something like nothing else on the street.

I had been looking at an SV650 until a a friend introduced me to Ducati. I know - how could I have not known about Ducati, well we all start somewhere right!!!

In the interest of being well rounded, I sat on every motorcycle on the market, and when I came across the Monster in a dealership, it was the only one that fit me like a glove and I was thrilled because after my friend had introduced me to it, I hoped that that would be the one for me - and it was.

I love my Monster, it's so damn sexy to look at from any angle. It looks good on sunny, cloudy, or rainy days. It looks good in the dark, it even still looks good when it's dirty. The best part is that it's a timeless design, so unlike fully dressed bikes, the Monster won't suffer from cosmetic adjustments that make them look dated. My '03 looks just as "new" as the next one.

 

[psycledelic]

I wanted a bike that had high priced and short maintenance intervals, leaked fuel from the gas tanks hinge point, and have people ask me if, "that Ducati is made by Honda, Yamaha, or Kawasaki."

Don't forget a trellis frame that is designed to deposit rain water runoff directly into the inside of your boots.

[elephantrider70]

i loved the raw look as well!
but i fell in love with the bike i own now a 99 m750 w a aluminum rr tank,  because it reminded me of my first bike 25 yrs ago a 1973 bennelli enduro 175 w/a chrome and orange tank the throttle was on the left w the brakes.
  that bike made adjusting to traditional controls tuff,needless to say i rode the hell out of it [moto]

[lwszabo]

because Dillen rode one in 90210! the real answer is becuase it is THE Ducati for me. I love naked bikes and it pulls it off better than anything else. The exhaust note does not hurt either!

[JBubble]

who is gone?? PLEASE tell me its not randall, i am waiting for a part from him.

the guy that started this thread.

[lwszabo]

the guy that started this thread.

I just searched his posts, I see now!!! Thanks.

[herm]

I actually went into a dealer to demo and possibly buy a Triumph Speed Four.

Then a 99 750 dark with only 8k mi was coming in on trade, I waited around and got first offer at it.

Low balled them and they took it.


Been in love with that bike ever since.

Really haven't meshed too well with the S4r.

If it were a dark......hmmm........I might like it better.

haha....
i went to a dealer that had a used speed triple advertised. it was sold by the time i got here, but as luck would have it, they were a duc dealer....with a 620 dark waiting for me.

i still feel set up some days.

[duc996]

What made me adore a Monster? It's that nakedness of the whole thing,the unbelievable sound it makes when turned on,and lastly the looks i get riding that monster.Oh i forgot one more thing...it can boogie :-)

[corndog67]

I don't adore it.  I don't love it.  I'm not attached to it, it's just a toy, I'll ride it for a while, I'm not joining any stuck up clubs, and I'll just beat it around until I get tired of it. 


It's just another bike. 

[booger]

bulletproof reliability, inexpensive maintenance, cheap and available parts

and the sound

[ducleaner]

I'm not sure if this will go over well here, but it's the truth. *shrug* I am not a naked bike fan. I have never liked the Monster and said more than once I would never get one. I wanted a 748 when it was out. I still wanted a 748 when the 749 came out.  Then when the 848 came out it was all I could think about owning.

My background is in TT, autox, and 125cc karts. I understand that smoothness is speed (and safety) but I had zero motorcycle experience. I took the MSF class and could tell that while my right foot is like a surgeon's hand, my right wrist is like a block of wood. I've got no skills.  So rather than murder myself on an 848, I decided to start somewhere else. I went in to test ride a T100. The salesman had to convince me to even ride the Monster b/c I was pretty convinced it wasn't for me. Then I rode it. It was awesome. It was sporty enough to be fun but not so sporty to be intimidating to a new rider with block-of-wood right hand. I got off the bike and looked at it and realized it had changed a lot over the years. It still wasn't going to be confused with an 848, but IMO it was the sportiest Monster ever. The subtlety grew on me. I went home to think about it and before the end of the day, I had gone from thinking I'd never be a Monster guy to having to have that Monster. They were closed the next 2 infuriating days but the morning of the day after that, I called and purchased a brand new 696 with the Termi kit.

I don't mean any offense by this but I honestly bought it as a starter-bike. But after 2 or 3 weeks of ownership, I'm convinced that I won't sell it when I get my next one. It won me over and has a permanent place in my garage.

To the guy that said "I don't love it... It's just a bike" etc, yeah whatever. It's true but lighten up. You can go through life spending your money on things that bring you a LOT of joy or things that are just "things." In the end, it's probably semantics but I'm not afraid to say my bike is special to me. If it wasn't, I'd sorta feel sad that I spent money on it.

[He Man]

Never said I was scared of the S4r, got a quote where I said that?

I just prefer the powerband of the 2V motor compared to the 4v.

I'd have to strip the bike down to the frame to make it a dark, as the frame is blue.

Way beyond my mechanical ability.

can we get a graphical repreentation of how the strip down looks like?

and +1 on the powerband of the 2v. its got a lot more fun factor in it. 4v is too smooth. the 749 doesnt have the wild bucking horse factor the s2r1000 has. very very smooth though. too smooth. kick ass top end power band its like WARP 9.975

[vampire]

the trellis frame,, when i 1st saw it in 1996, it became my dream bike

[nikkimonster]

looks and sound!

[jwoconnor]

I bought a Hawk GT in '91 because it had a look I liked. The Monster came out and I liked it but thought it should have a SS arm like the Hawk. Fast forward through a dozen bikes and more than a dozen years until last month I decided it was time I found a "keeper". I wanted a bike that in twenty years I would want to restore not give to the guy that paints my garage as part of his payment. Something timeless. Maybe an old air-head beemer, or a T-3 Guzzi for a cafe project. Maybe a '90s 900SS, I always liked those.
 I found an '06 S2R1000 on CraigsList. Yes it was 500 miles away, but it was cool, and had the swing-arm I always thought the Monster should have. It was everything the old Hawk GT wished it could be. Ack, she wanted $6,900.00, too  much for me at that distance. I let it go...
 Checking ebay week before last and guess what? There is that same S2R, buy it now is $6100.00. Eh? That gets my attention. No bidders. I throw down 4 bills just to mark it. OK, I'm the high bidder but reserve isn't met, wonder how much she needs out of it?
 A couple days later and it's ready to go off. Still no other bids. Hmm, I bid 5 large. Reserve still not met. I figure what the hell and increase my bid to $5,500.00 thinking that would be a pretty good deal. It's got a Speedy-Moto slave and a DP mid-pipe. A carbon hugger and new Pilot powers. I email her and she (yes she) tells me the 6000 miles service was done 300 miles ago.
 I see "reserve met" and get a huge rush. Two hours left and I have to tell my wife I may have to take a day off and drive 1000 miles to pick up another motorcycle! We went out to eat and when we returned it was mine.
 It was a long trip but well worth my time. It has a few blemishes. It's also the coolest damn bike I've ever had. I just sit and stare at it. I wipe the dust off the frame, the swingarm, the wheels. I admire the curve of the tank, and the fins on the heads.
I realize it's the bike I've always wanted and now I have it.