Talk me out of it...

[Scottish]

I say go with the Paul Smart. It has real nice suspension and costs more to boot.

The PS is bomb diggity!

[Travman]

Plastic tank issues? The M1100 has tank covers, I wonder if the covers would hide any problems they would have.

The Sport Classic plastic tank issues are more common than the Monster plastic tank issues.  So this could be a negative for the SC's.  I haven't heard but perhaps the latest Monsters have  this worked out with a better plastic polymer or perhaps they will start warping when enough time passes.   

[krista]

The tanks Acerbis makes for Ducatis that are under covers are cross linked polyethylene. PEX is the usual abbreviation. PEX does swell, but it is minimal and more uniform than what I've seen on the Nylon tanks. The new Monsters (696 & 1100) should do well with their tank covers. The Hypermotard and MH900e are two other Ducatis using PEX tanks under dedicated bodywork.

[Travman]

The tanks Acerbis makes for Ducatis that are under covers are cross linked polyethylene. PEX is the usual abbreviation. PEX does swell, but it is minimal and more uniform than what I've seen on the Nylon tanks. The new Monsters (696 & 1100) should do well with their tank covers. The Hypermotard and MH900e are two other Ducatis using PEX tanks under dedicated bodywork.

Well that sounds like good news and a positive for the M1100 and another reason not to get the Sport Classic. 

[DRKWNG]

I have had to replace the tank on my SC once, but it was a warranty claim so no cost to me.  I'm sure it can be a pain in the ass, but mine conveniently came in  while I was in Afghanistan, so the swap occurred while I was gone.

Now as far as the idea of getting one of these bikes goes, I can only say DO IT!!  They are fabulous machines, but like anything else they do have their limitations.  The stock suspension is not that great on the front end, unless you get a PS, and the stock wheels are seriously heavy, which will slow down the handling in a very noticeable way.  But I will say that this bike had more character than any other bike I had ever ridden even before I threw all the mod money at it, and to ride it now?  Well, let's just say that you had better hold on tight.