Pics and 1st week opinion of 796

[Coffeebaron]

Well finally! We've had a week of extreme (for UK) cold and glorious sunshine here, and I've taken some pics of my 2011 Monster 796







I know these aren't the greatest or most exciting pics, but for an older Nokia phone cam I thought they looked OK Planning on taking some nicer ones soon out in the wilds of Lancashire

Well I've had the bike for a week now, in some pretty naff weather, it's been regularly - degree's and the roads are so full of salt it's making me cringe each and every day- but my Porco Rosso ain't no garage ornament, it's my daily ride. A small heads up for those who may consider riding the newer monsters in salty conditions-the radial brakes seize up fast in cold and cruddy conditions! I've had to defrost them with hot water and also rely on steady and continued braking in order to free them up- it's made setting off a challenge.

If anyone has any tips on applications available to maybe try on them to keep the salt/ice at bay I'm all ears

Other than that and a sticking flapper valve (easily remedied with some WD40/Silicone spray) the lil monster has been faultless. The standard Rosso 2 tyres are fantastic in icy temps, they offer great feedback and good confidence mid-lean. Brakes when not binding have been dependable and solid stoppers. The engine is the real star for me, a true thing of beauty

I've become intoxicated by the wonderful if fairly narrow power band between 4-6k rpm, where the bike just seems to glide along with little effort, and a blip of the throttle nearer to 8k produces a fast surge of power and a great growl from the exhaust, which for a standard and heavily restricted pair is surprising.

I'll end this for now with a final opinion for those considering 2-up on a new monster- it is a touch overgeared for two up riding to be frank, you use the clutch a lot in order to get underway, so I'd say the 14t mod is a must, but comfort and stability are great on the 796, my missus who rides every day on the bike with me finds it comfortable and safe, and the v-twin power delivery helps give a characterful and enjoyable ride. She likes the slight lean forward the seat places you in and the low height makes for easy mounts and dismounts.

For those that read this far, thanks I hope I can contribute more to this forum as time goes on.

[Curmudgeon]

Thanks! Nice to hear that you are enjoying it!

Do that 14T NOW yourself if you haven't already. The bike is overgeared for the EC drive-by noise tests. With a 14T you'll have a useable 6th gear and running-in will be easier too. Thank me later. 

I've driven enough in the U.K. to know you won't be doing 120 MPH a lot. With a 14T you'll actually be able to get into 6th on the motorway slightly below the limit without lugging.

[Coffeebaron]

I'll be looking to do that mod at the first replacement of the chain and sprockets, sadly my disposable income is spoken for whilst I get my VFR and DR350 fixed in order to save the Duc the bad weather

Yeah in the UK, especially round the north west a bike that can corner and make 80-90 is plenty of fun, the M-Ways are awful, especially this time of year, seems to make the cagers go even more batsh"$ than usual. Curmudgeon do you have any pics of your 796 on the site? I'd love to check one out in the Pantah colours, they're my favourite of the logomania!

[red baron]

Congrats. 

I'd have the brakes looked at, they should not need to be thawed out, I've never heard of that. Do you store it outdoors?

[Curmudgeon]

Do the 14T at the 1st service then. The dealer ought to do it gratis since the chain may need a minor adjustment anyway. My dealer used a "Driven Racing" steel 14T rather than the DP item. Total cost = $38. So maybe 25 - 30 BHP since you pay more for everything over there..., except bread, milk and pints!  Don't wait for 15,000 miles. Hideous thought! The more nice B-road you do, the more fun with the 14T.

The Pantah kit is a bear to catch with a digicam and I haven't bothered with the film camera so far. Somewhere there is a bad snap. The problem seems to be white balance and the highly reflective silver blue Pantah 500 colors. The studio shot on the website isn't bad. They have a white balance issue too as the red on the frame is off.

Here's another for you, but it's really a lot nicer in the flesh. My bike sat on the large Ducati dealer's floor where I purchased it for ten days after he put it together and he told me the bike upstaged everything else on the floor and that customers made a bee-line for it as soon as they came in the door. Good taste I guess?  Only all red Ducati I ever owned was my 851 Superbike. On that, all red seemed appropriate. Your kit looks pretty nice to me too and I was also considering the IOM 78 kit but my 33-year-old son talked me into the Pantah as he'd enjoyed riding on the back of my 600 SL when he was a little kid. He didn't have to twist my arm too hard as I bought the 796 as a modern update on that super nimble bike but with a riding position better suited to an old fart.  You can see it in my intro thread. The 796 has a bit more power but isn't as light or smooth. No complaints though! http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=50673.msg929505#msg929505

[Coffeebaron]

Thanks for posting the pics Curmudgeon Very nice and I actually prefer the pic of yours to the studio as it's not been tweeked to the n'th degree.

@ Red baron, yes I store it outdoors, sadly I don't have the luxury of a garage where I live, so it lives under a cover. Curious would you expect it's just the salt/grit causing them to sieze a little? I've been washing it down every night at the moment and treating the engine etc to ACF50 treatment to keep the corrosion at bay. I wondered if some of the left over water from washing had frozen on the calipers?