695 or 796??

[Ken Masters]

Hi All,

New member here!

I'm looking to sell my MV Agusta f4 750 and get a monster for everyday riding.
I'm looking at the 695 and the 796!
I really like the look of the 695 and I'm told that it is not too difficult to work on.
The 796 meanwhile is the newer bike and seems like it has a better riding position, suspension and steering (or so I'm told) and it isn't bad to look at either  Smiley

My question: if you were me and you wanted a bike that was good looking, fun to ride, usable for commuting and fun to work on - would you go for the 695 or the 796??

Thanks

[stopintime]

Don't sell the MV  (that's the most important thing here)

The two Monsters are so close to each other, power/brakes/suspension, that it ends up being a "want" decision. I've never heard or seen, online or elsewhere, a potential buyer choose a bike from great or greater brakes if his heart talks to him clearly about "want".

You'll have fun with any 

[Blackout]

You might wanna consider one of these.
https://www.cycleworld.com/2018-ktm-790-duke-is-finally-here-to-destroy-any-and-all-pavement-in-your-path

[koko64]

Have you taken a test ride on each model? Probably worth doing.

[Ken Masters]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I must say the 790 duke looks nice but at 8.5k it is a little out of my price range!!

The thing with the MV is - it is so beautiful but I couldn't use it as a commute, it isn't the most comfortable and I wouldn't want it to see rain. It rains a lot here!
I've test driven a 797 which was nice, very smooth, there is only one 695 I've found for sale:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ducati-M695-MONSTER-2008-Finance-this-bike-starting-from-78-pcm/253416732597?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
She is a beauty although I'm not a fan of the exhausts and am struggling to find aftermarket slip ons here in the UK which won't involve playing with the ECU..

[ducpainter]

You probably won't have to worry about slip-ons only and ecu issues. That comes in to play with slipons in conjunction with intake mods.

[Ken Masters]

Thanks Ducpainter, good to know 
I'll have a look at some of the site sponsors/affiliates on here. I'm after some nice looking slip ons that will insert under the seat which won't involve modification or a lot of work if possible.

[Pazzo]

I have owned both the M695 & M696 which is very comparable to the 796.  I found two things:

#1- If you are taller or have a long inseam get the 796 hands down.  The bike sits higher and feels more comfortable than the smaller M695 and I almost bought a 796 for that very reason prior to buying my current M821.

#2- Way, way, way more parts, support, and spares for the 696/796 models.  The Monster 695 was only built for 2 or 3 years and spares are harder to come by.  It does have a lot of crossover from the Monster 600-900 lines, but even those parts are starting to get 10-15 years old.

I rode my M696 in the rain a lot (Portland, OR) and it did great.  Much better than my M695 which didn't like getting wet.  Both bikes are great, but I would go with the 796 in a heartbeat... I mean SINGLE SIDED SWINGARM!!! Choice is made for you.

The high mount cans are an option on the M695, but look for takeoffs from older M900's because many of them ran high mount ones that can be used on the M695 platform.

[ducpainter]

Thanks Ducpainter, good to know 
I'll have a look at some of the site sponsors/affiliates on here. I'm after some nice looking slip ons that will insert under the seat which won't involve modification or a lot of work if possible.

Underseat cans will likely be custom, and definitely won't conform to any Euro regs.

[Ken Masters]

Thanks Pazzo and Ducpainter - that's really helpful! 

I need to be able to ride the bike in the rain - I simply cannot do this with the MV!
Parts and spares is a cracking point - I've struggled with this on the MV and would prefer to be able to source easily rather than having to buy from Italy!
I also like to work on the bike myself time permitting.

Ok so 796 - I like the black tank and red frame combination, very beautiful.
Off to look for a buyers guide!

Thanks again guys.

[Speeddog]

~~~SNIP~~~

695 and the 796
a bike that was good looking, fun to ride, usable for commuting and fun to work on

~~~SNIP~~~

695 all day long

M800 or S2R800 will have the same character but with more grunt from the bigger motor.

[ducpainter]

695 all day long

M800 or S2R800 will have the same character but with more grunt from the bigger motor.

Have to agree with Speeddog...plus the 695 looks better.

[Ken Masters]

I agree guys the 695 is a lot better looking and a future classic I hope - but it is very difficult to find a 695 here in the UK let alone the parts for it.
The rain factor killed it for me..

[stopintime]

Rain factor? My S2R800, with the same harness as the 695, has done 154,000 km ~without rain issues. Rain, even a little snow hasn't bothered it. One negative and one positive comment shouldn't be enough to push you in any direction.

They're all great bikes  Since the 695 is a 2007 year only, it isn't listed (never was) on that many aftermarket parts shops, but most aftermarket parts are available if you know which model has a cross fit (Hint: forums). Ducati parts are delivered world wide within 24/48 hours.

The one you buy can break down after a week and cost too much to repair OR it can last 'forever'. If/when you need to spend money on repairs - it's less painful if you love the bike.

[Ken Masters]

Thanks stopintime fair points you make and nice to hear rain didn't affect your bike!
As I said, I can only find one 695 right now for sale in the UK whereas there are quite a few 796s available.
I like the 695's looks best hands down - but I like the 796's looks too.
If I could, I would go have a gander at both and see which one grabbed me but I don't know if I will have the option to do so..