Thread: Ducati Monster 795 as first bike?

Get a monster 696 damnit!! Thats what I was thinking of getting for my first bike because they start in the low 5k usually. maybe even cheaper with lots of miles but still, its a ducati no matter what. brembos and that exhaust note STOCK!

I realize this is sort of reviving a slightly old thread... but definitely agreed with the others on a slower bike. It really depends though. The 696 is a pretty well leveled bike, so is the 620. As others have mentioned, you are definitely more likely to drop your first bike. So if you go buy a shiny new ducati and drop it, you're going to hate yourself when you have to fix it.

I have friends who have learned on 250 ninjas and I have friends who have learned on litre bikes. I myself started on a 250 ninja and moved up to a Ducati 900SS.

I think largely one of the largest factors to consider is COMFORT. Not the kind of comfort where you sit on the seat and go, "I love how squishy this is." but the kind of comfort where you feel CONFIDENT with the bike. If you're getting on a bike and the power scares the holy hell out of you, you are going to be petrified to learn on it. For some people, that could even be an old Rebel 250. For others, it's a GSXR1000.

I like the comment in regards to taking the MSF class. Before considering buying a bike, do an MSF class since they usually have some old crappy bikes for the class. If you ride on those and feel really comfortable and feel like you'd enjoy more power, go for it. If you feel like you have a lot of learning to do, find a used bike that holds it's value that you feel COMFORTABLE with and start with that.

My 900SS I feel I'd have got myself killed when I started riding. That is largely because I started riding when I was 18, I'm 27 now. I was a total hothead and rode like an ass when I started riding on the street, because of course I felt like I was valentino rossi. After several close calls and a few wake up calls, I realized I had a lot to learn and toned it down.

I kept my Ninja 250 till 2012 believe it or not. Sold it mid summer and only have my 900SS. I had rode friends bikes before I bought my 250, and had a little dual sport I putted around, so I would ride my dual sport around on backroads, but it only went maybe 45-50 if I was lucky.

I have to say that even the power of the 250 is boring in comparison to my 900SS, it has it's place. It's light, flickable and I could take it on a mountain pass with tight corners and if I got myself in the zone, now and then I'd catch myself scraping a peg and having a little too much fun and I'd have to tell myself to slow down. They are a blast in the twisties. I ride slower now though since as I've got older, self preservation seems to go up. But when you're younger... eh..

Some lessons for your first season or two, since they are the steepest learning curves:

- You are not valentino rossi.
- Chickenstrip is not a measurement of your testicle size or riding ability. Take an MSF course, read Twist of the Wrist and understand that using your body is just as important as learning to ride.
- Dragging a knee on the street doesn't make you a pro, but it will leave you little to no room for correction if something unexpected finds it's way in your lane, leave room for adjustment and correction. Leave riding your limits for the track unless you're willing to allow for extra risk.
- Learn to pre-ride check your bike and do it OFTEN. You have small margin of error on a bike. I've caught oil leak, brake fluid burst and random failures before they happened a few times just because I bothered to check my bike BEFORE riding. Things fail, things get old, parts wear. Keep up on your maintenance, check your bike often so you can live to keep riding another day. This doesn't mean you have to be good guy bob with a multimeter, electronic pressure checker and feeler gauges before every ride. But learn to glance over the basics - brakes, tires, suspension - before you ride.

On top of that I'd make sure to be willing to sport the $$$$ for maintenance. The monster is actually a better choice for Ducati maintenance since it's a desmodue. They are probably the easiest to do valve adjustments on, and you need to do them every 6k (although that may be different on the new bikes). The desmoquattro bikes are a pain in the ass to do the valves on. You also need to do your belts every 2 years, keep on top of gaskets, use good oil and what not.

With tires, valve ajdustments and belts, depending on how many miles a year you log you could keep your maintenance on a desmodue around $500 to $2000 a year. I have friends who put 200 miles a season, others who put around 10k on their bikes. You'll go through a rear usually for every front. So if you're using something like a pilot power and you're hard on the throttle, you might see a rear every 3k-5k. Last I checked they were close to $200 a pop. So if you log 10k a year, you could expect nearly 2 valve adjustments, belts and 2 tires, gaskets, 2 oil changes... etc etc.

Japanese bikes are usually a LOT less maintenance. But hell man... that sound... NOM NOM NOM.

Anyway.... I've typed enough now.

Well I started on an R6 as my first bike, i'm still alive and doing well. Just take it easy with the throttle.

A friend of mine just bought a BMW 1000RR as his first bike. He's still alive but I'm counting the days.

Originally Posted by [Petrolsexual]

A friend of mine just bought a BMW 1000RR as his first bike. He's still alive but I'm counting the days.

Really??

Wow... that is just stupid.

I don't have any riding experience but I've been looking to get the ninja 300 for my first bike or maybe even a cbr250r just because its so cheap and the money can be better spent on quality protective gear.

I've been riding since I was a kid, I finally bought my first street bike when I was 21 its a 98' Monster 900 still have it & bought a 2001 SV650s as a street/track bike (this one is going to be sold soon, hopefully)

31 now & thinking about getting into older vintage bikes or buying a modern harley that will allow me to throw the wife on the back much easier, she hates that I ride & has never been on the back of a motorcycle with me any time we are going somewhere she just meets me at the location or I ride home then jump in car with her

with all that said, depending on your previous experience but slower the better...dirt bikes with some road tires are a ton of fun and can take a beating when dropped

I started out on a 2012 M796, couldn't have picked a better first bike.