Thinking of buying this:

[speeder]

Not sure if this image will work, so here are a couple links:

http://www.ducatimonster.org/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=6450&fullsize=1
http://www.ducatimonster.org/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=6449&fullsize=1

What do you think?

[motion]

Hell yeah!

[speeder]

I knew I could count on your support, Richard. You and Mike M. for sure.

[M.D. Holloway]

nice ride! Yup, only takes money and the ballz to spend it - looks like you have both. Good luck and Godspeeder!

[JavaBrewer]

Throw on some CRG bar ends. What cc is that Monster?

[VincentVega]

Nice pipes

[speeder]

David, it's an '04 S4R which was the top Monster at the time with the liquid-cooled 916 superbike motor. This one has exhaust and chip so it's dyno'ed @ 110hp at the wheel. Roll-on wheelies all day long.

The current ('08) top-dog is the S4RS which has the 996 motor and full Ohlins suspension. 130hp stock and the best naked superbike they've ever made. Those are tempting to buy used, hell, all of them are right now. It's a major buyer's market for toys at the moment.

This is the other one I'm looking at, it's a 2000 900ie for a lot less $$. Not the beast that the S4R is, but cheaper all-around, (purchase/maintenance/insurance). Both bikes are practically cleaner than new, owned by fanatics who were generous with the credit card for upgrades:

[Evans, Marv]

Those are beautiful bikes. I wouldn't mind one except for what I've heard about mechanical irritations. Having said that, a friend of mine has one & absolutely loves it & races it. My FZ1 will have to do it for me for now & a long time to come. It saves me some $ over driving my truck all the time and supplies some fun factor.

[stomachmonkey]

Nice.

Good choice either way.

Wish I still had the stones to ride.

One too many close ones for me.

Feeling mortal these days.

When the adrenalin changed from a rush to an "oh **** this is gonna hurt" figured it was time.

[Porsche virgin]

Nice bike.

If I were ever to get back into riding again, a Ducati Monster Dark would be my choice.

[5axis]

Verrrry fun bike. The only downside is that it is a Ducati. Ducacti have become the sportbike equivilant of HD. Marketing every scrap of gear and such for the owners to pose at the local starbucks.

If you want a reliable, nekid Italian toy check out a Aprilia Tuono all the fun, without the toolbag owners attitude. (I know several duc owners and they play up this stereotype for fun, but the duc forums affirms it exisits)

A nice tuono for ya
http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141026

or something in red

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127371

[Overpaid Slacker]

Denis-

You need that bike.

JP

[HardDrive]

Visions of nostatics knee....*shudder*.....

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Awesome ride. Ducatis are frightfully expensive bikes, but I don't know ANYONE who's "taken the plunge" who regretted it.

[speeder]

HD, i've seen a lot worse than Todd's knee. One of my childhood friends lost a leg last summer in a street accident, (his fault), he was back on a bike 2 months later, but only at the track. 160mph w/ a prosthetic leg + wheelies on the dirtbikes with his sons. Not everyone has the same reaction to a crash, or attitude about risk. (Nor should they). And definitely not everyone belongs on a bike.

Out of curiousity, do gory Porsche crash pictures like the little girl and the toll booth make you hesitant to drive your 911? Not being a smart-ass, they make me pause. Plane crash photos freak me out, but I still love to fly.

[Carrman]

Real fun bikes, here's my old one. It was a 2000 (or '01?) 900i.e. like the one you are considering.



They definitely have a unique feel, the roar of the big V twin through carbon pipes, the sound of the dry clutch, etc. The best part of the Monster, though, is the TORQUE. It's the motorcycle equivalent of having a small block Chevy V8. Instant torque at all RPMs. Fun!

They are expensive to buy new, but inexpensive to buy used. It's actually a pretty simple bike that is easy to work on, just buy the manuals and follow along, plus there are a lot of good tech enthusiasts websites with really knowledgable people (kinda like gearhead Porsche owners).

I liked the bike, but sold it because I just found myself not using it much. And the danger of So. Cal. streets, even to an experienced rider (I've been riding for 25 years). My tolerance for death went down quite a bit after my son was born.

Buy it right, ride it for a year, and sell it for what you bought it for (or $500 or so less)!

[Carrman]

BTW, I think we can look at Porsche crashes, and still drive them, because you need a car to get around, and a 911 is still a relatively safe car. A motorcycle isn't necessary, and the level of danger is many levels of magnitude higher than any car. At least IMO.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by Carrman

Buy it right, ride it for a year, and sell it for what you bought it for (or $500 or so less)!

+1

I had a Mille-R for a while but to be honest never really got a handle on riding it well through the turns. I'd see something unexpected in mid-turn and even tiny changes in throttle would result in unwanted weight transition and thus lack of stability and wrong line. A twin is not an easy bike to ride well. I think the best compromise is a triple. Ride a used Triumph Speed Triple before you pull the trigger on the Duc. Admittedly a S3 is not as glam as the Duc but you may fall in love with the motor.

[911Rob]

ohh la la

I don't trust myself on a bike anymore either. Everything I drive ends up having two speeds; wide open and stopped. My bad.

Have fun speeder!

[nostatic]

S4RS is sweet but will be a lot more to keep running. I'd like to find a clean SR800.