Soon I'll be moving on from my beloved GS500E. It has been a little over a year and it was a great bike to learn on. Once I work out the insurance for it, however, I'll be getting an '08 Ducati Monster 695. Going through USAA I got a 8.99% rate for 48 months for $10,000 (the bike is only $7,795). The dealer is only willing to give me $438 for my trade in with the GS, which sucks. :2guns: All in all I'm just hoping the Monster is as bullet proof as the GS was. :thumb: No matter what the GS never broke down and sure there was problems but they were easily fixed like a new clutch or gas line. The GS even rode fine in 27F weather. Good times.
(http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5143/m695dynamicwk9.jpg)
dealer will always rip you off on trade-ins, sell it privately
nice choice.
I'll give you $439 for it. Then bash the dealer in because now you dont have a trade. They sell at retail and take in at wholesale if you have a trade in. If no trade, you shoot for wholesale on the bike you're buying. Leave the trade out of it and you'd get a bogger discount than what they pay you for the trade.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: seshadri_srinath on November 16, 2007, 05:32:15 PM
I'll give you $439 for it. Then bash the dealer in because now you dont have a trade. They sell at retail and take in at wholesale if you have a trade in. If no trade, you shoot for wholesale on the bike you're buying. Leave the trade out of it and you'd get a bogger discount than what they pay you for the trade.
Cool.
Srinath.
+1
Exactly :thumb:
seriously, throw it up on craigslist and sell it. Don't trade a bike in.
Quote from: seshadri_srinath on November 16, 2007, 05:32:15 PM
I'll give you $439 for it...
I offer $440. sorry srinath, you were outbid.
$441 :cheers: :flipoff:
would love to see pics of the monster when u get it! :icon_razz:
Ducati, and Bullet Proof.... do not belong in the same sentence.
Quote from: TragicImage on November 19, 2007, 01:29:20 AM
Ducati, and Bullet Proof.... do not belong in the same sentence.
+1, but that's not to say it's fragile. A Ducati is like a woman- maintenance and a fair amount of attention, and she'll be fine... but like a woman, it will most likely give you grief despite that. But it is sexy like a woman :thumb:
Quote from: CasiUSA on November 19, 2007, 02:50:37 PM
Quote from: TragicImage on November 19, 2007, 01:29:20 AM
Ducati, and Bullet Proof.... do not belong in the same sentence.
+1, but that's not to say it's fragile. A Ducati is like a woman- maintenance and a fair amount of attention, and she'll be fine... but like a woman, it will most likely give you grief despite that. But it is sexy like a woman :thumb:
+1. Riding her will cost you...
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: indeed but for the most part, would be fun Eh?
Don't do it. Upgrades/parts are expensive as hell. Service is a ripoff, and things you can do yourself on the GS (valve adjustments, for example) can only be done at the dealership, for massive amounts of money, with slow turnaround times. You're not looking at much of an upgrade with the 695, barely more power, suspension is a minor step up... you won't get a real upgrade unless you add the termi pipes/ecu, for massive amounts MORE money.
Just my $.02
+1 on what NGFL said. SV or GSXR.
Cool.
Srinath.
Yeah but it has style. I'd take one over a SV or GSXR any day.
Quote from: sanjay on November 21, 2007, 07:50:09 PM
Yeah but it has style. I'd take one over a SV or GSXR any day.
yeah, the style is undeniable, I think it's an incredibly sexy bike. However, the cost of maintenance is a killer for me... so I'll stick with the GS, until I can afford to upgrade t something like an SV... air cooled twins FTW
I've got just over a month until I get my bonus and I'm already shopping. Although I could afford a Duc, I don't think I'll be going with one. I'm leaning very heavily towards an F4i, though an rr or a 636 at the right price would sway me. :icon_rolleyes:
I have had the bike now for a month and love it. I ride it when ever I can. Almost up to 400 miles now and coming up on my 600 mile service. Overall the bike is great. The clutch isn't as smooth as my GS is but I've learned where the sweet spot is now. Other gripes would be the low clearance of the header on the bottom, no center stand, how quiet it is stock, and the battery is under the gas tank.
According to Ducati, after 2006, all of their bikes have 50% less maintenance so we'll see. Either way it was the only bike for me and reminds me of my GS a lot even down to the color scheme. I get a lot of comments, questions, and the proverbial, "You own a Ducati?"
The really hard part right now is getting it registered and tagged with my state since I am out of it.
Come spring I'll throw some more cash at it for some slip-ons and the upgraded ECU. I justify it all since it is my only transportation (besides the bus or subway of course).
Here are the numbers:
2008 Ducati M695
Here's what it cost to drive it away.
$9,168.60 to the dealer.
$1,434 to Geico for full coverage.
Got a pretty good loan through USAA at 8.99% for 48 months versus the 21% for 60 months that the dealer pitched.
Taken from Motorcycle.com (http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/ducati/2007-ducati-monster-695-62932.html):
QuoteBut all is not perfect with this clutch player. Although lever pull is quite light and the dog-legged lever makes an easier reach, the clutch has narrow engagement point at the end of its travel and comes in rather abruptly. It wouldn't dissuade us from buying the 695, but it will make for jerky getaways among some entry-level riders. The other beef about the clutch is that it's attached to this transmission, the least-polished aspect of the 695. Shift action is relatively heavy, and it wasn't uncommon to find a false neutral between the taller gears.
QuoteI'm lucky enough to have access to nearly every motorcycle built these days, and I've ridden most everything available in the past 10 years during my motojournalism career. Through it all, the humble Suzuki SV650 remains one of most smile-inducing motorbikes I've ridden, despite its unassuming dyno chart that is dwarfed by larger, more expensive machines.
And here is Ducati's retort to the venerable SV. The Monster 695's air-cooled, two-valve V-Twin doesn't breathe as easy as the Suzuki's liquid-cooled, four-valve V-Twin, but its extra 50cc helps it come close in overall power. The Duc has a slight edge in handling prowess, and its lower seat height will be seen as a real benefit by some. The Suzook's bargain $5999 price tag is a huge advantage, but the Asian bike can't come close to matching the cool factor of the bike from Bologna.
QuoteHighs:
- Italian sportbike fun at a blue-collar price
- Historic racing pedigree
- People think you have more money than you actually do
QuoteSighs:
- Fuel mapping needs a compass
- Basketball players need not apply
- Have to clutch it to wheelie (it's quite possible this means nothing to you)
(http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/5043/tn2007monster695ap46qy8.th.jpg) (http://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tn2007monster695ap46qy8.jpg)
Thanks. :)
I agree w/ NGFL
While Ducs look pretty, they are CRAP when it comes time to buy a part. .Here at work we are not a Duc dealer, but we are Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM, Kawasaki and Honda...
We have a Duc here that has been here about 8 Months waiting for new fairings from Duc...and... They are still not here :thumb:
Also they sound like pure crap when running :thumb:
Myself, I wouldnt take one if you gave it to me... Well... I would, but only to sell it :icon_mrgreen:
Are you retarded?? Pure crap?? The sound of a Duc running is like pure nirvana.
What Scott may mean is, Duc's make a ton of noise, some of us hard core Jap riders associate that a bit negatively with parts dropping off the bike and dragging behind you.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: spcterry on January 02, 2008, 03:34:43 PM
Are you retarded?? Pure crap?? The sound of a Duc running is like pure nirvana.
+1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND_MAZFAUDw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M58EPMPLJ4
426 hemi's make a ton of noise too, doesn't mean there's something wrong with em. Come to think of it, the F430 I was next to at a light the other day pretty much sounded like a massive Duc.
Hell, ever heard an RVT with an Akro exhaust?? That's one noisy jap bike.
Congrats on the ride.
The RVT aka RC51 has a wet plate clutch thus does not make the rattle clank sounds of a duc.
Oh yeah your getting screwed on insurance from Geico, try state farm or farmers insurance group.
Unless your under 25 and/or have a crap driving record that's a crap rate especially if you have been with them any length of time.
cute gekko's doing commercials look cool though.
No, not the same noise, but it's stupid loud and obnoxious at a point. I believe he's fairly young so that rate sounds pretty normal. I'm only running liability and after shopping around went with Foremost for 370 a year.
Also, as I recall the M695 is a wet clutch plate, too. Maybe they changed that for '08, dunno.
No worries, I definitely shopped around before hand to numerous insurance companies. Geico was the cheapest. It was quite a shock to go from 300/year for full coverage on my GS to almost 1500/year for full coverage. However, it is a brand new larger bike. The liability is cheap what makes it so expensive is the comp/col. Also, if you look around you'll notice most companies won't even insure bikes in Washington DC. Not sure exactly why, maybe it is because of the diplomatic immunity or because it is a common wealth. :dunno_white:
Yes it is a wet clutch.
QuoteThe Adler Power Torque Clutch, a Ducati exclusive, makes the 695 even friendlier, safer and more comfortable. It provides a clutch pull that is amazingly light, while also including 'slipper' clutch benefits. A 'slipper' clutch, typically found on race bikes, benefits the rider by reducing the destabilizing rear wheel 'lock-up' or 'chatter' phenomenon when downshifting aggressively.
I would have to say the clutch is my biggest gripe about the bike. It takes some getting used to as it can be abrupt and is almost full on or full off with little play in between. Lately I just wait for some gap between me and the car ahead before I rocket off. Otherwise, I have to actively concentrate on my clutch control to not stall or launch. Apparently there are some clutch slave cylinders out there that smooth out the friction zone. Also, if you're not precise with shifting you may get a false neutral which tends to be annoying.
Thanks. :)
personally i like the look of the Desmosedici RR and the 848. i've never been up close to either of them but they look good to me. :icon_mrgreen:
for the $70k+ a Desmo RR would cost, it damn well better be a nice looking bike. The 200+hp and sub 400lb weight are nice too.
70k!!!! :o it better come with lifetime maint. and blow jobs! :laugh:
i just looked at duc's website again. yup, you're right special t....72,500. :o
well, so i guess price wise the 848 would be a much better deal. why would u pay 70k for a bike? seriously?
As i recall, the 848 is not much cheaper than the 1098. With the introduction of the 1098r you might as well just go all the way.