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.  All in all I'm just hoping the Monster is as bullet proof as the GS was.  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.

 

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 

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 

would love to see pics of the monster when u get it! 

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

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

+1. Riding her will cost you...

  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.

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:

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)

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 

Also they sound like pure crap when running 

Myself, I wouldnt take one if you gave it to me... Well... I would, but only to sell it