[JVH]

Bloody Italians I muttered in Dec 2006 when I lost about 800 Euros and a digital camera in Rome to the thugs. But that brief trip during Christmas taught me enough of their style and culture and how exotic curves are part of every element they design LoL! I became a sucker of anything Italian from then on.

Bloody Italians I muttered when I first drove the FIAT Palio 1.6 GTX in Aug 2008 experiencing the brute power in the stylishly made hatch (way before Punto ;-) I know Punto wins hands down in looks)

Bloody Italians I muttered when I first saw the Ducati Monster 796 in flesh in Mumbai Dec 2010. To say it was love at first sight would be an understatement because when I saw it again in the not yet launched showroom on Lavelle road Bangalore, the love for the beast was rekindled and made me wonder what it was the first time then. The manager was good enough to allow me to test the riding ergonomics and feel the bike for a good half an hour without flinching. A quick word with wifey later during the day was all it took to confirm the booking the very next day.

Yeah, this is what those Italians do to you. Strike the chord somewhere in the heart and during the process allows your head to go kaput.

I don’t know if I’m qualified enough with the bike to pen down riding experiences for I would like to wait for some time maybe a couple of months and write the experiences. But what I will do is just brief you on what it is to ride this bike so far (a few days). It’s surreal, out of the world experience. This is my 1st V-Twin experience and was pretty much at ease and was not sure what all that fuss was about the vibes. There are definitely vibes compared to your I3 and I4 inline. My only other riding experience on >350 cc bike was with Honda CB 600F for short durations of 2 weeks (rented) whenever I happened to visit abroad and Triumph Speed Triple which I rode for just a few kms. The riding has been very minimal and will hope to add my experiences as and when I clock the miles

Handling – Its amazingly easy to ride in the twisties and swerve around at will in the chaotic Bangalore traffic. On the day of the delivery, it had rained in Bangalore and I was apprehensive of riding on the slippery and mud-patched roads but once I hopped on the bike and slotted the gear, all fears vanished and it was just too comfortable all the way.
Power Delivery, Performance – Pretty linear delivery, tall gears and very much usable power band for street riding. On highways, it’s no sloucher but I would have preferred a bigger windshield for the wind blast is quite powerful at speeds above 110~120 kmph. I was warned by the dealer about the bike being having the tendency to wheel-spin but did not encounter it myself so far. Amazingly, every monster owner had a story to tell to the dealer on the spin. May be other owners in the forum can pitch in?

Riding ergonomics – Perfect for a medium height person. It has a slightly forward stance, foot pegs arched slightly backwards, wide handle bars and a big tank to support bellies. I guess 6 footers and above will find it slightly cramped. The seat height is spot on for my medium height and the bike is a marvel to control. This was my only hesitation before plunging big bucks on this. Will I be able to control the monster? Rest assured brush off all those fears.

Looks – Well, it’s really a monster and a very good looking one ;-)

The bike is a great compact package and sometimes you wonder whether it’s really 800cc unleashing almost 90BHP. The bike does have presence, and what a presence it has. After PDI, I did some running around UB City and Lavelle road and boy what a reception it gets.

I haven’t checked mileage yet and will update you once I get some consistent figures. Hope you enjoyed reading my brief review. I will update frequently as I clock the miles.

I never hop on the bike without the full gear which consists of

Jackets – Dainese racing leather jacket, Alpinestar hallow leather jacket, Joe Rocket Atomic 4 textile jacket. Wife wears an FLM mesh jacket.

Pants – Dainese leather pants

Helmets – Shark RSR2, Scorpion EXO 750, HJC IS-16 Scratch. Best part is both mine and wife’s head sizes are same. Most of the time am on Shark but am really really impressed with Scorpion as well. Very under-rated but effective helmet. Best bang for the buck

Gloves – Ducati Corse leather gloves, Alpinestar SMX-2. Wife also wears Alpinestar SMX-2

Boots – Thor 50/50. Wife wears Icon tarmac. Am looking for full length proper riding shoes. Should be able to pick one in the next few months

Knee/Shin guards – Alpinestar Bionic knee guards (if I ride without leather pants) but have to say am not really comfortable with the knee guards.

The reason I have written about the gear elaborately is to stress on its importance. Don’t go in for something which does just about does the job. Invest in the best. And you all know about ALLGAT and the better to sweat than bleed stuff.

Sorry about the poor pics! The bike deserves better and will be adding up more very soon. Bloody Italians, don’t you think?

[abhinav.s]

Let me be the first to congratulate you on the Italian beauty. Nice crisp review.

The bike really deserves better snaps. So please take her to a nice location, click lots of pics and post them for us to drool!!

[octane1002]

@JVH:Congrats on the A.W.E.S.O.M.E ride.

Ducati in red is the stuff of dreams.How much does it retail OTR?

Great riding gear too.Im sure the stuff must have cost a fair bit but a great investment nevertheless.Congos once again.Cheers

[download2live]

Very nice looking bike. I specially like that rear wheel having the chains and all other stuff on one side. And the other side neat.

I am so so jealous.

And I see the foot rest for pillon rider but fail to see the seat.
If two people will have to manage on that seat then sure good for guys. Girlfriend(s) will have no other option than to pillion ride in sticky mode.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by download2live

And I see the foot rest for pillon rider but fail to see the seat.

That is coz there is a seat cowl covering the seat. Look closely in the 2nd pic, you can make out the seat covered by the cowl. Remove the cowl and you have the pillion seat!!

Originally Posted by download2live

If two people will have to manage on that seat then sure good for guys. Girlfriend(s) will have no other option than to pillion ride in sticky mode.

[Sn1p3r]

Congratulations!
It seems you are really having fun. I envy my Bangalorean comrades they have just the perfect weather to ride all year round. It is pleasant to see your wife enjoying the ride along with you.

Monster is churning the right numbers for it proves it's credentials time and again. Enjoy the beast.

[ku69rd]

JVH,
Lemme be among the first ones to congratulate you for the Italian Beauty. Congrats and yes do ride safe, do keep us occupied with your reviews/travelogues.

PS: No wonder you updated the other day that Ducati Showroom also sells Hyosung motors


And also could you update around the lead time/any trauma suffered/broken promises

[planet_rocker]

Congrats Jayant "Bloody Italians" - suits your beauties to the max. ride safe.

Red Palio 1.6 GTX and a Red Ducati 796 - you are in love with the colour or what? Keep in touch and Take care.

[sanjaymugur]

congrats Jayant, that's an awesome machine, your garage could not get better with italian machines. ride safe & enjoy.

[JVH]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Let me be the first to congratulate you on the Italian beauty. Nice crisp review.

The bike really deserves better snaps. So please take her to a nice location, click lots of pics and post them for us to drool!!

Thanks Abhinav! Yes totally agree. This thread will have new pics very soon.

Originally Posted by octane1002

@JVH:Congrats on the A.W.E.S.O.M.E ride.

Ducati in red is the stuff of dreams.How much does it retail OTR?

Great riding gear too.Im sure the stuff must have cost a fair bit but a great investment nevertheless.Congos once again.Cheers

Thanks! Will send you PM on the price.

Originally Posted by download2live

And I see the foot rest for pillon rider but fail to see the seat.
If two people will have to manage on that seat then sure good for guys. Girlfriend(s) will have no other option than to pillion ride in sticky mode.

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

That is coz there is a seat cowl covering the seat. Look closely in the 2nd pic, you can make out the seat covered by the cowl. Remove the cowl and you have the pillion seat!!

Like Abhinav said, its a seat cowl. Its installation and un-installation is a 1 minute job. Well, even without the cowl, the sticky mode comment applies because the rear seat is not the most comfortable

Originally Posted by Sn1p3r

Congratulations!
It seems you are really having fun. I envy my Bangalorean comrades they have just the perfect weather to ride all year round. It is pleasant to see your wife enjoying the ride along with you.

Monster is churning the right numbers for it proves it's credentials time and again. Enjoy the beast.

Its a great practical bike for city riding and occasional highway bursts which is precisely my type of riding. Its raining in Bangalore though :-(

Originally Posted by ku69rd

JVH,
Lemme be among the first ones to congratulate you for the Italian Beauty. Congrats and yes do ride safe, do keep us occupied with your reviews/travelogues.

PS: No wonder you updated the other day that Ducati Showroom also sells Hyosung motors

And also could you update around the lead time/any trauma suffered/broken promises

Thanks! Will write about the dealer experience, don't know how I forgot.

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

Congrats Jayant "Bloody Italians" - suits your beauties to the max. ride safe.

Red Palio 1.6 GTX and a Red Ducati 796 - you are in love with the colour or what? Keep in touch and Take care.

Thanks Surya!

Originally Posted by sanjaymugur

congrats Jayant, that's an awesome machine, your garage could not get better with italian machines. ride safe & enjoy.

Thanks Sanjay!

[n_aditya]

Monstrous congratulations on your new Italian toy.

Wishing you many miles and years of happy and safe riding. Hope to see you on our weekend rides.

Its raining duc's in Blore and every sunday i happen to see a red monster and 2 weeks back there was a black one for company as well.

Just a note of caution, i read somewhere (can't seem to remember where at the moment) that the rear indicators are "flimsy" (apologies for the use of this word) and break easily when the rider or pillion swings his leg across the bike while climbing onto it. You might want to be extra careful in this regard. Hope you dont mind me posting this bit of info.

[Latheesh]

Congrats! Was expecting this ownership thread after seeing your signature last week. GTX and now this monster, awesome combination!

[niks_devil666]

Congrats !!!

Finally you got the one you have been looking for

Post some more pics now , with bike on the highways and not in the parking lot

[JVH]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Monstrous congratulations on your new Italian toy.

Wishing you many miles and years of happy and safe riding. Hope to see you on our weekend rides.

Thanks Aditya!

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Just a note of caution, i read somewhere (can't seem to remember where at the moment) that the rear indicators are "flimsy" (apologies for the use of this word) and break easily when the rider or pillion swings his leg across the bike while climbing onto it. You might want to be extra careful in this regard. Hope you dont mind me posting this bit of info.

I remember reading that too! And no apologies bro, in fact appreciate for bringing this up. No bike is perfect. It pays to be wiser about one's own bike.

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Congrats! Was expecting this ownership thread after seeing your signature last week. GTX and now this monster, awesome combination!

Thanks Latheesh!

Originally Posted by niks_devil666

Congrats !!!

Finally you got the one you have been looking for

Post some more pics now , with bike on the highways and not in the parking lot

Thanks Nikihil! Hehe...I know the bike deserves better pictures which will be posted very soon. Just not getting enough time to hit the highways...

BTW, I forgot to pen down my dealer experience. Well, the delivery got delayed by a month citing some shipment and customs issues. But I think the dealer was pretty honest in keeping me updated and the reasons were quite genuine. But most importantly, for me the manager/engineer is very knowledgable about bikes in general. He's a Mech Engg and a trained Motorcycle mechanic. Very easy to talk to and approachable. He personally assisted the technicians during the PDI and gave some very good tips on riding torque monsters in particular. Apart from taking the delivery of a fantastic bike, my discussions with him have been very fruitful and its quite encouraging that he will personally look after my bike whenever it enters their premises.

BTW, here's what I got with bike along with a bubble cover and a makeshift cover. Have ordered for a battery tender, paddock stand and fork/axle sliders.

[sriramv.iyer]

Jayanth, Congrats man!!!!! You got yourself an AWESOME ride! We should meet