[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by raja_ys

It’s a Monster SP 937

Congratulations Raja, this one was meant for you and this was the time, hence the delay with everything

Have you taken delivery? Please post your first impressions and thoughts after a bit. Also like Axe77 pointed out, would like to know if you even considered the 2023 Street Triple or was it blind love for the reds

Wishing you a happy, long relationship with the beauty.

Cheers

[raja_ys]

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

It’s encouraging to hear that Ducati intervened to solve open issues. How I wish they did in my case

You had mentioned handling charges as one of your complaints, were able to knock them off (at least a portion)?

Hi Rajiv,
I have a pre fixed policy for a vehicle purchase:-

1. No illegal charges in whatever form of handling/logistics/pdi etc
2. No extra premium for color shades for the same model
3. Good parking and ambiance of the showroom
4. No black or premium for waiting list vehicles
5. If vehicle manufacturing is of the previous year, than expect the dealer to offer some goodies.
6. No compulsory insurance from dealer
7. No compulsory accessories

If the dealer doesn't honor any of the above mentioned points, I simply walk off or am even ready to take a hit if in case some advance has been made in the form of booking. I let my head (reasoning) prevail over the heart (instinct). There are always alternate manufacturers with many other models and sometimes there are dealers within the same brand who are ready to oblige on our terms.
In my opinion just as we need to buy a vehicle, the manufacturer and dealer have a greater necessity to sell the vehicles to survive specially. And its not just a sales loss for the dealer but also future loss of revenue in the form of service and spares.
By walking off the deal our cash is with us and we are safe, similarly the vehicle is with the dealer but he's not safe sitting on inventory.
Ultimately it's "Cash is King" market and its either "My way or the Highway".

Originally Posted by Axe77

What a beauty and hearty congratulations. Ducatis have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about them. Pull at the heartstrings in an indescribable way.

What was the landed price of the Monster SP edition please? Close to 17 - 18L maybe? (I’m really shooting in the dark here but back of the envelope guesstimate).

If you compared this with the 2023 Street Triple RS at any point in your purchasing decision, would love to hear your thoughts on how you landed at the Monster SP (both are incredibly enticing bikes with their own unique charm of course.)

Hi Axe77,

1). You are close to the pricing, the On Road price being quoted by the dealer is as follows:-

Ex Showroom Rs 1595000
TCS Rs 15950
Road Tax 8%, Registration, HSRP & Rc Rs 132330
Handling Rs 40000
Insurance Rs 41880
RSA Rs 8000
3rd & 4th Year Warranty Rs 19000
Battery Maintainer Rs 10300
Total Rs 18,62,460/-

2). Compared with the Street Triple Rs
Yes I did infact considered it in and was on top of my list along with 4 other bikes.

My technical preferences were:-
Street Naked (Less the fairings better on the pocket in case of a fall/accident)
High Ground Clearance (No point having a litre class bike while the whole world can overtake and throw a pitiful look at you struggling to cross speed breakers at every junction). This criteria ruled out 80% of the available bikes in my list.
A bike that could do 100-140 kmph with ease, i.e this speed being a halfway mark for its power band. But at the same time did not want aggressive racers like the ZX10R or the Hayabusa's as they are out of bounds for my riding style or driving capacity. Hence a 100 HP power with 75 NM Torque capacity was best suited for me, primarily a everyday roadster in the city.
Service Centre within the City

Bikes in the wish list:-
Harley Davidson 1250 Pan America (Passed on as I could not find the specified HP data on the website plus the negativity set on this brand with their withdrawal and again resuming operations in India couldn't draw me to their showroom)
Indian FTR (Passed on as the entrance to the showroom looked like a warzone parked with Polaris ATV's, couldnt make my mind to navigate from the road to a pleasant parking spot in front of showroom)
BMW F900R sadly this model was withdrawn from the Indian market even before i could see it in flesh.
Triumph Street Triple RS. This was on top of my list for the past 6 months ever since it was stuck with the Homologation clearance part and that time actually created a window for me to explore other brands. It was finally ruled out as the showroom insisted on a handling charges of Rs 40000 and the other reason was poor pitching by the sales team as their hell bent on selling any bike from their stable with a common tag line that Triumph bikes have the largest service intervals and that they are the best in the world compared to Kawasaki's, rather than understanding what the customer actually needs. The sales pitch was less technical about the bike and more of a self bragging of the Triumph brand. Also in the LOOKS division, I did not like the headlight shape (a chicken hatching out of an egg) and the silencer shape though it has a very good exhaust note. It was finally launched a day before I put in my advance for the monster but let it pass as the poor salesman skills and the compulsory handling charges were not impressive to my favor. This was my second pass with Triumph in a year, the earlier one being a T120 for the very same reasons.
Ducati Monster Always appreciated the classy good looking design language of the Italian brand but never dared to step into one of its showroom fearing the overly priced tags and negativity of service costs set around this brand. But once I stepped in, couldn't help myself overflowing with a joyful satisfaction on the design format. It was like Picasso and Leonardo De Vinci giving the final touches to a combined art sculpture. In my experience in the bikes category, the showroom had one of the best sales team with thorough knowledge on the bikes, and patient enough to smile and treat me the same way from day one even on my fourteen day of inquiry during the past 3 months. They had test ride vehicles for nearly all the models and they were happy to offer a test ride end number of times till all my doubts were cleared. They were very interactive trying to understand what my requirement was for my age and gauge. Coming to the bike, I was actually discouraged by the many reviews post the launch of the new 937 Monster minus the Trellis frame but post a test ride and understanding the details, found it to be very nimble to ride and that the new frame is a monocoque frame that's lighter for a improved handling compared to the replaced ladder frame. It sure misses the road presence of the previous model and is actually quite bland to look at, and that's what prompted me to go for the SP version for its better looks in terms of body livery and gold frame of the suspension. Its ex showroom priced three lakhs higher than the base Monster but apart from looks it comes with some better performance parts like front and rear adjustable Ohlins forks, stronger Brembo Stylema brakes in front, a steering damper but no improvement on engine power figures. The SP stands for Sports Performance in the Ducati nomenclature, meaning more of a track focused bike. In the true sense the improved suspension and brakes will not help win a race on the track but in the real world will sure aid in good handling, cornering at higher speeds with powerful braking that could be a life saver. I am a fan of dual silencers or end pipes and the Monster has a very good attractive design but the note is not impressive (something like someone spitting out). The SP variant has a slightly better looking Termignoni street legal exhaust but again the note is not attractive, the only solace is it has a better bass than the stock. Actually cleared the payment for the base Monster but a day later changed my mind to upgrade to the SP for all its glorious looks and a little bit of extra safety/performance gear with the Termignoni end pipes.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Congratulations Raja, this one was meant for you and this was the time, hence the delay with everything

Have you taken delivery? Please post your first impressions and thoughts after a bit. Also like Axe77 pointed out, would like to know if you even considered the 2023 Street Triple or was it blind love for the reds

Wishing you a happy, long relationship with the beauty.

Cheers

Hi Cyborg, have taken delivery on the 28th last month and just been a week covering 350 kms, will be able to better comment on the bike after maybe I complete the 1000 kms mark. Right on using the Wet mode for safety and better understanding on the bike.