[Sheel]

+100 to what Aditya and Nilesh have suggested.

Nadim, it indeed is a GREAT buy The power is not intimidating and it is torquey enough to not demand continuous gear-shifts.

Please read the thread by R-Tech and also visit few Ducati forums based in UK and US. They will be of immense help.

^The apparels at Ducati, Atria are pricier than normal, so look else where. (some prices were hand-written, the last I visited in May)

[sammyboy]

Hey Nadim, is this the one with ABS or without ABS?

@sriram: yeah man, am back

[Haroon]

Congrats Nadim on the Ducati. And wish you many many miles of safe & enjoyable riding.

Just a thing or two if you are new to superbiking.
As some of the others have said here, it is most essential to buy good riding gear. Perforated leather is the absolute best for crash protection, but given the humid conditions in mumbai etc, a good airflow jacket will also be OK. As for helmet, try & go for one of the good brands like Arai, Shoei, Agv, HJC etc. Although they may cost upwards of Rs. 20,000, just divide the cost over a period of 5 years and the per day cost of good head protection will work out to less than the price of a cup of coffee! Just make sure you choose the right size. I think most of it is available in India now, but if ordering online try the below website as they have a fixed international shipping charge of US$ 25 irrespective of the size of the order:

RIDERS DISCOUNT: Motorcycle Accessories, Motorcycle Helmets & Gear

As for the ducati brand, it is indeed an exclusive piece of machinery in the superbiking world and instantly gets you attention. The earlier ducs were known to have a lot of electrical/electronic component problems which normally is quite expensive to fix, but I am told most of it has been sorted out in the newer bikes. But like most european bikes, make sure your battery is always well charged. Worthwhile to invest in a trickle charger just in case you have long periods of non-use of the bike. Anyway join some of the ducati forums on the web and there is a wealth of information there. But, dont be alarmed by some of the problems mentioned there as most times 'the good is forgotten and only the bad is highlighted'. Anyway the Monster being a naked bike, its a very practical bike for Indian conditions, but out on the highway on long rides, the windblast could sometimes be bothersome, but not a major issue.

Ride Safe.

[aargee]

@Nadim - I'm searching for words to say something better than Congratulations. Anyway, hearty congratulations to become a proud owner of a monster.

From my limited knowledge, I heard its very expensive to maintain a Duc; so just have a word with D.A.S.S guys on this. The most expensive thing being the valve replacement. If I'm not wrong, I heard they need to be done for every 8-10K Kms that also depends on the riding style.

Any idea on the price of 696 Monster? Is it around the 7-8L range? But seriously speaking, I too was under the impression that Ducs are highly unaffordable here. May be due to this post.

Anyway, invest in good riding gear & be prepared to answer "this is a modified..."

[black12rr]

I think you are purely going by heart than head . Ducatis ,not easy to service (not everyone) ,parts costs a bomb that's what they are known for .
I would have looked around and got a suzuki bandit 1250 that's available now at around 9 lakhs.

Or you could wait till November ,Yamaha fazer 1000 cc is being launched at 8.6 lakhs.

BTW ,if you have already booked ,no point in talking . Enjoy it to limits.

[nadim_90210]

Thanks guys for all your wishes!!!

Originally Posted by n_aditya

First of all congrats on the duke. Its the Ferrari on two wheels.

Do invest in a good quality helmet such as Arai, Shoei, Shark, Nolan, HJC, etc., riding jacket with built in armor for the shoulder and elbows. Buy a CE approved back protector (jackets come with foam back protector but wont suffice) and a good pair of riding boots from either Sidi or Alpinestars.

Read up on ducati forums for issues, maintenance tips, etc.

All the best and ride safe mate.

Thanks, My next question was going to be what kind of helmet, jackets & shoes to buy. Any of these avaliable in India?

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

Just enjoy it nadim!! I know you are going to do a lot of reading up since the wait is a long one. But trust me, when you get on it and ride it home, you are going to forget most of it and just be grinning for a few days!! Like the new vista ad Only then are you going to really need all the suggestions.
Congratulations!! I personally feel it is a very sensible choice for our conditions. Have fun with it.

I totally agree with you, but never the less its better to gain some knowledge about it, will put it in use as the exitment level goes down a "LIL" bit :P

Originally Posted by Sheel

+100 to what Aditya and Nilesh have suggested.

Nadim, it indeed is a GREAT buy The power is not intimidating and it is torquey enough to not demand continuous gear-shifts.

Please read the thread by R-Tech and also visit few Ducati forums based in UK and US. They will be of immense help.

^The apparels at Ducati, Atria are pricier than normal, so look else where. (some prices were hand-written, the last I visited in May)

800 cc for mumbai is sufficent I guess..& thanks for the forum..I am allready on it.

Apparels in Ducati are very god damn expensive. 40k for a jacket is too much for me to invest. Will definetly look for outside products at cheaper cost.

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Hey Nadim, is this the one with ABS or without ABS?

@sriram: yeah man, am back

It is without ABS.

[nadim_90210]

Originally Posted by Haroon

Congrats Nadim on the Ducati. And wish you many many miles of safe & enjoyable riding.

Just a thing or two if you are new to superbiking.
As some of the others have said here, it is most essential to buy good riding gear. Perforated leather is the absolute best for crash protection, but given the humid conditions in mumbai etc, a good airflow jacket will also be OK. As for helmet, try & go for one of the good brands like Arai, Shoei, Agv, HJC etc. Although they may cost upwards of Rs. 20,000, just divide the cost over a period of 5 years and the per day cost of good head protection will work out to less than the price of a cup of coffee! Just make sure you choose the right size. I think most of it is available in India now, but if ordering online try the below website as they have a fixed international shipping charge of US$ 25 irrespective of the size of the order:

RIDERS DISCOUNT: Motorcycle Accessories, Motorcycle Helmets & Gear

As for the ducati brand, it is indeed an exclusive piece of machinery in the superbiking world and instantly gets you attention. The earlier ducs were known to have a lot of electrical/electronic component problems which normally is quite expensive to fix, but I am told most of it has been sorted out in the newer bikes. But like most european bikes, make sure your battery is always well charged. Worthwhile to invest in a trickle charger just in case you have long periods of non-use of the bike. Anyway join some of the ducati forums on the web and there is a wealth of information there. But, dont be alarmed by some of the problems mentioned there as most times 'the good is forgotten and only the bad is highlighted'. Anyway the Monster being a naked bike, its a very practical bike for Indian conditions, but out on the highway on long rides, the windblast could sometimes be bothersome, but not a major issue.

Ride Safe.

Thanks bro...Really useful info. This is why I love coming to Team-Bhp
Will Consult with you before buying.

Originally Posted by aargee

@Nadim - I'm searching for words to say something better than Congratulations. Anyway, hearty congratulations to become a proud owner of a monster.

From my limited knowledge, I heard its very expensive to maintain a Duc; so just have a word with D.A.S.S guys on this. The most expensive thing being the valve replacement. If I'm not wrong, I heard they need to be done for every 8-10K Kms that also depends on the riding style.

Any idea on the price of 696 Monster? Is it around the 7-8L range? But seriously speaking, I too was under the impression that Ducs are highly unaffordable here. May be due to this post.

Anyway, invest in good riding gear & be prepared to answer "this is a modified..."

I am a bike person, but the sad part is dont get to drive much since office is like 2km away from home. I have a Yamaha Fz S & I have just driven 950 Km in a year. So keeping that in mind I guess 8-10kms is pretty far for me.

I got the price list where the 696 price are not mentioned. I guess it has been discountinued. Sad part is the Ducati showroom does not have a 769 brochure, neither they are well aware of the technical specification of the bike.

Originally Posted by black12rr

I think you are purely going by heart than head . Ducatis ,not easy to service (not everyone) ,parts costs a bomb that's what they are known for .
I would have looked around and got a suzuki bandit 1250 that's available now at around 9 lakhs.

Or you could wait till November ,Yamaha fazer 1000 cc is being launched at 8.6 lakhs.

BTW ,if you have already booked ,no point in talking . Enjoy it to limits.

I know the parts cost a bomb but thats something I am ok with.

I didnt like the look of the Suzuki Bandit neither the Frazer. Thats just me

[nadim_90210]

One question that I asked the Ducati Guys as well. Why dont we get to see Ducati's on Mumbai Roads??

Their answer was : They sell around 4-5 units a month & not all buyers are from Mumbai.

Like I said earlier, I am not much aware abt the SBK sceen in mumbai, I have spotted a lot of Busas & R1 over the period of years but never a Ducati. Any particular reason???

[download2live]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Hey Nadim, is this the one with ABS or without ABS?

@sriram: yeah man, am back

Bikes have ABS???
Thats a new thing I learnt today.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by download2live

Bikes have ABS???
Thats a new thing I learnt today.

Yeah man, first heard of this concept over 10 years ago in one of the Auto Expos. Honda had a stall and were showing videos of ABS and CBS, was astounded then as at that time the concept of ABS on cars in India was also unheard of. Even the CBR 1000 comes with an ABS.

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by nadim_90210

One question that I asked the Ducati Guys as well. Why dont we get to see Ducati's on Mumbai Roads??

Their answer was : They sell around 4-5 units a month & not all buyers are from Mumbai.

Like I said earlier, I am not much aware abt the SBK sceen in mumbai, I have spotted a lot of Busas & R1 over the period of years but never a Ducati. Any particular reason???

There are quite a few reasons for that:
Firstly, the in-line-4 engines are any day smoother than the v-twin supersports engines and all the jap supersport sbks popular in India are their in-line 4s. Rarely do you get to see a Suzuki SV650 or a Honda VFR800 etc.

Secondly, european bikes have certain traits that are either 'you love it or hate it' stuff. They are engineered more robust to last much longer, but they definitely need a lot more understanding (and care) than the jap bikes. Personally, I feel just having the money to buy them is not sufficient, but you definitely need to be very passionate about the bike & biking to really appreciate & enjoy these bikes. Batteries, alternators, valve timing, fluid checks etc etc may need more routine attention (& most times more money!) than a typical japanese sbk, but if taken care of well, will give you a lot of fun 'between your legs' for a lot longer time.

Thirdly, a lot of people (many of whom have not even seen a ducati!) straight away will tell you- Oh those are white elephants etc etc. Ofcourse, there is some truth to it coz exhorbitant price of spare parts, not many trained mechanics, earlier generation ducs had notorious reliability issues etc etc, so most buyers shy away from it and prefer the japs a much safer bet to keep, run and later sell.

There could be few more reasons, but one main last reason I can point out is that these days, the European cars & bikes are packing so much of technology into the vehicles that although its good to have them, there are lot more chances of silly things going wrong and getting you stranded and most times, you need their specialized factory diagnostic equipment to identify/rectify the fault. This is not a problem in Europe coz their service centers are all over the place together with 24-hour roadside assistance, but in a country like ours that could be a major party stopper when you are travelling many many miles away from the metro cities.

Anyway, the above is not to discourage you, but just let you know of both sides of the coin

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by nadim_90210

Thanks, My next question was going to be what kind of helmet, jackets & shoes to buy. Any of these avaliable in India?

Since you are in Mumbai, pay a visit to Performance Racing Store (Home) or visit PlanetDSG : Motorcycle Riding Gear, Accessories, Apparel and.. (based out of Pune).

You can get almost everything at PRS or at DSG.

Speak to Vicky Jaising at PRS or Vijay at DSG. Both are very nice to deal with. You can refer my name if required. Just tell them my name and that i ride a green ninja in blore and they'll remember.

My suggestion is to invest in a full leather suit (jacket+pants), leather gloves with kevlar/carbon fiber knuckle protectors and full length boots such as Sidi or Alpinestars (these offer ankle/shin/heel/toe protection).

Leather provides maximum resistance against abrasion when you fall (God forbid) and hence provides maximum protection.

PRS stocks KBC, SparX and Joe Rocket helmets AFAIK. Better to invest in higher quality (and safer) ones that i listed in my earlier post.

Some of the sites you can shop at...

1. eBay (sometimes you can score a very good deal here)

2. ridersdiscount.com

3. 20north.com

4. motorcyclesuperstore.com

5. newenough.com

6. google for motorcycle closeouts

7. bikebandit.com

8. cyclegear.com

Hope this helps.

Ride safe.

[Visaster]

Awesome impulse Nadim. Congrats on your plunge, it will be worth every bit of it. Ducati monster is one muscular machine. I bet you are going to love riding it around.
Wish i could get as impulsive someday very soon :-)
Its going to be a long two months for you now.
But its good. Read up all you can about super bikes especially your monster.
Narrow down on picking up the riding gear. Go for the best.
Read all the posts of super bike owners so you can get an idea of how its going to change your life for ever.
Cheers mate.
Waiting to read the bike's delivery report and a detail review of the feel pretty soon.

[nadim_90210]

Went to the showroom today & got few more details.

Apparently the cost of first 1000 km service is approx 15k. The front tire is around 12-13k & the back tyre cost is approx 17k.

A Single Scratch / Dent of the fuel tank means Complete replacement of the fuel tank which is approx 35k & you only get 50% coverage through insurance.

Guess thats the cost 1 has to bear to own a Ducati.

With the new monster pricing, their sales are picking up. Cant just wait to get my hands on the Monster :P

[Mpower]

Congrats. The Ducait Monster is hotness personified and stands apart from the plastic clad rockets.

Originally Posted by nadim_90210

And then my worst habit till date kicked me real hard & I just removed my cheque book from my car & got back inside to give the first booking amount.

Wrong habit...but right forum