Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report

nadim_90210 · 8th January 2011, 04:40

First of all sorry for the delayed review...but nevertheless its finally here along with some Fab Pics. Since its my First Review...Please do Bare with me.

The moment I knew Ducati would be officially coming to India, I kept an eye out for news on the pricing of their Models. In the beginning it was overpriced but as soon as i got the news about Ducati cutting down the prices it was the 796 that eventually caught my eye and I have no shame in admitting that it was an impulse buy. My heart said it fitted perfectly within my budget. Logic said that it would empty my bank account totally. Bit in the end that empty bank account didn't matter. Some things in life you can't try to justify, you just do it. And so I booked the Ducati Monster 796 in October and was told it would take 2 months to deliver. Grudgingly, I accepted the date of 20th december. It's not that I felt 2 months was too much time to deliver, I just wanted the bike as soon as possible. It was just lust before first drive.

When I received a call from the dealership saying the delivery had been brought forward by a month, I was thrilled. Some kind soul asked for a December delivery instead of his November Deliver date and so a month ahead of schedule, I would get my hands on the red monster. To say I was excited would have been an understatement; I felt like a kid waiting to be let into an "as much as you can eat" candy buffet. Even that dosen't sum up the extent of my excitement, but let's move along. I cleared all the payments due , and since the payments had been brought ahead of schedule I was hard pressed for money, but I did pull out all the stops and pulled out all the cash. On the day, I was officially broke and as happy as I had ever been.

On the 16th of November, I landed up at the Ducati showroom at 5:30 PM and waited for the manager to turn up. Each passing second felt worse than the last; seeing the Red Monster eyeing me from the corner was torture. It was begging to be unleashed and I would be happy to let it free, If only the damned manager turned up. Finally, by 7, I was done with all the paperwork. I observed the keys plunking into my hand and the instruction being relayed to me, but all the world was haze. A wonderful red haze of Ducati shaped beauty. As the Monster was being hauled out of the showroom and mall slowly, I sensed the pauses that it induced. It didn't surprise me in the slightest, and it also didn't matter to me in the slightest. My hands were itchy. There was rubber to be burnt.

As i settled into the 796, I felt a bit anxious and took a pause to remember my Maker before firing the engine into life. Instantly, a throaty rumble erupts from the belly of the beast. In a matter of seconds, the tachometer measured my heart rate and said I had gone from 0-100 in no time. I believed it before I suspended all sense of belief. It was nothing like I had ever felt and everything I had expected to be and more. So, so much more. From Atria mall in worli to Lokhandwala, It was a breeze driving the 769 even with a friend sitting behind.

For the first ten minutes, I was extremely nervous. The raw power of the Monster meant that I have it plenty of respect and for the first 10 minutes I just growing into being comfortable with the bike and its performance zones. In time, I stumbled upon a empty patch of road and decided to let it rip. Words cannot do full justice to the feeling, but I will try. Imagine that your soul is being ripped from your body and that you are viewing yourself from above, caught in the moment without really being in it yourself. For a few seconds, It took my body time to catch up with the rest of me it was hurtled along at unbelievable velocity. This beast had so much torque in the low range it's unbelievable. You really have to experience it to believe it.

I love Mumbai, but being Mumbai I Soon hit heavy traffic. By Mahim I handled it to a friend who has a Ducati 1198R since he wanted a feel of the bike. The bike just sliced through traffic like Knife through butter. I Could see the child-like delight on his face. He told me of how he couldn't mistreat his Ducati in the slightest since it was a superbike and demanded respect but the 796 ask for punishment and then gladly takes everything you can throw at it and more. It's a bit greedy that way.

From the corner of my eye, I see people trying to figure out what bike I'm riding and how much it costs. The usual questions are fired my way; how manyCC, how much, Which bike is it. The prize of the day though goes to a rickshaw driver who admired the bike and then said it must be expensive, like atleast ONE LAKH rupees. Mildly insulted but with a smile still on my face ( the 796 can do that to you), I ride off and arrice at the building complet with a welcome committee.

The worst part about the bike is that I can't take the bike out for a ride before 8pm, being in the office at the time. And so I take it out for a late night spin as soon as I can. A little about the ride, I have driven the GSXR, CBR1000 & the Ducati 1198 and each of them is fantastic but to ride them in city is a bit of a pain for me. There is where i think the monster really scores. The clutch is smooth & the Bike is light weight with just about 185 kgs. It just cuts through traffic & on empty stretch when the raw power of the 800CC is unleashed ...it just talks to the air. The firing is similar of a street bike but with a lot of Bass in it & so for a city like Mumbai, this bike is no doubt one of the best SBK's around. The average is just about 13-14kmpl. One can only ride to find out the raw power of the monster.

I asked a friend of mine (Mitsun Soni) to do a photo shoot and I do believe the results are breathtakingly spectacular. Only Mumbai in the middle of the night can look this intoxicating & the Ducati just serves to enhance that beauty. Full credit goes to Mitsum for the fab photos ( Btw: Mods he has been trying to get into Team-bhp for quite a while so please accept his wish). I hope you guys have enjoyed this review as much is i enjoyed writing it . Delayed for a while but I want to tank all the member of Team-BHO for their Help and I want to Hear what you guys have to say, So fire Away!!!

gthang · 8th January 2011, 05:11

Hey Nadim_90210,

Congrats on your buy. Was wondering what happened after your last post when you got delivery. I guess riding the Monster around must have been way more fun than writing about it. Understandable and completely forgivable.

A naked bike, especially like the Monster is any day more nimble and fun in an urban environment than a Supersports bike. Perfectly suited for Mumbai driving, I would imagine.

Hope you got all your riding gear to go with your Monster.

Wishing you many many happy miles.

Ride Safe.

zibby · 8th January 2011, 06:42

Congrats, bike looks amazing and nice photo.

Wishing you happy miles and Enjoy.

//M · 8th January 2011, 08:05

Wow Nadim thats an awesome buy. The pictures do full justice to the lines of the Monster. I just got a crisis admiring those pics.

Brilliant photography that even Ducati will be proud of. Many Congratulations.

Akshay1234 · 8th January 2011, 12:07

Nicely written. And those pictures look good.

But man, I saw your signature and thats quite a garage you have. How about some more on your other cars too?

nadim_90210 · 8th January 2011, 12:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by gthang

Hey Nadim_90210,

Congrats on your buy. Was wondering what happened after your last post when you got delivery. I guess riding the Monster around must have been way more fun than writing about it. Understandable and completely forgivable.

A naked bike, especially like the Monster is any day more nimble and fun in an urban environment than a Supersports bike. Perfectly suited for Mumbai driving, I would imagine.

Hope you got all your riding gear to go with your Monster.

Wishing you many many happy miles.

Ride Safe.

The Monster kept me busy all along..lolz. I was not getting the time to click some good snap & then met the young guy (Mitsun). With such brilliant pics I couldn't hold a day to write the reviews.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zibby

Congrats, bike looks amazing and nice photo.

Wishing you happy miles and Enjoy.

Thanks Bro

Quote:

Originally Posted by //M

Wow Nadim thats an awesome buy. The pictures do full justice to the lines of the Monster. I just got a crisis admiring those pics.

Brilliant photography that even Ducati will be proud of. Many Congratulations.

Even I am all gaga over the pics & ofcourse the bike as well :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Nicely written. And those pictures look good.

But man, I saw your signature and thats quite a garage you have. How about some more on your other cars too?

Ducati is the first thing that I bought out of my own pocket. Rest everything is family owned :P . I would love to do a detail review on the Q7 & something else that is being planned for this years buy, so let me get the pics in place & then will be on it.

Dippy · 8th January 2011, 12:33

This was a long awaited review. Congratulations on finally getting your Ducati. I can feel how excited you are just from your writing. And those are some fabulous pictures to go with it. Do run her in properly and I hope youve picked up some good safety gear

You should join us on a weekend night sometime in Bandra where we usually hang out. Though I dont ride, my brother has a Honda Valkyrie F6 . We and some other of his biker buddies and some Team BHPians are usually there on Carter Road. It would be nice to have you join us

Good luck and ride safe

adnan · 8th January 2011, 15:58

congratulations nadim_90210. i too got delivery of my monster on dec 23th... its a perfect bike for city rides...waiting to take her out of the city limits

Haroon · 8th January 2011, 19:11

Congrats Nadim and nice to hear the initial experience from your heart. Your friend has done an excellent job with his lens.
Wish you many many miles of enjoyable rides on your lovely monster.

@ Adnan. I was lucky to see and feel your monster in mangalore. Now that your bike pics have already made a debut on 'superbikes spotted' thread, we are eagerly waiting to hear your experiences also...

JVH · 8th January 2011, 20:58

The report is finally up! Many Congos once again!!!

The Monster does this to you. First you book it as an impulsive buy and then ride for a while and pen down with child like enthusiasm

And great pics too! Enjoy many miles with the devil and ride safe.

P.S - What all gear did you buy so far?

rdna · 9th January 2011, 12:05

The long wait for the report is finally over! The pictures look spectacular!! Does anyone have suggestions for a bike which is similar to this but doesn't burn a hole in your pocket during after-sales? Jap bikes are what I'm looking for.

gthang · 9th January 2011, 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdna

Does anyone have suggestions for a bike which is similar to this but doesn't burn a hole in your pocket during after-sales? Jap bikes are what I'm looking for.

Yamaha FZ1 or Honda CB1000R. Both are available through your friendly local dealer, and relatively cheap to run.

BTW, slightly OT. Perhaps a new thread for inputs?

nadim_90210 · 9th January 2011, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dippy

This was a long awaited review. Congratulations on finally getting your Ducati. I can feel how excited you are just from your writing. And those are some fabulous pictures to go with it. Do run her in properly and I hope youve picked up some good safety gear

You should join us on a weekend night sometime in Bandra where we usually hang out. Though I dont ride, my brother has a Honda Valkyrie F6 . We and some other of his biker buddies and some Team BHPians are usually there on Carter Road. It would be nice to have you join us

Good luck and ride safe

Thanks Bro. Please do let me know the next time you guys are planning to meet up. Would love to hang around & pick up few tips from the pro bikers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adnan

congratulations nadim_90210. i too got delivery of my monster on dec 23th... its a perfect bike for city rides...waiting to take her out of the city limits

Thanks. Wont be happening anytime soon as got a long travel plan :( . But cant wait to get it out & see what this baby can do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haroon

Congrats Nadim and nice to hear the initial experience from your heart. Your friend has done an excellent job with his lens.
Wish you many many miles of enjoyable rides on your lovely monster.

@ Adnan. I was lucky to see and feel your monster in mangalore. Now that your bike pics have already made a debut on 'superbikes spotted' thread, we are eagerly waiting to hear your experiences also...

Thanks Haroon for all the help that you had provided & indeed some good pics to go along with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JVH

The report is finally up! Many Congos once again!!!

The Monster does this to you. First you book it as an impulsive buy and then ride for a while and pen down with child like enthusiasm

And great pics too! Enjoy many miles with the devil and ride safe.

P.S - What all gear did you buy so far?

Thanks... I enjoyed every bit writing as I enjoyed every bit Riding the Monster. So far I have got Rjays Helmet & Gloves & Bike cover. This week I am travelling to Thailand so looking to pick Jackets & boots from there itself.

niks_devil666 · 9th January 2011, 17:58

Nice review !!! glad to finally see the report

is the mileage 12-13 kmpl only?

sriramv.iyer · 9th January 2011, 22:01

Hey Nadim! Congrats man! Have fun with the monster! Monster looks AWESOME in Red. No wonder that most of the monsters spotted in India are of the same color!

8th January 2011, 04:40	#1
nadim_90210 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mumbai Posts: 98 Thanked: 18 Times View My Garage	Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report First of all sorry for the delayed review...but nevertheless its finally here along with some Fab Pics. Since its my First Review...Please do Bare with me. The moment I knew Ducati would be officially coming to India, I kept an eye out for news on the pricing of their Models. In the beginning it was overpriced but as soon as i got the news about Ducati cutting down the prices it was the 796 that eventually caught my eye and I have no shame in admitting that it was an impulse buy. My heart said it fitted perfectly within my budget. Logic said that it would empty my bank account totally. Bit in the end that empty bank account didn't matter. Some things in life you can't try to justify, you just do it. And so I booked the Ducati Monster 796 in October and was told it would take 2 months to deliver. Grudgingly, I accepted the date of 20th december. It's not that I felt 2 months was too much time to deliver, I just wanted the bike as soon as possible. It was just lust before first drive. When I received a call from the dealership saying the delivery had been brought forward by a month, I was thrilled. Some kind soul asked for a December delivery instead of his November Deliver date and so a month ahead of schedule, I would get my hands on the red monster. To say I was excited would have been an understatement; I felt like a kid waiting to be let into an "as much as you can eat" candy buffet. Even that dosen't sum up the extent of my excitement, but let's move along. I cleared all the payments due , and since the payments had been brought ahead of schedule I was hard pressed for money, but I did pull out all the stops and pulled out all the cash. On the day, I was officially broke and as happy as I had ever been. On the 16th of November, I landed up at the Ducati showroom at 5:30 PM and waited for the manager to turn up. Each passing second felt worse than the last; seeing the Red Monster eyeing me from the corner was torture. It was begging to be unleashed and I would be happy to let it free, If only the damned manager turned up. Finally, by 7, I was done with all the paperwork. I observed the keys plunking into my hand and the instruction being relayed to me, but all the world was haze. A wonderful red haze of Ducati shaped beauty. As the Monster was being hauled out of the showroom and mall slowly, I sensed the pauses that it induced. It didn't surprise me in the slightest, and it also didn't matter to me in the slightest. My hands were itchy. There was rubber to be burnt. As i settled into the 796, I felt a bit anxious and took a pause to remember my Maker before firing the engine into life. Instantly, a throaty rumble erupts from the belly of the beast. In a matter of seconds, the tachometer measured my heart rate and said I had gone from 0-100 in no time. I believed it before I suspended all sense of belief. It was nothing like I had ever felt and everything I had expected to be and more. So, so much more. From Atria mall in worli to Lokhandwala, It was a breeze driving the 769 even with a friend sitting behind. For the first ten minutes, I was extremely nervous. The raw power of the Monster meant that I have it plenty of respect and for the first 10 minutes I just growing into being comfortable with the bike and its performance zones. In time, I stumbled upon a empty patch of road and decided to let it rip. Words cannot do full justice to the feeling, but I will try. Imagine that your soul is being ripped from your body and that you are viewing yourself from above, caught in the moment without really being in it yourself. For a few seconds, It took my body time to catch up with the rest of me it was hurtled along at unbelievable velocity. This beast had so much torque in the low range it's unbelievable. You really have to experience it to believe it. I love Mumbai, but being Mumbai I Soon hit heavy traffic. By Mahim I handled it to a friend who has a Ducati 1198R since he wanted a feel of the bike. The bike just sliced through traffic like Knife through butter. I Could see the child-like delight on his face. He told me of how he couldn't mistreat his Ducati in the slightest since it was a superbike and demanded respect but the 796 ask for punishment and then gladly takes everything you can throw at it and more. It's a bit greedy that way. From the corner of my eye, I see people trying to figure out what bike I'm riding and how much it costs. The usual questions are fired my way; how manyCC, how much, Which bike is it. The prize of the day though goes to a rickshaw driver who admired the bike and then said it must be expensive, like atleast ONE LAKH rupees. Mildly insulted but with a smile still on my face ( the 796 can do that to you), I ride off and arrice at the building complet with a welcome committee. The worst part about the bike is that I can't take the bike out for a ride before 8pm, being in the office at the time. And so I take it out for a late night spin as soon as I can. A little about the ride, I have driven the GSXR, CBR1000 & the Ducati 1198 and each of them is fantastic but to ride them in city is a bit of a pain for me. There is where i think the monster really scores. The clutch is smooth & the Bike is light weight with just about 185 kgs. It just cuts through traffic & on empty stretch when the raw power of the 800CC is unleashed ...it just talks to the air. The firing is similar of a street bike but with a lot of Bass in it & so for a city like Mumbai, this bike is no doubt one of the best SBK's around. The average is just about 13-14kmpl. One can only ride to find out the raw power of the monster. I asked a friend of mine (Mitsun Soni) to do a photo shoot and I do believe the results are breathtakingly spectacular. Only Mumbai in the middle of the night can look this intoxicating & the Ducati just serves to enhance that beauty. Full credit goes to Mitsum for the fab photos ( Btw: Mods he has been trying to get into Team-bhp for quite a while so please accept his wish). I hope you guys have enjoyed this review as much is i enjoyed writing it . Delayed for a while but I want to tank all the member of Team-BHO for their Help and I want to Hear what you guys have to say, So fire Away!!! Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

8th January 2011, 05:11	#2
gthang BANNED Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 805 Thanked: 1,346 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Hey Nadim_90210, Congrats on your buy. Was wondering what happened after your last post when you got delivery. I guess riding the Monster around must have been way more fun than writing about it. Understandable and completely forgivable. A naked bike, especially like the Monster is any day more nimble and fun in an urban environment than a Supersports bike. Perfectly suited for Mumbai driving, I would imagine. Hope you got all your riding gear to go with your Monster. Wishing you many many happy miles. Ride Safe.
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 06:42	#3
zibby BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Goa / Leicester Posts: 762 Thanked: 419 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Congrats, bike looks amazing and nice photo. Wishing you happy miles and Enjoy.
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 08:05	#4
//M Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 6,201 Thanked: 22,920 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Wow Nadim thats an awesome buy. The pictures do full justice to the lines of the Monster. I just got a crisis admiring those pics. Brilliant photography that even Ducati will be proud of. Many Congratulations.
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 12:07	#5
Akshay1234 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,265 Thanked: 12,317 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Nicely written. And those pictures look good. But man, I saw your signature and thats quite a garage you have. How about some more on your other cars too?
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 12:33	#7
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,561 Thanked: 2,470 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report This was a long awaited review. Congratulations on finally getting your Ducati. I can feel how excited you are just from your writing. And those are some fabulous pictures to go with it. Do run her in properly and I hope youve picked up some good safety gear You should join us on a weekend night sometime in Bandra where we usually hang out. Though I dont ride, my brother has a Honda Valkyrie F6 . We and some other of his biker buddies and some Team BHPians are usually there on Carter Road. It would be nice to have you join us Good luck and ride safe
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 15:58	#8
adnan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mangalore Posts: 45 Thanked: 0 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report congratulations nadim_90210. i too got delivery of my monster on dec 23th... its a perfect bike for city rides...waiting to take her out of the city limits
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 19:11	#9
Haroon BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Jedda/Bangalore Posts: 574 Thanked: 1,164 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Congrats Nadim and nice to hear the initial experience from your heart. Your friend has done an excellent job with his lens. Wish you many many miles of enjoyable rides on your lovely monster. @ Adnan. I was lucky to see and feel your monster in mangalore. Now that your bike pics have already made a debut on 'superbikes spotted' thread, we are eagerly waiting to hear your experiences also... Last edited by Haroon : 8th January 2011 at 19:14.
	() Thanks

8th January 2011, 20:58	#10
JVH Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,045 Thanked: 207 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report The report is finally up! Many Congos once again!!! The Monster does this to you. First you book it as an impulsive buy and then ride for a while and pen down with child like enthusiasm And great pics too! Enjoy many miles with the devil and ride safe. P.S - What all gear did you buy so far?
	() Thanks

9th January 2011, 12:05	#11
rdna BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 181 Thanked: 7 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report The long wait for the report is finally over! The pictures look spectacular!! Does anyone have suggestions for a bike which is similar to this but doesn't burn a hole in your pocket during after-sales? Jap bikes are what I'm looking for.
	() Thanks

9th January 2011, 17:58	#14
niks_devil666 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 535 Thanked: 237 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Nice review !!! glad to finally see the report is the mileage 12-13 kmpl only?
	() Thanks

9th January 2011, 22:01	#15
sriramv.iyer BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 845 Thanked: 739 Times	Re: Unleashing the Red Devil: The Ducati Monster 796 - Initial Ownership Report Hey Nadim! Congrats man! Have fun with the monster! Monster looks AWESOME in Red. No wonder that most of the monsters spotted in India are of the same color!
	() Thanks