[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Get a 2 seater convertible instead.

I share this view, why risk it, when you can get the same feeling (sort off) with a convertable, no wheelees though, but in my view this is the best option.

[intoxicangel]

Hey Morphin1,

welcome to the world of Motorcycles!! Fun, agile & quick!!

A straight jump to a Ducati, not a very good idea.. get onto something smaller, gain the confidence levels and finer skills to safe motorcycling and then take the plunge!!

And if convincing the elders is involved, telling them you want a motorcycle worth a couple of double digit lakhs is going to come as a shocker to them alright!!

[gthang]

I say go for it.

Surely, if you are planning to buy the Monster, it wont be the first bike you are going to swing your legs over, right? You can get the basics down from borrowed/rented bike. You dont have to do a 2-step and buy a smaller bike just to learn.

In my humblest of opinions, a Monster with its higher output engine, and more importantly, better brakes, is any day safer to ride than a smaller bike. Just because you have all that power on tap, does not make it dangerous as long as you stay mature on the throttle. Having that extra juice will help you squeeze out of many potential danger zones.

Dont think too much, if money is no object, follow TBhpian Nadim_90210's path and just go for it.

BTW, why Monster? Looks, or brand name? There are other choices in the market today.

Its never stupid to wear riding gear. Better to "look stupid" than losing skin or worse.

Ride Safe.

[niks_devil666]

Originally Posted by morphin1

Hi guys,
I have never ridden on a bike ever. I know a little bit of bicycling but that's about it. I have been driving cars for over 18years now and have never had an accident as I am really cautious of traffic behaviour around me.
I am contemplating buying a Ducati Monster 796 and therefore have decided to learn motorcycle riding. I have a few concerns though and hope I find some help here:
1. Are bikes as dangerous as everyone around me has made them look?
2. How do I convince my elders to allow me to buy this bike.(I will be using the bike once or twice a month and that too after traffic hours in and around New Delhi).
3. Is wearing protective gear on normal riding insane?
4. Is it really tough to learn ride a bike proficiently and how long does it take?
5. Also is traffic behavior in Delhi a problem to ride a bike like this occasionaly?
Thanks in advance guys.

Buying a duc is great but only if u have ridden any bike before , even if it was for a short while.
I'd suggest borrow a bike , learn on it and then move to the ducati and use the throttle gently. And , always wear good quality riding gear when riding the bike.

[Tejas Ingle]

A peice of my experience- I ride the Pulsar220. I got to ride the RD350 that my friend had recently acquired. I started on it like I do on my 220. It scared the hell out of me as the high torque caused wheelspins. Then I had to ease down on the accelerator to keep the rear end from sweeping away. I adapted to the RD in some time because i am used to bikes.
Thats why, I think learning on a Monster would be a risk. It has massive power, and massive torque. One small mistake (a learner commits many) would ruin your exprience. Thats why, I strongly suggest that you learn a smaller bike and use it for a few months. Then you can move on to the Monster.

[Mpower]

Go borrow a Karizma and see how comfortable you are with it. If you are shaky then buy a used Zma ride it for 6 mo and then get the DUke.

No point in getting a Monster and riding like a pansy.

[Haroon]

As somebody who is very passionate about biking and has been riding big bore bikes for a long time, my advice is as follows:

It is not a general rule of thumb that you have to necessarily start on a smaller bike and then graduate to a big bike. I know few fellow riders who never rode a bike in their life starting off on Harley Softail, BMW K1200S, GSX1000 etc...one or two of them did drop their bikes also but they are all riding well now (ofcourse, its easier here in Saudi Arabia, since we have most of the superwide roads to ourselves on a friday morning- which is the weekend, and no cows, autos, bicycles, dogs or potholes etc to wrestle with). But that said, while learning on a monster, for example if your reflexes are not upto the mark and are unable to stop in an emergency or if you pressed the brakes too early, somebody bumping you from behind etc, firstly, you have to deal with the damage even it is a slow speed tip-over (read mega $$$ even for a simple turn signal, mirror, taillight etc), besides, in the extreme event of any damage to fork etc, not only the mega expenses, but if the repair is not done to perfection, you will have to be content owning & riding a less than 100% bike. Plus you may also find on this same forum other people writing & posting pics of 'I spotted a guy on a monster, who was....'. Then there are a few more finer things specific to superbikes like counter steering, fine tuning small turning radius etc that you have to simultaneously learn as you are learning all the other things/controls on the bike.

So I suggest you start on a small bike. Not frightening you, but prevention better than cure, therefore the bare minimum riding gear to atleast include a helmet, gloves & boots- oh yeah skin on your palms take a long time to heal after slow speed falls/slides!). In addition to riding, make sure you simultaneously get used to the controls on hi-beam/lo-beam, turn signals, gear braking etc.

As a road captain for group rides, when we have a newly learnt rider, I always advice them to ride within their capabilities and I also ensure there is a sweeper (experienced rider), trailing the new rider at the back of the pack to ensure he is not left alone if he is unable to keep pace with the group and also to point out any defects in his riding style etc. Yes, we are very patient with new riders as we all have to remember that once upon a time we also started out as novices.