Monster 1100s test ride

[randall356]

Hi guys,

Not got a Monster (yet)! but recently test rode one to see if it was worth part ex'ing my Sped Triple 1050. Instead of rewriting my thoughts you can find them here http://www.triumphrat.net/speed-triple-forum/166659-monster-796-test-ride.html

The dealer has a 2009 Monster 1100s for £7750 or a standard 1100 at £6999.

My question is, is it worth the extra £750 for the s? I have only been riding just over a year and don't know a lot about suspension, but if I keep the bike for a while and I haveng got the Ohlins will I later regret it?

Thanks for any help.

BTW the guys at Snell Ducati in Alton were absolutely awesome!

[Albie]

Yes and yes and yes. Its well worth it. But the standard is still a great bike. No more power but better shocks, carbon standard and better looks imho.

[Gordon H]

Moto Rapido have got a s/h 1100 Monster for under £7000 too.......

[J.P]

Hi there.
I've never really understoood the expense of the additional models for a bit of carbon fibre and some shocks, but people who know tell me the shocks are better and worth the extra for the improved ride.
If you can stretch to it, it seems the way to go.

Hope you find the right one for you soon and we welcome you to the club.

You planning on trying any trackdays ? :)
The club is organising one for July 1st...

[samieb]

Hi,

1st welcome to the funny forum and no its not like the 'funny farm'. :mand:

2nd. I have ridden both the M1100 and the M1100S. In riding terms there's not alot of difference between them. You can get the suspension equally setup on either, some say the M1100 is better in this way rather than all the blingy bits.

If you bought the M1100 the extra £750 could help you buy Termi's, but if you wanted Termi's anyway buy the M1100S.

However late last year I bought the M1100S in Red simply because of A) It was a great deal at the price and B) it looked a better bike with the Gold wheels, and forks. Yes you get some carbons bits too and tbh you'll make plenty of changes over time anyway I guess. As you say the difference is only £750 quid and yes I'd buy the 1100S if thats all it is..

Your now in a corundrum which to buy ???????? :banghead: :banghead: :mand: :chuckle:

[uksurfer]

buy the 's' model, if you can afford it, because the extras on there are worth far more than the £750, and it will also be an 's' model if you come to sell it later on
Just my thoughts

[Char]

:cool: Have you tried one of those old fashioned Monsters?

[Lucati]

'Hey guys don't flame me! It's good to try out other things, now if I was thinking of joining the Ducati forum that would be another thing...'

Right, 5 minutes on the naughty step!!!

Secondly, the servicing is pricey even though they are technically spaced every 7500 miles. the first is a very general oil change and tyre kick I think which is why it's low.

I commute on my 696 and get it serviced once a year which all in generally costs around £300 - £350.
The belts service ended up costing me closer to £480 but I can't remember if that included a new tyre or not. Not sure what the costs are on a triple but it does come down to who you get to do the service for you. Sure there are lots of other opinions on servicing just around the corner!

[SunEye]

I've owned an M1100 since November. I test rode an M796 and an M1100S. Personally I prefer the look of the M1100 because I’m not that partial to gold coloured stuff.

At the first service a couple of weeks ago I had the suspension set up at Pro Twins. That has made a big difference. Before it was harsh and choppy and I had no confidence going into corners because if I hit a bump the front would skip and momentarily lose grip. Since the setup it’s nice and smooth. I can feel the road and the front tyre stays in contact with the tarmac and isn’t upset by bumps. That has given me much more confidence in the corners. I can now work on getting rid of the last 5mm of chicken strip on the rear tyre.

After only riding for one year I wouldn’t have thought that the extra cost of the M1100S would be particularly noticeable when you ride it. However the resale value of the M1100S will always be more than the M1100.

[randall356]

Gordon H - thats the one I looked at for £7k, Snell has the 1100s at £7750 plus a 10 plate demonstrator about to go on sale but dont know how much for.

Lucati - Did my time on the naughty step - forgot about that bit of the post!!!

Youll have to forgive me if this doesnt seem to make much sense but ive had a few beers!

I prefer the monster to my street due to the lightness and nimbleness - dont really miss the extra 40bhp with all that torque and real life usability - i will never track...probably

Theres only a few things stopping me;

1) its an extra £2500 on top of what part ex ive been offered on the triple.

2) the servicing costs. seen a website here http://www.ducatiglasgow.co.uk/servicing/new_model_servicing whose prices say £200 for a major (every 24 months) service compared to £500 at http://www.ducati-john.co.uk/routine-ducati-servicing.htm this is a big difference.

3) can i really get used to the box of spanners (dry clutch). admittedly it wasnt that bad when I test rode it, although that was why I initially tried the 796. i think the adrenaline and excitedness (?) blocked it out the first time so going to try another ride some time next week.

btw good so see a few people from the south - currently near fareham myself!

[SunEye]

1) Do you need to part ex the Triple? You don't get a great price. I was offered just as good from webuyanybike.com as any part ex I was offered for my Kawasaki ZRX1200R when I bought the M1100. That's about 25% less than I'd get selling private and about 40% less than a dealer would try to sell the bike for.

Take the Triple to a Triumph dealer and see if they'll sell it for you. Usually the way it works is that you state the amount you want for the bike (more than the part ex price and less than the dealer will sell it for) and they sell it for you. They put the bike in their showroom and advertise it, you just sit back and wait for it to sell. Then they give you the amount you asked for and keep the rest. Often you'll get not far off what you'd get selling privately. My ZRX needs a service before I can sell it privately, but the dealer will do that when they sell the bike on. That makes up the difference between me selling privately and getting a Kawasaki dealer to sell it for me.

2) As far as service costs go have a chat with Moto Rapido in Winchester I'm sure they'll give you an honest answer.

3) I was riding 1100cc and 1200cc water cooled in line 4s with wet clutches and standard exhausts for 10 years before the M1100, so I'm used to bikes being smooth and quiet. I don't think that the dry clutch on the M1100 is particularly noisy with the standard cover on it although my bike has carbon Termis, so they cover some of the clutch noise. Anyway it's a Ducati, they're supposed to sound like that ;)

[randall356]

SunEye - good idea about trying Triumph, I will try that after my second test ride.

Just out of interest how come you recommend Moto Rapido in Winchester? I see you are from Chichester (nice place by the way - i did my army training there) isnt CMW there?

[rac3r]

One thing you HAVE to do is get aftermarket cans, they don't have to be Termi's but trust me you will thank me for the awesomeness :D

[SunEye]

I bought my bike from CMW. CMW weren't interested in having me test ride their M796 (or was it a M696) demo bike because I was interested in the M1100 and they wouldn't let me ride the M1100 even though I wanted to buy it because it had never been on the road.

I got a test ride on a M796 at Pro Twins and on an M1100S at Moto Rapido, just by phoning up and asking. Pro Twins let me ride a bike that only had 60 miles on the clock and Moto Rapido managed to find an 1100 from somewhere (it wasn't theirs) just to let me have a ride. So it comes down to customer service. I'll buy a bike from whoever gives me the cheapest price. CMW had the bike I wanted and I got them to match a price from Ducati Aylesbury.

I'll get my servicing and advice from somewhere I get good customer service. I've known Pete at ProTwins for over 10 years and he's married to my friend's cousin, which is why I had my first service and suspension setup done there. I recommended Moto Rapido to you because it's not far from you and they went out of their way to sort out a test ride for me and were nothing but extremely helpful. I have also never heard anyone say anything negative about them.

CMW managed to drop my Kawasaki when they had it in for an MOT. As a result of that I had to ride the bike across France with a scratched fairing and screen and one very non matching mirror. Although they repaired the damage well when I got back from holiday they struggled to find a replacement screen. I had to point them to the UK importer of MRA screens because they seemed incapable of finding out where to get an MRA screen from. They could have just phoned Alf's in Worthing (Kawasaki dealer) where I bought the screen from. It was a genuine Kawasaki aftermarket part.

Mel who looks after the clothing at CMW is a good friend of my flat mate and has always given me great service (even before I knew my flat mate) so I would still go to her to buy clothing and accessories I just would never have my bike serviced or repaired by CMW.

[randall356]

Hey guys.

I have updated the thread linked at post 1. In a nutshell I had a second ride of an 1100s (except this time for an hour) and couldnt get on with it.

This morning I tried a 696 at CMW and fookin loved it! It was brilliant. Lightweight, revvy, hitting the redline on WOT (something I have never done on my Triumph) I just had so much fun.

There are several Monster 696's on Autotrader for around £5000 (which is my budget) so looking at the one at Three Cross Motorcycles tomorrow. Its quite cheap at £4500 - anyone happen to know anything about this bike?

Cheers guys

Stu

[steeevvvooo]

nice to see someone not going for more power!

Good luck with the hunt. :thumbsup:

[kev s4r]

hi randall, did we meet at 3x a couple of weeks ago? you followed me to crescents for a look at there bikes.

[randall356]

Nope not me. Unfortunately I phoned 3 x today and they sold that 696 a while ago - it's really annoying when they don't update their online stock list.

I've emailed 3 private owners on autotrader today so I will see which ones get back to me. A couple are over the 5 grand that my budget is but they already have Termis fitted.