Hello from SE London

[simontt]

Hi everyone. My KTM Duke 125 was stolen a month ago and now signed up to do the DAS next month with a view of getting the first big bike, hopefully a 796 ABS.

Vy the way, is the 796 best choice compared to the 696 and the 1100 evo?

[steeevvvooo]

can't comment on the new monsters as I have an older one, but welcome to the club anyway. Where abouts in SE London are you? Lots of us around in London/Kent/Essex :)

[Scott1]

Hi Simon, I'm from SE London and I've got a 696. I think it depends on a lot of things, I've been riding for quite a few years and I find the 696 has plenty of poke for me but I do most of my riding in town, I think the 1100 might be a bit jerky for lots of traffic riding, I'm 5,11 and find it pretty comfortable, people might say the 696, maybe the 796 is very much entry level but it depends on what you want.

[Musty]

Hi Simon and welcome!

I passed my DAS in April last year. I went for the 696 as I did plenty research and many recommended it as a great first Ducati. There is plenty of power which can still get you into lots of trouble, but its great to ride and never fails to leave a smile on my face. It corners beautifully and feels very stable. It's also quite light. so less chance of dropping it on the floor, but still very possible. Around town its great, but you might find changing the front sprocket helps slow riding a bit.

I'm sure others on here will tell you more about the 796 as a first bike... :)

[J.P]

well done on making the move to do your D.A.S and good luck to you.
Your first problem (I live in Lewisham, Kent !) is that to insure a bigger capacity & more expensive bike, that's not garaged, in S.E London is going to be tricky. Unless money's not a problem.
In which case the 796 gives you the best of an easy first bike but with a bit more oomph than the smaller 696. And you'll find you might want that oomph as your experience increases.

I've only been riding for 5 years, so the progression onto bigger bikes is fresh in my mind.

Once you've passed your D.A.S get yourself signed up to the IAM in your area for some very cheap, life skills training.

And keep an eye on the London & Kent sections of the forum for what's going on in the S.E of England.

[Nottsbiker]

Welcome :)

TBH I'd have the 1100 Evo but I'm 37 and have been riding bikes for 21 years now, if I was you I'd be looking at the smaller ones as they will be less intimidating and easier to learn on moving onto bigger bikes some years later.

[simontt]

I prefer the single swing arm on the 796 and with 7 bhp more than the 696, the power increase does not seem overwhelming. To be honest I would be glad with just about any Ducati!

I am only too aware of the learning curve in controlling a heavier bike with 5 times + the power of the little Duke, so would also consider a used exmaple of the 696 circa 2008 which cost almost half of a new 796 ABS, would it be a viable option (in terms of reliability - presumably it's out of warranty) and no ABS.

The bike will be used for a 25-mile daily commute to central London, so a lot of greasy bus lanes, traffic lights and filtering.

[Scott1]

Hi simon, my commute is similar, I have a 2008 696, no ABS but the brakes are fine and since last April the only thing that has gone wrong with it, is I needed a new side stand switch, I bought it with carbon termis, tons of DP and carbon extras, with 3000 miles on the clock, full service history for under £4,000, if you keep hunting you'll get something that you want and it sounds like you've got some time.

If you get one, definitlely try and do at least a Bike safe course with the Met Police, they are very good at sorting out your flaws, if you have any that is :)

[Pomp1]

Hi and welcome, hopefully a ride out will be organized soon!

[Spareparts]

Hi Simon, and great news about doing your DAS and choosing a Monster. I would go for the 796 imo as the additional power and aesthetic improvements will always be worth it: I suspect you will always wish you had gone for a 796 if you had a 696, but never the other way around if you went for a 796 to begin with. The actual performance differences will be more a function of your still growing bike skills than of the bike itself.

[simontt]

Almost decided on M796, that means the Hypermotard 796 also becomes a consideration. Mechanically speaking are they almost identical? Which one would handle more similar to my KTM duke 125? I would need to test ride both but feel that the test ride will not reveal anything due to the location of the dealer (in the city) and my novice status. Has anyone considered both before deciding on the M796?

[Spareparts]

Almost decided on M796, that means the Hypermotard 796 also becomes a consideration. Mechanically speaking are they almost identical? Which one would handle more similar to my KTM duke 125? I would need to test ride both but feel that the test ride will not reveal anything due to the location of the dealer (in the city) and my novice status. Has anyone considered both before deciding on the M796?

Never ridden a Duke125, but I did have a Hyper796 for a few days on loan. The 796 engine is a very good little motor, but I'm don't rate the Hyper796. It's what I call a microwave bike, instant gratification but not much depth of flavour. :rolleyes:

[simontt]

If only I could ride it like Jim Carey does in Yes Man, gratification alone would be more than enough!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcCKM4I337s

[simontt]

Passed Mod1 last Sunday and Mod2 yesterday - finally can start the purchasing process.

Noted that the seat height of the 696 is 770mm and 800mm for the 796, are the seats interchnageable -my training bike was a CBF600 with 770mm which inspires confidence with both feet on the ground.

[Pomp1]

Well done on passing!

[Funkatronic]

congarts simon

ducati make a lowered seat for theses bikes if you find its too tall

[He11cat]

Don't forget it's really easy to have a seat sculpted.
You can have some foam taken out and cover put back on.

Some of the newer bikes come with an option that you can buy a lowered seat.
So may be you could ask .
Congrats on pass.

[MrsC_772]

I'm 5'2 1/2 with 28" inside leg and ride a 696 with a standard seat, and it's fine.

I did sit on a 696 at the dealers with the lowered seat but didn't feel there was much difference compared with the standard seat.

[dazzpowder]

Im 5.3 and can still only tip toe on my 796 monster which makes walking the bike back in to a parking bay awkward. I have the low rider seat fitted but have just ordered the suspension clevis from the 696 so this should lower the ride another 1/2 inch or so. Will let you know how I get on if your still interested

[Martin Duke]

Hi Simon - congratulations on your pass. I have done a "Bikesafe" course and it is well worth checking out - ask also about "Ride to Arrive" - a two day course, really good too.

[simontt]

Thank you everyone, signed up on a new pre-egistered (last month) 1100 evo with Ducati alarm, lower seat and evotech tail tdy to be installed for collection next week - can't wait.

[simontt]

Got the bike and managed to ride for the first time to the office in one piece!

First impression is the idling - the engine doesn't like anything below 2.5 or 3k rpm or you'll get the "about to stall" sensation on the move or for clean get away .

Also the heat from the engine is very noticable - mainly at traffic lights / idling, not unbearable but very warm.

Are these observations normal?

Will the engine loosen up sgnificantly after the 600-mile service?

[J.P]

1) No V-twin likes low revs and will feel very 'chuggy' in town.
2) Oh course it's going to get hot, it's not moving enough to cool the engine down and all that heat's going right up your crotch.
3) You may want to investigate getting a 14-tooth front sprocket fitted to help the low speed characteristics.
4) Yes the engine will loosen the more it's used, same for gear selection too.

[Spareparts]

I found that fitting a full Termi system with DP ECU transplant made a world of difference to my S4RS when confined to urban environments.

Would the 1100 Evo respond in the same positive way?

[simontt]

1) No V-twin likes low revs and will feel very 'chuggy' in town.
2) Oh course it's going to get hot, it's not moving enough to cool the engine down and all that heat's going right up your crotch.
3) You may want to investigate getting a 14-tooth front sprocket fitted to help the low speed characteristics.
4) Yes the engine will loosen the more it's used, same for gear selection too.

Getting more used to the bike after surviving the first week commute, especially low speed town riding (by keeping the revs around 3k rpm), the engine heat and findng neutral.

I could forsee total low speed control over time, but would be interested to see how big a difference a 14T front sproket makes in smoother progress.

Is it available officiailly from Ducati as a DP part? If so, how much does it cost to supply and fit? Preusmably if it's a DP part the warranty would not be invalidated and there will be no downside of this mod?