I have to say I'm toatally smitten with my 696, which is odd....
I've ALWAYS likes Monsters, and when I saw the first 696 pic my immediate reaction was "They've ruined the Monster". I even said as much to my missus who has a 695.... I've ridden her 695 and liked it bit it's a bit soft and underbraked for me compared to my last bike, a 2001 Speed Triple, which I was happy with.
Then I saw a black 696 in the dealers when we went to get her a new screen.
Now, the black is minging TBH, but the bike just looked so....right.... Proportions, stance. Lovely. Then a couple of weeks later I saw a white one at Brands Hatch (The BSB meeting when it snowed) and I couldn't stay away from it. Just lovely. I sat on it, it felt tiny, but spot on. So I went for a test ride.....
And I spent 30-40 miles simply laughing my head off. The intake noise is astonishing. 695s sound good, but 696s? Another thing entirely. If you've not ridden one, you just don't know, really.
I was totally smitten, and the test bike was a red 696+ which looked even better (To me) than the white. So I test rode a Multistrada, just to make sure, and it's an awsome bike, just not what I want right now. And now my teething problems are ironed out, and the first service done, I've got that feeling back again.
It just makes me laugh out loud when I open it up. And it might not be as fast as my S3, but it FEELS faster somehow and it might not handle as well, but I swear I'm chucking it into corners faster. It just feels right to do so. Whatever they've done to the 696, they got it right first time, IMO. Wonderful little bike.
It's the proof that big BHP and suchlike doesn't always make the bike, IMO.
