My thoughts on the forks are that I never bothered adjusting the ones on my previous bike (GSX-R750 k6) and I rarely venture onto track so it's not really an issue.
Now you're wondering about the switch from Gixxer to Monster?
I got a 1 month ban for speeding in '08, on a demo 848 of all things. With hindsight I can see that I was riding like a twat (only in deristricted areas mind), and for the last year or so have ridden well within the realms of a 3 point slap on the wrist; Which is a pain on a bike which doesn't really make sense below 85mph.
I'd been toying with the idea of a Street Triple until I saw the 796 was coming out.
MotoRapido in Winchester were the only guys who'd let me demo their bikes having been banned; I took a Monster 1100 for a spin and enjoyed the ride, the style and the noise (oh the noise); And I took a Hyper796 out to gauge if the engine would be entertaining enough for me. It was (almost perfect for my riding these days) and I placed the order that day.
)
796 or 1100? I couldn't really justify the extra expense of the 1100 (although there are some tidy used ones out there) and tbh I think the 796 looks better with the black wheels and swingarm etc.
First impressions: Well bearing in mind i'm still running in the motor I'm loving it so far (fuel leak notwithstanding), Cruising round at 70 on A & B roads is now enjoyable and the noise is great, it pops like a goodun on 1st gear overrun and I'm looking forward to getting Termis fitted. The ride is on the firm side which is fine most of the time but can get a bit bumpy an very back lane B roads; Coming from a Gixxer though it's nothing unusual. Very impressed with the handling too; Whilst there's obviously less weight on the front than on a sportsbike once it's over and you're winding on the gas (to 6000rpm for now
) it feels lovely.
Oh, and it looks beautiful and gets admiring glances amongst the hordes of Jap sportsbikes.