Hi from sunny Cheshire :-)

Hi all!

I've been lurking on here for a while now so figured it was time to say hello!

I was looking at getting out of bikes since selling my GSXR600 last year (trying to put my responsible hat on) but I've always been a fan of Monsters and the sunshine and lure of two wheels has really got me fired up to get one!!

I had a test ride on a 696 a couple of years ago and loved the riding position (I'm a bit of a shorty), looks and handling. However I did find it a bit short of oomph, but I can't decide for me whether that's a good thing or not...

The roads here are fairly open and fast, and it was all too easy to end up doing silly speeds on my Suzuki, so I figure an unfaired bike is definately the way to go, and it's looking like a Monster. I'm just not sure whether I'd crave more performance in the long run from a 696?

I also ideally don't want a huge amount of cash tied up in a bike as I don't get out much, so don't want something that's potentially going to be sat in my garage losing money and getting little use.

So the question is folks, what else should I be considering? I can see for example that the S2R800 has similar on paper performance to the 696, but how does this translate on the road? How do the other earlier Monsters compare?

Any advice appreciated!