The CB1100 Community Forum

112 hp, 66 foot/pounds torque, 396 lb dry weight, adjustable seat height, 8 level traction control, 3 level braking control. MSRP $10,995!

I've never ridden a 2 cylinder street bike, especially not like the Ducati....what's it like?
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/28/ducat...-official/

And that left side is a busy mess....
http://i0.wp.com/www.asphaltandrubber.co...821-05.jpg

Somehow looks a little cleaner than the new 1200. Maybe it's the lack of that fender hugger thingy. I've always like Monsters. Will own one someday when I have money coming out of my ears.

I have ridden my son's 696 Monster. Not as torquey as you'd think, must be kept boiling. Loves to be above 6,000 rpms. You sit right over the front end and have to look down to see the instruments. It carves corners like crazy, and with the Termignoni pipes sounds wild. However he calls it his 50 mile bike. He won't ride it more than 50 miles from home. It has not been the most reliable machine, plagued with oil leaks, electrical gremlins and a locked up transmission. Nearest dealer is a two hour each way trailer ride.

On the other hand, his wife's cousin bought a 796 Monster and I asked him last Monday at a Mem Day breakfast, and his has not had any of the issues my son has in 4,000 miles.

I have ridden my brothers Monster 695 and I thought it was a blast but also noted that it needed revs. At 821cc, the new one might be better balanced. I had always thought 750cc - 850cc was the sweet spot for displacement. Of course, a certain recent Honda product has changed my opinion a bit.

I think Ducati has lost their way styling-wise. The Multis, the Hypers, the Monsters...they just don't grab me the way the older Ducs did. I was really looking hard at the HyperStrada at the same time I was considering the CB (I know, pretty different bikes) but I just couldn't get past how fugly the damn thing is. Then again the GT Classics, which I thought were gorgeous, were a big flop from a sales perspective.

I sure wish I'd bought that Paul Smart 1000 for $13k when I had the chance. Geez...

I currently own 6 ducatis, 3 are vintage, two are sportbikes and the last is my touring bike. I've also owned many other ducs over the last several years and all of them have been 100% reliable for me. Been on a month long trek on the Multistrada covering thousands of miles and it has never let me down or given one second of trouble. Two of the Ducatis I have see frequent track use (abuse), they are ridden hard, at the redline much of the time, and they are also problem free and require pretty much nothing - just jump on and ride.

Ducati vtwins are not like a cruiser style vtwin with big torque and low RPM. They are built for performance and rev up to 10 or 11000 even 12000 RPM depending on the model. They really don't work well below 4000 and a good cruising rate is between 5000 and 7000RPM, above 7K they really start to come alive.

Ducatis are designed to handle like a race bike and many models are not great in traffic or around town - some are better than others for commuting and traffic but in general where they really shine is on the track or in the canyons.

Some bikes like the SBK and the Streetfighter are hot and cantankerous on the street and aren't happy until they are going about 100mph. Other models like the multistrada and the hyper are fantastic in daily riding situations and never miss a beat, even in traffic.

I think my multistrada is far and away the best all-around motorcycle I've ever experienced - works in the city, on the highway, in the canyons, and even on gravel roads - it's the ultimate sport touring bike. I ride it two-up much of the time and mostly for longer trips.

Hope that gives you a sense of riding a Ducati. And, don't believe the past myths about reliability, aside from a few lemons that any manufacturer gets (sorry ferret) Ducatis are just as reliable as any other brand.

(05-29-2014, 12:52 AM)Flynbulldog_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I currently own 6 ducatis, 3 are vintage, two are sportbikes and the last is my touring bike. I've also owned many other ducs over the last several years and all of them have been 100% reliable for me. Been on a month long trek on the Multistrada covering thousands of miles and it has never let me down or given one second of trouble. Two of the Ducatis I have see frequent track use (abuse), they are ridden hard, at the redline much of the time, and they are also problem free and require pretty much nothing - just jump on and ride.

Ducati vtwins are not like a cruiser style vtwin with big torque and low RPM. They are built for performance and rev up to 10 or 11000 even 12000 RPM depending on the model. They really don't work well below 4000 and a good cruising rate is between 5000 and 7000RPM, above 7K they really start to come alive.

Ducatis are designed to handle like a race bike and many models are not great in traffic or around town - some are better than others for commuting and traffic but in general where they really shine is on the track or in the canyons.

Some bikes like the SBK and the Streetfighter are hot and cantankerous on the street and aren't happy until they are going about 100mph. Other models like the multistrada and the hyper are fantastic in daily riding situations and never miss a beat, even in traffic.

I think my multistrada is far and away the best all-around motorcycle I've ever experienced - works in the city, on the highway, in the canyons, and even on gravel roads - it's the ultimate sport touring bike. I ride it two-up much of the time and mostly for longer trips.

Hope that gives you a sense of riding a Ducati. And, don't believe the past myths about reliability, aside from a few lemons that any manufacturer gets (sorry ferret) Ducatis are just as reliable as any other brand.

Nice write up and awesome bikes!

Yea it's a shame Bulldog. My son wanted a Ducati since he was a kid. Finally he met the right girl and she bought him (without him knowing it) the Ducati Monster for a wedding present. He says due to sentimental reasons he will never get rid of it, but if it weren't for that, it would have been in someone else's garage long ago. Luckily he bought the 5 year extended warranty from Ducati. On that bike it has paid for itself several times.

I do believe there are reliable Ducati's, it just isn't his.

She gave it to him on their wedding day (that's her Ninja 300 in the background)

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/2009_06270058.jpg.html]