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Ducati 696
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September 1, 2008 at 8:17 am #11501sammymanParticipant
You say its not a beginners bike because it is expensive. If a beginner bought the bike used (an older 620 or something) and wasn’t afraid of dropping it, could you recommend the bike then to a beginner?
September 1, 2008 at 9:44 pm #11519rtParticipantcongratulations on your’ new 696 Wang.
i’m recieving mine in 8 days.
I’ve currently got two other bikes that do other things.
this naked 696 will be strictly for fun!!!
frankly, if I thought there was a better bike in it’s catagory I would have bought it.
Just my opinion, it’s all personal preference.
I’ve ordered the sproket change to 14 to get a little lower gearing.
how much did your’ 600 mile service cost?September 11, 2008 at 6:39 am #11974NormGuestI’ve got about 250 miles on a new Ducati 696. It’s lots of fun. I haven’t owned street bike for about 15 – 20 years. My last was a KZ550. I rode a Honda XR 600 off road for a while also. It only took a couple of rides to feel comfortable riding on the street again.
I looked at the SV650 and just couldn’t get excited about another soul-less Japanese machine. Although, I’m sure they ride great and are $3000 less than the 696.For total beginners: get a used 250 – 350cc and learn to ride. It’s even easier to learn in the dirt. After that 500 to 650 is plenty of power. Who needs 500 or 600 lbs unless you’re going on long road trips or have to commute for an hour.
The 696 seat is a little uncomfortable. I like the riding position (not too bent over, no real pressure on my arms), but the slope of the seat keeps sliding me into the tank and onto the family jewels. I’m about 5’10”, 155 lbs. My legs are bent alot, but if you put the balls of your feet on the pegs it feels fine. The suspension is pretty stiff for my weight and bumps pretty hard on small pot holes, etc. Standing up a little helps with the bumps. I loosened the rear spring four turns which also helped a lot. The fronts not too hard, but I’m going to see if I can soften it up a little too.
The touring seat ($209) is flatter and a little higher which may help. I’ll try to demo it from the dealer. The dealer also suggested taking the seat to an upholstery shop, but that sounds like a crap shoot.
Thanks for reading.
“I wanted something red and Italian that ended with an i.”
September 11, 2008 at 7:11 am #11976RabParticipantNorm said:
“I wanted something red and Italian that ended with an i.”
‘ Could’ve saved yourself a whole lot of money if you’d bought a salami instead
You’re right though, I recently swapped from a Triumph Bonneville to a Japanese sport bike and although the latter is streets ahead in virtually every respect, it just doesn’t have the character of the Bonnie.
Still, it’s horses for courses and my Suzuki is the better freeway commuter (which is 90% of what I do on my bike).
Shame I can’t have 2 bikes (or 3, or 4…).
Glad you like your new Duck and they too, have a whole lot of character.
September 11, 2008 at 12:47 pm #11982CBennettParticipantI think we would be talking performance/specs on the engine not “looks” its the performance/weight that will have a deciding factor on if its a good beginner bike not what it looks like.
September 11, 2008 at 12:56 pm #11984CBennettParticipantAnd I see some of their good used/beginner bikes on that site include a 90’s Katana thats a pretty big(heavy) and powerful bike for a “beginners” bike even a early 90’s model. 86 HP and over 450 dry weight..seems much for a beginner.
September 11, 2008 at 1:56 pm #11990WeaponZeroParticipantI own an SV650 and while I’ll agree that it’s no Duc, I’d hardly disagree with “soulless”. I think that the whole “soulless” thing comes from the natural power delivery characteristics of an inline four, which Japanese manufacturers use in nearly all their sportbikes. I think you’ll find that if you get a V-twin powered bike, regardless of brand, it’s nothing like that and does have “character” as you put it.
September 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm #11993RupmiscParticipantYesterday I got to ride both a 696 and a Triumph Speed Triple (would have preferred Street Triple but none in area). The mini monster had custom pipes (which increased the noise level-not my cup of tea), but was otherwise pretty nice. Keep in mind that this was my first time ever on anything other than a Nighthawk 250.
Disk brakes, especially on the mini, were a change from drums, and a light touch was really called for. The mini needed a little more throttle to avoid stalling from a standstill, but was neither perfect nor awful below 3500 rpms. The rider’s position is slightly more forward than on either the Speed Triple or on a naked 650 SV, but not bad either. I would have preferred a little less bend in my knees. It would be nice if the reach on the brake and clutch were each adjustable. It was very light, and fun (although practice and self control would clearly be necessary on the move from a 250).
I actually thought that the Speed Triple was a bit less aggressive, even though technically more powerful. I wonder about the Street Triple (which is smaller, but also reflects cost control in its brakes and systems).
I haven’t ridden a Suzuki, or a Kawasaki twin 650. I am wondering if any of the Triumphs or the 696 would be OK as an “slightly experienced beginner’s bike”. If I had the nerve, I’d go with a larger bike with ABS, that could carry slightly more gear but still be fun. Like the Triumph Tiger?
September 11, 2008 at 4:18 pm #11995AndrewParticipantI would think that the Bonnevile and the Tiger would be less bad because they are twins but the Tiger is still a liter bike and the Bonneville has 865 cc’s. I still think they are better second bikes.
September 11, 2008 at 4:46 pm #11999RupmiscParticipantThanks. Maybe I should try the tiger. I just read a review of the Bonneville that suggested that it was very easy to lock the rear brake. Wonder if that is true.
I suppose less bad isn’t the same as good, though. Too bad I had such a poor experience with the BMW dealer, the new twin cylinder 600ish looks pretty good.
September 11, 2008 at 5:58 pm #12006AndrewParticipantHave you done much riding before? I like BMW’s they make nice bikes. They seem more oriented towards off-road and touring though. I like the Bonneville. It’s a nice retro bike that was very comfortable to sit on. I couldn’t afford it as a first bike though. I think the Ducati’s have the best look of all 3 but it’s unfortunate that they haven’t released a small bike here in the US. I’m assuming they may have smaller bike in Europe that they don’t export.
September 11, 2008 at 6:11 pm #12007AndrewParticipantA quick look showed that their smallest bike is in the 600cc range. So they realistically don’t make a beginner bike.
September 11, 2008 at 6:43 pm #12011RupmiscParticipantI haven’t done much, but as I put the first 1000 miles on the Nighthawk, I notice that I’d like a little more stability (and less vibration at 55 or more), the ability to carry a little more weight and gear. I like upright or a little forward but don’t expect to do high speed canyon carving. I have no problem changing bikes three times in two years. Emotionally, I’ll probably keep the Nighthawk forever just to ride occasionally, or let other family members learn on.
The Tiger seems to be sort of a do everything bike. But would it be an OK second? Or the Street Triple? Or the 696?
September 11, 2008 at 9:37 pm #12018AndrewParticipantI think they would be fine as a second bike. The main question is likely to be if your ready for the extra torque and HP after 1000 miles on the Nighthawk. Is there a chance you could test ride any of them to feel the weight and handling difference? I doubt your going to grab a bunch of throttle like a complete noob on an I4 would.
September 12, 2008 at 12:28 am #12021RupmiscParticipantAs I said (I think), I test rode the Ducati and the Speed Triple (the Street Triple was not available-they are hard to find). I can try a Tiger. I know that I’m a newbie and my opinion means less than that of someone more experienced. And yes, I have seen that article about people just wanting to get the answer they want to hear. So I am not going to ask what I should do. I am going to offer the following observations, for what they’re worth.
I am not going to grab throttle like a complete noob on purpose. Practice is truly necessary to help see that I wouldn’t do it in a fast situation.
One thing on this site, which I haven’t seen discussed, is that for those who begin on a bike with drum brakes getting used to disk brakes is a huge change, bigger than throttle. You get way more tactile feedback from drum brakes, making finding the max braking point easier. Brakes will be a bigger learning curve, for me, than throttle. Again, it would be key to practice stopping and slowing. Frankly, one of the reasons I’d even consider going bigger is for ABS on the Tiger or on a BMW.
Weight matters too. Balance at low speed, or no speed is harder. It feels different through turns. It takes a little more to lean.
Throttle may be the third most important thing. But, as Andrew and others say, throttle is important. On the other hand, a little more power, if handled well, is quite reassuring.
On the subject of the 696, it does need a little more goose from a start than the triumph (or the nighthawk does). I admit that I like a smooth ramp up of power.
Anyway, I don’t think the issue is primarily throttle, but a combination. I agree that at some point, maybe not yet, you need to take the next step. I would add that, as much as I love my nighthawk, maybe disk breaks on a small new bike (like the ninja 250) should be stressed as a good thing for a beginner.
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