Monster - A disapointment...

Well it has been 2 weeks of riding my M600. I have probably 2 dry days to ride it and the rest has all been wet or damp rides mainly to work and 500miles covered and it hasn't been what I imagined.

You should never meet your heroes becuase they always let you down. Well that has happened... But let me explain.

When I first saw a picture of a monster several years back it gave me the same sensation as "accidently" walking in on Kelly Brook in the shower and now that I have my own Monster I get the same sensation when I look at it and almost have "sudden moments of esctacy" when riding. However not is all that it seems.

When I imagined riding a Monster I thought it would be like riding Casey Stoner's Ducati - an untamed beast. A monster breaking loose if you will. However what I have found is something that is comfortable and easy to ride and this has suprised me no end. When you get on it and ride through the daily traffic through the cities and towns it behaves like a small 125 commuter albeit with it's aggressive looks.
But commuting riding is not what it was built for. If you want that go and buy a Honda CBF600 and play with the corporate, soulness, no nonsense that is Honda. This is a different machine. The monster craves the big open country roads. It wants to be thrown into corners and wants the power to be applied.
Unlike my little 125cc Yamaha it doesn't allow mistakes. If you make a mistake on the Monster it punishes you and you have to thank it for pointing out your error (like a dominatrix... Wait I'm dressed in leather when this happens...) This in no-nonsense riding. While a simple middle weight can make you a good rider, the Monster can make you great.
The next issue I have is the reliabilty. Aren't Ducati supposed to be unrealiable and impractical? I am so dissappointed at this as mine doesn't live up to the stereotype. After changing the plugs when I first got it (as it wouldn't start at all) it has been bulletproof. It starts first time everytime. I have left it in the rain outside and after a 7-hour evening shift I walk to the bike praying to the Gods of sparkplugs that she will start and sure thing it does! What a disappointment.
With that all said, the monster has the one thing that I am not disappointed with at all - SOUL. Soul in a machine is something that cannot be bought or engineered. It's crafted in with every touch of a draftsman's pencil. With everyline of the designer's imagination. It's there.
How can this be defined? Its in the way that you walk away from it backwards because you don't want to take your eyes off of it. It's the way that you rev the engine at traffic lights just to hear that engine. It's the way that it makes you feel like Steve McQueen when riding.
This has been prooved to me over and over again over the last two weeks. I pulled into a service station to adjust my helmet this week and all people who were sat in the cars around me had their eyes glued to it. One guy who was trying to control his kids even got distracted by it even though he had a 5 - year old screaming at his heels. As I rode out, 2 suits drinking coffee smiled and stared longingly at it. - It's a work of art.
Just this morning when pushing it up my drive in the pooring rain, a little old lady walked passed me. Stopped. Turned around and said to me "Wow what a lovely bike: great colour". That is the essence of the machine. Something that makes men feel like boys, something scary yet refined.
Okay, so it's not the fastest bike on the planet and it does have it's faults but when it comes down to it the monster has the one thing that is becoming more and more rare these days - Soul. That's why I am buying a Batman costume so I can pretend to be Batman when I ride it.

[Yorkie]

Again good write-up, are you a sales person? Do you work for Ducati?

Yorkie

[J.P]

That's you done then. You've been Monstered.

[uksurfer]

another satisfied monster owner, a bike for all occasions!
________
FORMULA BMW

now you've seen the light! now may I suggest finding yourself a 900 lump?oh, and what a brilliant write-up

[LouSCannon]

Heheh nice one, but shhhh don't tell everyone, otherwise they'll be as common and chavvy as GSXRs

[LVC]

Always a pleasure to read your posts Ginger - you express very well the feelings we all have for our mounts

Once you've tamed the beast that is a M600 don't worry there are plenty of bigger engine options which'll remind you who's boss

Couldnt of said it better myself!

Originally Posted by LouSCannon

Heheh nice one, but shhhh don't tell everyone, otherwise they'll be as common and chavvy as GSXRs

the one thing that journos at bike mags constantly miss when reviewing ducatis

Another two weeks and you'll find yourself chatting away with it like a personal friend, however it won't pretend i's 1958 Plymouth Fury called Christine so don't get too worried about.

It's like all you wanted was 'a physical thing - no complications', and now the bike wants 'a relationship'. Probably turn out to be a bunny boiler.

Cheers guys. Glad you like my reviews. I have no training in writing I just say what I think and I read a lot of motorcycle magazines and reviews but I think that would be a great job. I'm and engineering student and anything new in engineering especially bikes excites me.

I'll be sure to post more reviews on events and riding as it happens...

On another note, Did anyone see that batman motorcycle leathers in MCN today? Man that looks cool!!!!

Good write up, you had there for a second

[JerryXt]

nice write-up. You should try an S4Rs - when you open the taps on that, you have to be prepared for anything!

Originally Posted by JerryXt

nice write-up. You should try an S4Rs - when you open the taps on that, you have to be prepared for anything!

The S4Rs is next after my current S4R and the taps sure do run on the S4R, god knows what it is like on the s.