Just back from a few hours riding the Monster 796 and thought I’d put down a few words in case anyone is interested…
It’s always nice to put things in context so this is a comparison between what it feels like riding the mid-sized Monster compared to my own Yamaha MT-03.
The Monster is also a compact little bike but once on board the stretch forward to the bars makes it feel a bit bigger than it is.
I headed off for the countryside to stretch its legs a bit. Rolling through Croydon the 796 felt lumpy below 4000 revs and tbh it didn’t feel like the best bike for zipping around town. It feels like you want to change up from 1st at about 28mph but then when you snick it into 2nd it doesn’t smooth out until you get to 40, leaving an awkward zone in just the area you do all your filtering etc…so my tractable MT wins hands down in town.
Finally the road opened up and off she went. Awesome smooth torque all the way up to ‘as fast as I dare in a national limit’…
After the MT the power delivery of the Monster feels completely linear. Fast as you like on the straights, steady as a rock on the curves and bumpy as hell if you hit so much as a pebble. The brakes were not as strong as I expected but maybe they were just not bedded in properly.
I got used to the Monster riding position after a couple of hours but getting back on my MT afterwards felt like sitting on a sofa by comparison (despite its suspension being wound up to max). The Monster doesn’t have an exteme riding positon but compared to the upright urban motard bike it does. When you’re going hell for leather round the Kent 'A’s this is a positive benefit but anywhere slower and personally I prefer the better vision and imo the better low speed control you get with the MT.
Having said that it was a bit wet and greasy in places today and apart from over the bumps the Ducati tracked beautifully round corners. Oh and it sounds gorgeous in the mid-rev range and looks not half bad.
So to sum up this bike is light (not as light as I’d like), decently quick (I managed to scare myself on the brakes…), and creamy smooth.
…but it’s not the bike for me…
My bike may not have the outright ommph but it would still give this a run for it’s money at the lights given the Monsters low rev manners and since I ride 70% of the time in the city the top end Ducati hit is mainly wasted on me. I can imagine it is just right for a mountainous region of Italia though…
It’s a matter of taste but to me the Twin is bewitching and properly rapid but it just doesn’t have the same character as a big Single.
When I handed the keys back Paul at In moto (thanks Paul btw) suggested I might prefer the KTM 690 Duke as it is just like my current bike but with more power…and when I think about it that’s basically what I want- my bike with all it’s ‘good bits’ but with a bit more power…
…I’m sure I’ll still find an excuse to try out a few other options in the meantime…what a great way to spend a sparkling autumn morning. 
Oh and I’ve no idea what the fuel economy was…
