2012 Ducati monster 696 or 2012 ninja 650r

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BPS88

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So I've narrowed my new bike down to either a 2011/2012 Ducati monster 696 or a 2012 ninja 650r. Has anyone compared these bikes? I'd love to hear the feedback. I'm upgrading from a Nina 250 with a year of riding. I'm not ino racing or looking for speed , more of lower rev/torque. Riding is mainly commuting across the gta, Sunday joy rides for 3-4 hours.

Thanks
 
depends what you are looking for...the duc will get the looks, hands down, but will be a very different ride from the ninja...as for going up from a 250, the duc will have plenty o' torque, but not the highend...
 
Riding a MC is special in it's own right. Both will certainly put a smile on your face. IMO, Ducati would be a great place to start but, the Kawi wouldn't disappoint either.

Cheers.
 
Similar riding position etc the duc is cooler but the ninja will be a little faster and has better wind protection. (get the 796 duc for the single sided swingarm to up the cool factor a little more)
 
Moving up from a 250, anything will feel like a rocket. Even a bicycle would feel like it has too much torque, hell, you can run faster than a 250. :)

Get a Ducati btw.
 
Ducati has more swag but I would get the Ninja for the wind protection, better speed and the fact that its liquid cooled. If you ride on the hot summer days (who doesn't on this forum), you'll thank me for getting liquid cooled as opposed to the air cooled Monster. It sets your crotch on fire.

If you are a casual rider, get the Duc...if you ride a lot and put in big km numbers get the Ninja.
 
thanks for the comments. As mentioned I too am concerned about wind protection on the Ducati and the heat aspect. those issues might just push me towards the 650r. I'm not concerned about speed as i don't ride fast, just out to enjoy the ride. What about maintaining the bikes, which requires less/lower cost?
 
You won't have any failure with the 650....cost will be more or less like any other bikes. The Ducuti i have no idea.
 
BPS88 said:
thanks for the comments. As mentioned I too am concerned about wind protection on the Ducati and the heat aspect. those issues might just push me towards the 650r. I'm not concerned about speed as i don't ride fast, just out to enjoy the ride. What about maintaining the bikes, which requires less/lower cost?
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I have ridden a naked up to 130km/h and I didn't experience any type of additional fatigue.
 
You'll get used to the lack of wind protection. Buddy has a new Kawi Z1000 (some wind protection but not really), and he says it is fine up to about 150km/h, then it gets a little bit much, but he can still do it for extended periods of time. You'd have to go over 200km/h for a couple of minutes to really start regretting that you bought a naked.

If you tour, the wind protection over days of riding will add up, and thus make it more important. For 1 day rides, or less, a naked will do just fine in my opinion.
 
I've been riding a naked for the last 2 seasons and it's fine up to 140-150 no problem. The added comfort you get from the upright seating (opposed to a supersport) more than makes up for the extra bit of wind.
 
BPS88 said:
thanks for the comments. As mentioned I too am concerned about wind protection on the Ducati and the heat aspect. those issues might just push me towards the 650r. I'm not concerned about speed as i don't ride fast, just out to enjoy the ride. What about maintaining the bikes, which requires less/lower cost?
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If you don't ride "fast", then wind protection is not something you should worry about. I ride a naked bike as well and even at highway speeds wind is not a problem. Hell crosswinds are easier on you when you ride a naked bike, as opposed to a fully faired one, less flat surface on a naked therefore less wind resistance.
 
The Road Warrior said:
If you don't ride "fast", then wind protection is not something you should worry about. I ride a naked bike as well and even at highway speeds wind is not a problem. Hell crosswinds are easier on you when you ride a naked bike, as opposed to a fully faired one, less flat surface on a naked therefore less wind resistance.
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Very good points, I never thought of the impact of crosswinds!
 
I will go with ducati
 
One thing to consider is if you buy the Duc, you will need to bring it to a Ducati technician to get work done. If you buy the Kawi, most shops can work on it, even if they aren't a Kawi shop. Parts are also much easier to get for the Kawi at any shop too.

The Duc has the cool factor over the Kawi though.
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