Currently, there are two Ducati Monsters sitting in my garage (and before any of you start cracking jokes, they both run... at the moment). One is a red 2006 M620, the other a black 2009 M696. My first bike was a used M620, and I have loved Ducati since the first time I ever saw one. In fact, I'm pretty sure my desire for a Ducati is what made me finally get my motorcycle license.
I strayed, once, to a Triumph Street Triple R. It was a great bike with better torque, acceleration, and top speed than my Monster, but every time I got on it, I missed my old Monster. The sound of the engine just wasn't right, and the improvements to torque/acceleration/top speed/etc were nice but not life-changing.
After this experiment, I figured I would just stick with Ducati for the rest of my life... Until I test drove the 2018 Zero SR a few weeks ago. I preordered a Tesla Model 3, but they won't let me configure an AWD model yet; I figured if I'm buying an electric car, why not at least check out an electric bike?
Now, every time I hop on one of my Monsters, the gasoline smell is impossible to ignore (they aren't leaking, it's just the exhaust fumes). The acceleration on the Monster is better than Eco mode on the SR, but nowhere near as good as Sport mode. And the ridiculous heat from the engine is annoying, especially now that we're regularly hitting 90+ degrees here in Colorado (although I definitely welcome the heat on rides during December/January). I still love the sounds from the Termi exhausts, but I never noticed how jarring the vibration from the engine is.
A week or two after my test drive, I got an email about the $1500 off 2017 models promotion (and $500 off 2018s). I checked with local shops, and they had a red 2017 Zero SR with the Charge Tank upgrade. I sent over a $500 deposit yesterday, and my 2017 SR is getting delivered today in theory; fingers crossed. My roommate just signed up for the MSF class to get his motorcycle license because he wants to buy the red Monster from me. I know that the 2018 models have some improvements on range, but I'm expecting the 2017 will be just fine for me, especially with the Charge Tank.
I think that the red Monster might have been the last gas-powered vehicle I ever purchased.
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Topic: Just ordered my first electric motorcycle (Read 368 times)