- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,544
- 924
- 126
Well, I took delivery of my 2012 Ducati Monster 1100 EVO (not a literbike) just over 2 months ago. I've put over 2,000 miles on it during that time including quite a bit of commuting so I thought I'd post a review.
First things first, the bike is just gorgeous. The paint looks like it was just dipped in a vat of Ferrari red, the attention to detail is amazing, and every piece of this bike looks like someone took the time to make sure it looked as pleasing as possible yet was as light and functional as possible.
The only problem I've had with the bike is a very intermittent stalling issue when downshifting. You pull the clutch lever in and the engine just quits. Press the starter button and it fires right back up so it's not really a huge issue and it only happened to me maybe 5-6 times. I did mention it to the dealer when I took it in for the first service at 640 miles but I don't think they really did anything to address it.
I've done some research on some of the Ducati forums and found that other owners of this bike have had the same problem. The consensus from Ducati is that it will go away as the bike breaks in. Anyway, mine hasn't done it in the last 600-700 miles so maybe that really is the case.
Riding impressions, I haven't had the opportunity to have the suspension tuned for me but I think the stock suspension is kind of harsh. Bumpy roads can really upset the bike and rider if you don't anticipate them and lift yourself up off the saddle before you hit them. Bumpy roads in a high speed corner? I don't even want to think about that. Fortunately, the worst roads around here are the freeways and some of the surface streets. The winding mountain roads are fairly smooth...which is where this bike shines.
The Ducati weighs in at 373 lbs dry so I figure around 410-420 lbs wet and topped up with 3.6 gallons of fuel, more on that later, so it is very easy to maneuver through city traffic or a winding mountain road. The bike just turns in effortlessly. You think about where you want to go and it just goes there. Brakes are excellent, chassis is excellent, and the engine has plenty of power to keep you entertained.
On to the engine, it is full of mechanical noises, not as bad as the dry clutch Ducatis because this Monster actually has a wet clutch but you still hear the mechanical tapping noises and lumpy idle at traffic lights. Pure Ducati I guess.
The exhaust is probably one of the best sounding stock exhausts I've ever heard. Ducati partnered with MIVV, maker of MotoGP bike exhaust systems to design the exhaust for this bike and they really did a nice job, this bike sounds fantastic. Deep and throaty and it really pops and burbles on decel.
Here's a clip of the Monster 1100 EVO
On to the bad, the tank is tiny. I ride 100 miles and the fuel light comes on. One thing I do like is that the onboard computer begins counting the miles you've ridden since the fuel light came on though and it does this without resetting either of the two trip meters. Nice touch!
Still, I can only ride to work and back once then to work again and I have to fill up on the ride home...kind of sucks spending so much time at the gas station. The seat isn't very comfortable either but I'm getting used to it. I might change it out eventually though...we'll see.
The stock mirrors are nicely sculpted and look good but they do vibrate quite a bit which makes picking out cops difficult at best. They also stick out farther than the handlebars which makes lane splitting a bit more challenging because they like to reach out and grab car mirrors. I only touched a mirror once shortly after I got the bike but I'm getting used to the width.
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires are showing little sign of wear, they warm up quickly and they grip at least as well as the Pilot Powers I had on my last bike. I like that the bike has ABS and traction control without any increase in cost over the previous Monster 1100.
Overall, I love the bike. It has gobs of thrust and is a joy to ride. Only mod so far was removing the ugly orange reflectors on the forks. Everything else is stock. Oh, and the first service cost me $240...about the same as my Suzuki did.
Great vid of this bike in the mountains of Italy I haven't had quite this much fun with it but I've come pretty close. It is a blast to ride. :biggrin:
First things first, the bike is just gorgeous. The paint looks like it was just dipped in a vat of Ferrari red, the attention to detail is amazing, and every piece of this bike looks like someone took the time to make sure it looked as pleasing as possible yet was as light and functional as possible.
The only problem I've had with the bike is a very intermittent stalling issue when downshifting. You pull the clutch lever in and the engine just quits. Press the starter button and it fires right back up so it's not really a huge issue and it only happened to me maybe 5-6 times. I did mention it to the dealer when I took it in for the first service at 640 miles but I don't think they really did anything to address it.
I've done some research on some of the Ducati forums and found that other owners of this bike have had the same problem. The consensus from Ducati is that it will go away as the bike breaks in. Anyway, mine hasn't done it in the last 600-700 miles so maybe that really is the case.
Riding impressions, I haven't had the opportunity to have the suspension tuned for me but I think the stock suspension is kind of harsh. Bumpy roads can really upset the bike and rider if you don't anticipate them and lift yourself up off the saddle before you hit them. Bumpy roads in a high speed corner? I don't even want to think about that. Fortunately, the worst roads around here are the freeways and some of the surface streets. The winding mountain roads are fairly smooth...which is where this bike shines.
The Ducati weighs in at 373 lbs dry so I figure around 410-420 lbs wet and topped up with 3.6 gallons of fuel, more on that later, so it is very easy to maneuver through city traffic or a winding mountain road. The bike just turns in effortlessly. You think about where you want to go and it just goes there. Brakes are excellent, chassis is excellent, and the engine has plenty of power to keep you entertained.
On to the engine, it is full of mechanical noises, not as bad as the dry clutch Ducatis because this Monster actually has a wet clutch but you still hear the mechanical tapping noises and lumpy idle at traffic lights. Pure Ducati I guess.
The exhaust is probably one of the best sounding stock exhausts I've ever heard. Ducati partnered with MIVV, maker of MotoGP bike exhaust systems to design the exhaust for this bike and they really did a nice job, this bike sounds fantastic. Deep and throaty and it really pops and burbles on decel.
Here's a clip of the Monster 1100 EVO
On to the bad, the tank is tiny. I ride 100 miles and the fuel light comes on. One thing I do like is that the onboard computer begins counting the miles you've ridden since the fuel light came on though and it does this without resetting either of the two trip meters. Nice touch!
Still, I can only ride to work and back once then to work again and I have to fill up on the ride home...kind of sucks spending so much time at the gas station. The seat isn't very comfortable either but I'm getting used to it. I might change it out eventually though...we'll see.
The stock mirrors are nicely sculpted and look good but they do vibrate quite a bit which makes picking out cops difficult at best. They also stick out farther than the handlebars which makes lane splitting a bit more challenging because they like to reach out and grab car mirrors. I only touched a mirror once shortly after I got the bike but I'm getting used to the width.
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires are showing little sign of wear, they warm up quickly and they grip at least as well as the Pilot Powers I had on my last bike. I like that the bike has ABS and traction control without any increase in cost over the previous Monster 1100.
Overall, I love the bike. It has gobs of thrust and is a joy to ride. Only mod so far was removing the ugly orange reflectors on the forks. Everything else is stock. Oh, and the first service cost me $240...about the same as my Suzuki did.
Great vid of this bike in the mountains of Italy I haven't had quite this much fun with it but I've come pretty close. It is a blast to ride. :biggrin:
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