Whether you’re new to motorcycling or to the Ducati brand, there is no better way to get into either than with its Monster 696. From the look, feel, and sound of its air-cooled 696cc L-Twin engine cradled in the company’s legendary steel-trellis frame to its bold, curvaceous shape bathed in Ferrari Red paint, there’s no mistaking this bike for anything else other than a Ducati.
Although the Ducati Monster lacks some of the top-shelf technology as used on the Shiver, the basics are all here. A fixed 43mm Showa inverted fork along with Sachs hydraulic shock absorber cushioning the load out back. Equivalent-sized radial-mount front brakes, a friendly hydraulically-actuated clutch and a sharp looking Digitek digital display.
Climbing aboard the Monster 696 isn’t much of a climb at all, as it features a short 30.3-inch seat height. Its low seating position combined with its narrow width make it feel like you’re riding a minibike—that is if you’re six-foot-plus inches tall. Yet even for a tall rider the cockpit isn’t as crowed as you’d expect. The reach to the steel handlebars is equally as diminutive, which in turn creates a sportier riding position than the Shiver’s.
Reach out and grab both the brake and clutch lever and you’ll notice just how ridiculously light clutch lever pull is. Conversely the reach to the brake lever is slightly stretched and it cannot be adjusted like the Shiver’s. Thumb the starter button and the Monster’s air-cooled engine fires right up settling into a lumpy idle. However, sometimes when cold, the engine would stall and require a bit of warm-up before it could idle on its own. Pump the throttle a couple times and the engine roars with that unmistakable Ducati “vroom”. Press down on the gear shift lever, and slip the clutch and you’re off and running.
Whereas the Aprilia’s liquid-cooled engine makes power literally everywhere, the Ducati’s air-cooled mill puts out a subdued spread of power. For a novice rider this translates into absolute confidence, but for an experienced rider it feels downright slow. As rpms slowly increase a decently snappy mid-range is exposed, but it’s cut-short almost as soon as it starts, necessitating an upshift.
