New and Old Monster - Photo Survey

[Rory]

Hey all,

Kind of getting into this photography thing, so when Marie-Claude's new M696 showed up, I took a few pics of it alongside the M750 she had previously.

Click on the link below to see the pictures.



As you can see, there are great looking bikes, regardless of the generation...

[Markus]

Great pics!

Funny, they share many of the same lines, especially the profile of the tank and tail. And you can certainly see where the heritage for the new 696 came from. But when you see them independently one from the other they look like completely different bikes, to my eye anyway.

So, when do we get a ride report/comparo?

[Rory]

I'll try and do a comparison as soon as we get both the weather ang reg papers rectified!

My initial thoughts after a few short rides are that the new version is refined in many ways, but not enough to neuter the classic M groove.

The clutch/gearing is quite tall in first gear and the engagement point is out near the end of the lever, which is odd at first. However, the slipper-type clutch seems very nice on downshifts.

The bike feels very flickable and while the suspension may be budget compared to some of the more high $$ Ducs, it's worlds above the basic suspenders on the older models.

Anyway, more later after some meaningful rides.

Also, here's a link to my best pictures from the Superbike Race weekend:

http://altostrata.jalbum.net/Parts%20Ca ... index.html

[El Nino]

A red one - great choice. Just passed the 2,500km going to Digby and back and the bike is really starting to feel more alive and responsive. I know you need to keep the revs down but at a about 6,500+ the bike really wakes up and there is a noticeable difference!

Interesting to see the side by side comparisons. A nervous R&D team making subtle changes to an already great design I would imagine!

The other pics are great - time to change the daytime job soon!

[Mike_D]