Would a Monster do the job
 

Currently running a 916 which I have had for about 18 months.
As a mature rider I need something that will fit my 6ft 4 frame with a bit more comfort.
What I need is a bike I can use all the year round but will still stir my passion for italian flesh.
Do I go the Jap route and become boring on my Onda Ornet.
Is anyone using a Monster like this, what model shall I go for, will it do the job I want.
I will need to get my daughter on the back, shes only 14 and pretty light in weight but will need to pick her up from time to time.
I cant go through the winter on a 916, I will be on the floor all the time as the front washes out.

Multistrada!

Multistrada Did it for me !!!!!!

Ugly...I cant live with how they look at the front

They may be good but sorry..no way

You may find the Monster too small for you however. Rob nearly quit riding because of that he's 6'5". got a Multi & he's happy.

Do they handle ok and can you change the end cans

wet or dry clutch on the Multi

Monsters are good all round bikes,I went from a 916 to a monster750 and thence to an S2R and am quite happy with my choice.
Like all things it'll depend firstly on your budget and whether you'll want the water or aircooled engines,and how new or old your bike may be.
They are probably the most modifiable bike out there,easy to work on and bits are easy to come by.
Have a look here:-
http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/index.php
you can get pretty much all you need to know from there.

Well for a start, looks aren't everything :D

I quite liked the looks and changed from a S4 Monster to the Multi for the added pillion comfort and safety - my wife loved it - it's a perfect pillion bike.

They handle beautifully if you like upright riding positions and felt much more stable than the Monster. Put some Termi's on it and get rid of the cat - sounds great - there are other end can options

Standard Duc engine layout (air cooled) with standard dry clutch.

Try one - you could well be pleasantly suprised

You can change Cans and lots more properly great fun to ride!

If you don't like the Multistrada you may want to consider an ST. Basically, all modern monsters use the ST frame so an ST is a monster with clothes on. You can get different variants as well depending on what sort of Monster you were considering.

A two valver ST2 (at 944cc) is roughly equivalent to the 900/1000 2 valve monster in performance terms. These will be dirt cheap now, I reckon £1.5-2.5 would get you a reasonable one.

A four valver ST4 uses the 916 engine and will be nearly as quick as a 916 or Monster S4 which shares all the same cycle parts as the ST. These'll go for £2.5-£3.5K

The four valver ST4S uses a 996 engine and will be the equivalent of an S4R or 996 - Probably £3K+

If you look on the ST forum you'll see that their owners rate them as a superb all round bike, Ducati's best kept secret. They tour, they commute, they scratch and they even love trackdays. BDG, who has had loads of different bikes including 996R's and the like reckons that if he could only have one bike it would be the ST4S.

They are good for pillions with a bigger pillion seat than a monster, they'll take panniers if you've a mind to fit them but the biggest advantage for you is that they are fully faired.

With a Monster or a Multi, you've got acres of exposed engine that'll be a nightmare to keep on top of if you're reckoning to ride it through the winter, but the ST will lap it all up. Ride magazine did a test on riding through the winter on a whole bunch of bikes a few years ago and they were staggered to find that the Ducati ST2 won it - it scrubbed up better than all the Jap bikes, triumphs etc... Mine has been through 4 winters and still scrubs up OK.

Oh yeah...will it fit? Well I'm OK on one at 5' 9", but so is Martin Morell and they don't come much taller than him