[Curly]

Hi, all. I rode the 939 Supersport a few days ago and thought I'd share my thoughts.

It's a very nice bike. The up/down Quickshifter was really great. It's quick and sounds good with the stock exhaust. I liked the whole package overall.

That said, I found the bike very, very similar in overall riding experience to my M696. I found the 939SS to feel very similar in ergonomics to my M696. My M696 felt noticeably lighter and more agile but the 939SS definitely has more power. But the 939SS is not heavy and the M696 is not slow! So these are subtle distinctions you can only notice riding them back-to-back.

Net net, I really enjoyed the 939SS and think it's a very nice machine. I would not, however, stop riding my M696 for the 939SS. The riding experiences were far too similar to me. If I were buying a bike brand new today, I would seriously consider the 939SS. I think the new Monsters are too upright for me as far as ergos. I like the more aggressive ergonomics of the 939SS relative to the current Monsters. But if I wanted a very different feeling experience, then coming from an M696 I'd probably go 899/959 Panigale.

If you own one, cheers to you!
-Curly

 

[rz33v4]

Hi, all. I rode the 939 Supersport a few days ago and thought I'd share my thoughts.

It's a very nice bike. The up/down Quickshifter was really great. It's quick and sounds good with the stock exhaust. I liked the whole package overall.

That said, I found the bike very, very similar in overall riding experience to my M696. I found the 939SS to feel very similar in ergonomics to my M696. My M696 felt noticeably lighter and more agile but the 939SS definitely has more power. But the 939SS is not heavy and the M696 is not slow! So these are subtle distinctions you can only notice riding them back-to-back.

Net net, I really enjoyed the 939SS and think it's a very nice machine. I would not, however, stop riding my M696 for the 939SS. The riding experiences were far too similar to me. If I were buying a bike brand new today, I would seriously consider the 939SS. I think the new Monsters are too upright for me as far as ergos. I like the more aggressive ergonomics of the 939SS relative to the current Monsters. But if I wanted a very different feeling experience, then coming from an M696 I'd probably go 899/959 Panigale.

If you own one, cheers to you!
-Curly

Curly, I respect your opinion on the SS939, but there is something you didn't mention as a difference between your M696 and the SS939 - the fairing. After owning bikes with and without bodywork, I'll take wind protection, thank you very much.

 

[Curly]

Good point! I only rode around town at no more than perhaps 45 MPH. At those speeds, wind protection or lack thereof wasn't an issue.

 

[Stick]

What about heat? At a glance, I see that the new SS has a straight shot - line of sight view to the rear of the radiator (looking forward, just inside each side of the fairing.)

I would think that at slower speeds, this would just waft heated air right to your shins.

Our older ST models had "air conveyers" built into each side of the fairing that tosses the heated air (from radiator) out each side. Again, this would be a slower speeds.

 

[saddleup]

The Monster 696 and the Supersport couldn't be more different. The Supersport simply stomps the Monster in every measurable aspect of performance.

 

[bruce19]

The Monster 696 and the Supersport couldn't be more different. The Supersport simply stomps the Monster in every measurable aspect of performance.

That would be my guess. It would be interesting to see some stats. Even more interesting to ride them back to back.

 

[saddleup]

I've ridden a 696 a few times. I had a 258 km test ride aboard a Supersport yesterday. The only real similarities between the two are they are both Ducatis with L twin engines.

 

[Curly]

I'm sure the 939SS trumps the M696 in performance.

But I'm an amateur rider and my ride on the 939SS was only about 20 minutes at speeds up to 40-50 and under those conditions, they felt really similar to this one guy. The riding position felt basically the same. The 939SS didn't feel that much faster to me than the M696 up to 40 MPH or so.

I'm sure I was also not riding very aggressively as it was the dealer's demo bike and not my own.


Anyway, just one man's opinion. It's a nice bike! I would not trade my M696 for it, however, if I wanted something that felt very different. My two cents.

Cheers!

 

[jahjah]

I'm sure the 939SS trumps the M696 in performance.

But I'm an amateur rider and my ride on the 939SS was only about 20 minutes at speeds up to 40-50

Cheers!

Honda Grom range

 

[Curly]

I'm sure the 939SS trumps the M696 in performance.

But I'm an amateur rider and my ride on the 939SS was only about 20 minutes at speeds up to 40-50

Cheers!

Honda Grom range

So sad but true. Such is life with a dealer in downtown Chicago.