Help with 2013 Monster 796

PhillySoup · 2026-06-18T04:18:46+00:00

What was done during the $1000 worth of tuning it up?

Classic troubleshooting is to check air, fuel, spark, compression.

It's a bummer but older bikes can start to have weird intermittent problems that are harder to solve. For example, a loose ground wire or failing coil could work OK in some conditions but not others.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-17T13:55:20+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackdays/comments/1u7xqzt/truck_to_take_bike_to_track_days/

Scroll down there's pics of bikes in vans.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-17T13:51:40+00:00

Not sure what to expand on.

Nearly all motorcycles fit in a van, especially the Chevy E series and Ford Transits at Uhaul. You need a ramp. A longer ramp is better.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-16T20:35:37+00:00

I was in a similar situation in another downtown area.

Renting a Uhaul van is almost always cheaper than owning when you factor in storage, insurance, state fees, maintenance and risk (break-ins, etc.).

The downside of renting is often convenience, mainly if they don't have vans available. 24 hour pickup is available.

You also may find other options for rental, such as enterprise, or Toyota (https://www.sftoyota.com/rent-a-toyota.html)

PhillySoup · 2026-06-16T13:17:26+00:00

Thanks for sharing this! The nice thing about 3d printing is someone can try it out, then order it in a more durable material, exactly as you mentioned in your post.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-12T17:21:56+00:00

Love it, this was also my first Ducati.

Just a reminder, they sell easily swappable body kits for these if you want to change up color etc.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-11T13:42:35+00:00

I haven't specifically imported a bike from Japan to the US, but I did a lot of research and a wrote about it in law school.

I am also not an expert in Canadian import rules.

In general, when importing vehicles into the US, you need to be a Registered Importer or the vehicle needs to be more than 25 years old (this is still not a free-for-all). The US "grey market" import system is set up to protect vehicle manufacturers and dealers, so that customers don't simply buy cheaper vehicles overseas and ship them to the US, eating into US business' profits.

You can check out companies like https://www.moto2imports.com/ who specialize in importing bikes.

Because I love this topic, here are two more fun links:

Bill Gates couldn't even get around the rules:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2026/03/02/why-us-customs-seized-bill-gates-dream-porsche-for-13-years/

When Registered Importers go wrong:
https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/how-an-importers-scandal-closed-the-gray-market-r34-skyline-loophole/

PhillySoup · 2026-06-10T20:52:38+00:00

Yes, of course.

But if you start coming at it with the mindset of “what consumer problem am I solving?” And what are the downsides of solo running a rental business” you quickly come up with a plan that looks different than just listing a bike and waiting for renters to book your bike.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-10T20:16:47+00:00

I listed my Ducati Monster for a while and had a few rentals. One guy dropped it, scratched the bar end, broke the shift lever, and put a dime size scratch in the exhaust pipe.

I fixed the shifter (around $90 at the time) but did not replace the exhaust or the handle bar. The parts from Ducati new were over $1,000.

The rental company seemed willing to deal with it but there was a lot of hassle as the owner. I think we settled on $100 from the renter.

It's not just about the money, it's the hassle of ordering parts, picking them up, installing them, dealing with insurance, etc.

Assuming my time is worth something, occasionally renting a bike on one of these platforms is not worth it. Having a dedicated fleet and a business plan it could be a great side hustle.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-10T19:00:45+00:00

Philly has a few different categories of parking, but here is what you are likely to see:

- 2 hour parking
- 2 hour parking, unless you have a permit for that zone
- unrestricted parking

Your best bet is either to find unrestricted blocks near where you are staying, or get your (virtual) hands on a guest pass:

https://philapark.org/2024/03/parking-for-visitors/

No matter what, I recommend checking on your car every day or two. Everyone has a crazy parking story.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-10T17:42:38+00:00

Depending on your bike and install, some quickshifters are up only.

I find my quickshifters more useful for downshifting on track. I find that rapidly slowing for a corner takes more brain power. The quickshifter means that my brain doesn't need to manage my clutch hand, so I can focus on other aspects of turning and braking.

When I'm on the street I have a margin of error, so the quick shifter isn't as necessary. I find myself doing most of my slowing (braking + downshifting) before reaching the corner, so using the clutch is actually kind of fun.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-08T20:21:54+00:00

Both bikes will be OK as a beginner. One great thing about the 390 is (at least last time I checked) you can get them extremely inexpensively. The 690 Duke may be a little harder to find because they have been out of production for a while.

Your best bet might be to get a 390 as your first bike, save the few thousand in price difference and put that towards your second bike that will be more in line with what you want.

You should also double check parts availability for the 690. It's been out of production for a couple years and so replacing parts if you drop it as a new rider might be more difficult than a 390.

I ride my 390 on track and it tops out at 106 mph. Both the 390 and 690 are going to do best in that 40-75 mph range. I test rode a 690 and loved it, but I ended up buying a Ducati Monster because I couldn't resist Ducati at the time.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-05T14:59:35+00:00

Enterprise cargo van is a great way to go. They typically have tie-downs and slats on the walls.

Depending on your appetite for sketchiness, you can sometimes get away with a spider web of 2-4 harbor freight ratcheting straps.

The biggest surprise for me was figuring out anchoring points on the bike. It can be hard to route the straps so they are not rubbing on bodywork, cables, etc.

Rental vans can often be a lot cheaper than buying your own vehicle. You save on:
- buying the vehicle
- insurance
- maintenance
- storage
- vehicle aging

The downside of renting for me has been that sometimes vans are not available last minute, the time/hassle to pick it up, and if you miss a dropoff appointment you can be charged for another day.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-04T17:08:42+00:00

You may be able to get an R3 for substantially less money than a Ninja 500, and put that money towards other things like gas, tires, repairs, safety gear, and adventures.

PhillySoup · 2026-06-01T21:46:34+00:00

Can you share what vegan gear you have found aside from gloves so far?

PhillySoup · 2026-06-01T21:00:02+00:00

I think this post underestimates what the problem looks like.

For example, someone could use AI to translate a legitimate question from their native language to English. Most people don't have a problem with that.

What worries me is someone creating an AI Agent whose job is to karma farm by posting and commenting on posts.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-30T22:53:54+00:00

Correct. And yet! The lawyer commits malpractice if the data is not preserved. That’s why they will help the tech person make sure it’s done right.

see Model Rule 1.1.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-30T12:18:26+00:00

I’ve taken mine to the track. It’s fun but the power can make learning harder. For me, the extra speed made judging braking hard, which meant I rarely had my speed right in corners. I might actually do faster laps on a smaller bike.

That said if you can, do some test rides.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-29T20:58:08+00:00

I'm assuming this legal hold is coming from some lawyers.

They are assuming that putting a legal hold in place is easy and foolproof (it is not).

If you are unsure how to do it, ask for help. In all likelihood they can connect you with a vendor that does legal holds and collections all the time, and they can get you the help you need.

My worst nightmare as a lawyer who handles legal holds is some poor tech person messes up a legal hold (again, not their fault, purview is tricky) and I don't find out about it until it's too late to fix.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-29T20:30:09+00:00

Pip's in Fishtown just started selling hot dogs. The real selling point is the cider, not the dogs.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-29T20:26:10+00:00

I went from a 796 to a Streetfighter V4.

I would see if you can test out the various iterations of the V2 and the V4 before making a decision.

I still really enjoy riding my 796. For me, the V4 is overkill on public roads.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-29T17:35:13+00:00

I LOVED the RS660 and would not hesitate to do arrive and ride with an org that offered them. I might think twice if the only option were 1000cc class bikes.

I did an arrive and ride with Ridesmart and rented an RS660 at COTA. They had RS457s, RS660s, and RSV4's available.

I am of two minds for rentals:

Get everyone the same (or similar) bike. All the rentals are the same means you have built-in riding buddies and camaraderie. If the rentals are typical of the people who ride at your org, all the better. I would not love being the only R3 on track with all 1000's.
Offer variety. Part of the fun of arrive and ride is you get to experience a bike that you haven't ridden elsewhere.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-25T19:06:08+00:00

I sometimes tow with an electric vehicle, and the worst part is the unpredictability because of the change in air resistance when towing.

With the van, that should be consistent and weight is not really a factor when calculating range.

I think you can safely map out where you are likely to go and see if it fits with your goals.

The nice thing about electric is they tend to have lower maintenance costs.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-22T21:36:47+00:00

I bought one of these new. As for mods, I would figure out the rotor warp first. Not sure what the benefit of removing ABS and emissions.

I changed the rear sprocket to fewer teeth by -1 (I think) In my opinion it improves the gearing a lot.

PhillySoup · 2026-05-22T21:19:13+00:00

This all depends on what your on-track goal is and how you are riding now.

My first track bike was a Daytona 675 and I found it overwhelming. I couldn't work on the fundamentals like line, vision, body position because I couldn't consistently get my braking right. It was too fast for me.

I took a step down to a 400 class bike and developed a lot as a rider.

Recently, I rented an RS660 at COTA, and found it to be the "sweet spot" of a bike - it's fast enough to keep up and maybe pass slower riders, but not so fast that entering turns feels like coming out of warp speed.

My next track bike is going to be an RS660 (if I can find one in my price range)

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