I just realized that I have completely neglected to post about the Monster.
The torque spec for the oil drain plug in the factory service manual has to be some kind of error, because it's WAY too much. This resulted in a cracked engine case around the drain plug.
This weekend, I completed my first engine swap (with some help from a few friends, who did some serious damage to my beer stock). The 696 has a new zero-miles engine and it's currently down at our local shop to be treated to a dyno break-in.
My favorite thing: it fired and ran on the first try, so I'm reasonably sure I didn't fuck up.