Ducati Monster Forum

I'm facing a hard choice. My '05 620's Dash is done kaput. The speedo and tach no longer work. (making it DAMN hard to know how much I'm speeding on some roads [evil])  The wonderful folks at Desmosport tell me it's truly fried, and I would need to replace it ($800 part).  I'm also due for my 36k service (overdue at 37500 miles).  All this is going to set me back close to $1500.
I am really trying to decide if it's worth sinking this much into a bike that's getting on in the miles.

And honestly while I love my monster, I am a 15k miles a year rider, and there are better motorcycles for my commute/touring.

Just looking for opinions :)

Any thoughts.. at all  [laugh]
Cheers!!!

EDIT: (1/16/09)
I bit the bullet and I'm getting a new motorcycle, and sadly leaving the Ducati brand  :'( :'(   Tomorrow I pick up my used 07 BMW F800S, :)

I just dumped $1200 on my 05 S4R

Not the best choice of a commuter bike as well but I love it. I always toy with the idea of getting rid of the S4R and getting something more commuter and service friendly. I think if I do I will just miss my bike =(

Preachin' to the choir, kiddo...  [laugh]  But I'm wondering if you couldn't find that part at a junk yard or here offa someone who's upgraded?  NEW parts for Ducs can be a total rip off.  The nice thing about these bikes is that they've been around for a long time and there's usually tons of decent, used stuff to be had on the cheap.  Have you posted up here and no one has responded? 

:(

I thought this was a thread about Spidey's new larva.

i think a commuter bike should be driven into the ground. Spending a wad of money on another bike to have cheaper parts and service usually does not balance out in the long run.

Now if you are looking for another bike because you have that itch for something new, you should go for it. No one can argue against that!

Have you gotten a quote from Nichols?  It would probably be half as much. 

Ride the bike until it explodes...

No, we'll start seeing the seven signs of the apocalypse when that happens [evil]

I think that you're at that crossover point right now ... so if you decide to spend the money, you might as well ride it until it dies.

$800 for the cluster sounds a bit overpriced to me.  I think my replacement on my 03 was around $600 ... and they've come down in price since then.  I think the clusters get married to the bike, so I don't think a used one is usable, but I may be wrong. 

Unless I'm mistaken, which is a distinct possibility, the ECU and the gauge cluster are synched up. With your stock ECU your options are pretty limited.

HOWEVER, you can have your factory ECU re-flashed (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=15502.0) and can then use an aftermarket gauge system of your choice.

Something else to consider.

If all you really need is a speedo, get a bicycle computer! I think they are in the 30 buck range or so.

The 36K isn't really negotiable - you don't want a belt to go and grenade your motor when you're batting along the freeway.

At any rate, the bike doesn't sound saleable in its current condition, so if you decide to get something else for commuting (Vespa?  ;D ) you could use the monster for something else, like track days. Or slap a 50 tooth rear sprocket on it and go all Jason Britten.

My KZ400 just has a tach. ;D

(http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/normal_kz-18.JPG)

And the speedometer in mrincredible's Ford Falcon doesn't work...made for an interesting conversation one time after I followed him home on 280 from a South Bay gathering (I was on the Duc).

"So, how fast was I going, about 70-75?"

"Um, more like 90-95 the entire time...and you give me a hard time for speeding?"

I have no good advice because it's a toss-up what to do.  How close are you to buying a new bike anyway?  And how close are you to learning to do your own valves?  I'm not sure I'd commute on a monster 15k a year if I was paying for valve adjustments.  Even at Nichols, that's easily $900 a year plus another $500-1000 for random shit that goes wrong. 

Like Somegirl was saying--perhaps a speedo isn't really necessary...you probably have a good feel by now of what your bike feels like at certain speeds--unless you're MrIncredible apparently.  [laugh]  I can peg 80 mph in 6th gear pretty accurately just by the vibration of the motor.  If you don't do a lot of freeway riding I wouldn't worry about the speeding thing.  If you're just boppin' around in SF the last thing you'll probably get stopped for is going too fast.  As long as you're not doing bloody burn-outs on top of some little old lady's dog as she watches, I doubt you're going to get hassled.   

My Speedo is always inaccurate anyways so I use my GPS =)

But like others have said you know how fast you are going based on the gear and feel of the bike.

Ya, but he's still got to do the belts. You can ride the bike with out of spec valves, but if a belt snaps you're well and truly buggered.

Besides which, should you be changing diapers or something instead of reading the DMF?  ;D ;D ;D

I was thinking more of paying for adjustments v. DYI, not paying v. just not doin' 'em.

Thanks again for all the advice, I love this group!
You guys gave me some more things to think of and some more options.
I will be buying a new bike in the next two years anyway, I want something the Lovely Wife can ride on the back of (with comfort) and something better for commuting 60 miles a day on.
That being said, I think I will hold on to it, and ponder my options.
Is it possible to replace the belts yourself? and if so, is it something that could be done at a MOB wrench day?

Yes.  Yes. 

It's not bad...the newer models are really easy actually.  The older ones have a lip on the edge of the sprocket that makes it tough--nearly a two person job sometimes.  You should check out your manual and get familiar with the process.  If you have questions post up before you start it.