Ducati Monster Forum

Okay, I bought a Monster 750 (2000) and everything on it works just fine, but it just seems slow to me. I'm kinda disappointed in the overall performance of the bike. I had a Honda Nighthawk 650 that seems about as fast as this bike. My old CBR600 seemed a lot faster (that was a long time ago though so memories sometimes aren't so reliable.) Am I missing something here? Is it some sort of grand illusion that I just don't get it? Maybe the power is just more linear and I'm not getting my 6000rpm+ rush I'm used to.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great bike, light and nimble and more than capable of breaking every speed law in my state, just doesn't give me that silly feeling when I crack the throttle at a green light that I'm used to.

Perhaps a gearing change would help?

14t!

It's not going run like an inline 4.  [moto]

I think it's probably a combination of things that you've already identified.  It's definitely going to be slower than your CBR.  It's also going to *feel* slower because of there's not that big hit in the powerband up high.  You also probably do have a bit of "grass is greener" in how you remember the CBR.  That said, it's not a particularly fast bike, though it's definitely faster than your nighthawk.  Like others have already said, a 14T front sprocket makes a big difference.

It's impossible to tell over the interwebz, but it could be down on power because of some mechanical or maintenance issue.  We'd just never know without riding it.

P.S.  Can you clutch wheelie?  If so, there shouldn't be a problem rediscovering the silly feeling.   [evil]

I had a '92 750SS that dynoed stock at 57hp.  It took high compression pistons, a custom racing exhaust, 41mm Keihin flatside CRs, porting and polishing of the heads, and a racing 3-angle valve job to get it up to 72hp for racing in CCS Lightweight Sportsmen classes in the late 1990s.   It was slow stock, and it was still slow as raced.  Fun, though.  Just slow.

I now have a 2000 750SS with fuel injection.  It's lighter than the '92 was, and I have upgraded it with 1000SS suspension components and full floating brakes and a host of other handling upgrades, while leaving the motor stock.  It is dead-ass, bog slow.  Turtle like.  Ennervating.  (Yawn.)  I think it's probably making 55hp.  I can ride it all day at full throttle and no one even turns to look.  It has more brakes and suspension than it would need with TWO of these motors in it.  Fun, though.  My other bikes attract far too much attention, while I can flog this one with impunity and receive no arched eyebrows in return.

Last year my 800SS racebike with stock motor, Ducati Performance ECU, and race exhaust system made 72.25 hp with the modern cylinder head design that it shares with the 620 and 695 and 1000 motors.  I don't think there's an economical way to make a 750SS or Monster a faster bike, other than an 800 or 900 or 1000 engine swap.   I am thinking about putting the 800SS racebike engine (or a 1000SS or 1100) engine in my 750SS....

I've got a 14T sprocket that i've been trying to get rid of for quite a while...  http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25579.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25579.0)
pm me if interested

i got beaten on a 20mph roll out by 1 bike length......the other dude was on a 1993 Honda CBR600 F2... oh and i have 250ccs on you. lol our bikes arent fast at all.

750 needs headwork and high comp to get it out.  the post about the 800 heads is spot on.

i put 620 heads on my 600SS and the difference with the bigger valves and better chamber was noticeable, like 10-12 hp noticeable right off

I bought my M750 new and rode it for 8 years.  Loved the bike, but finally had to get something with more power. 

Great, so it's not just my perception, the bike is slow. If I win the lottery it can be a little less slow, until then change the sprocket and just enjoy the non-eyebrow raising fun. Regarding the gearing, if I go 14 tooth do I need a new chain, or can the adjuster take up the slack. What about going with a bigger sprocket in the rear?

it didn't take me long to arrive at the same conclusion about my 02 750ie. I did a 520 chain 15 and 46 which was 5 up in the rear on my bike, big difference. 65mph=4000rpm which blows for long distance riding, but man it gets to that 8k mark pretty quick and that gives me the grins, I don't think my nuts hang low enough for a sbk bike right now anyway :P

Dang, up until I read this thread I thought my '99 750 was doing ok. I feel so inadequate now  [bang]

With a 14T, you can generally just snug up the chain.  With a larger rear, you can often get away with adding one tooth and no bigger chain.  2 or 3 teeth might need an extra link and/or new chain.  And since going up 1 in the rear isn't worth the bother . . .

Just be glad it's not a 620.  If you want a fast bike, buy a fast bike. 

What's that supposed to mean. My 620 will get me a ticket just as fast as an S4Rs will!!!
 [cheeky]

   [laugh]

Yeah, but an S4RS will get you the ticket alot quicker.  [evil]

Hell, even re-geared I didn't find my M900 to be all that tremendously fast and it was topless, jetted, with cans and Dyna coils.

Fun, yes.  [thumbsup]

Fast.....well, maybe adequate.  :)

I have a 2002 750 with Arrows, open airbox, K&N and custom map. I went up two in the back instead of the 14t. It dyno`d at 57hp at the wheel. I started going to the track and I get killed on the straights. I love the bike but can`t wait to get another bike that has some power. I`m not getting rid of my monster but need something else with more power.

My 97 M900, Slow? Hell yes. Fun? Absolutely.
I have tested both new M1100 and KTM SMT990. My preference is to get the KTM for days and trips where I need more speed and keep the M900 for FUN days.

Speed, the ultimate sacrifice to obtain style.  Don't fight it, embrace it. Tell yourself that you go slower so that everyone will have the privilege to gaze upon your Monster.  Take it one step farther and really show your panache.  White helmet, white gloves, white leathers, and red Sidi boots (for full effect, go with Puma).   It is only then that your need for speed will be extinguished and you can embrace the full magnitude of the Ducati Monster lifestyle.  Or, just buy a S4RS and have the best of both worlds.

nope.  it will get you a ticket, but the guy on the S4Rs will get the ticket faster!

Seeing my '97 M750 is my first real motorcycle, I only have my previous bike to compare it to. A 50cc Yamaha Zuma. Compared to that, the M750 is a rocketship!

meh, it's all bullshit.  you're not racing on it.  strip it down to get a weight advantage and see what you have.

i have a 600ss which pumps about 60hp on a good day, but it is 320lbs with a full tank of gas and with the thinner rear tire (160) is very flickable and fun to ride. when i got it, i swapped all the parts i could with carbon fibre, got rid of the airbox, put a smaller battery on it and a CF exhaust.  dropped like 20-30 lbs right there.

Slow?  Probably, I wouldn't know.  Fun?  Hell yeah.

600 cc.  (although I did put 620 heads on it, hence the higher HP)

Two years ago I had a stock 2003 620 Sport (which I wish I still owned; it was sacrificed on the altar of AMA Moto-ST racing) which I took to a Summit Point track day.   What a blast.  I've always raced "slow" bikes and running the 620 was - despite the very basic suspension and a distinct lack of ground clearance  - unbelievably fun.

Seat of the pants, my 750SS feels *slower* than the 2003 620 Sport.   It has much better suspension and brakes, and more ground clearance, as well.  I am taking it to Summit Point for a track day on August 26; it will be very interesting to see if I have as much fun with it as I did the 620.  I'll also be taking and riding my much-revised Moto-ST 800SS racebike; now a 1000SS with 87hp, weighing 347 pounds....

Did I supply the heads?[thumbsup]

yup!

No, actually, I don't think it will.  It most certainly won't get you thrown in jail either. 

I'm pretty sure I could get myself thrown in jail on a Monster 620.

Here; hold my beer and watch this........

 ;D

Very nice! I love the idea of a 600SS. What a cool bike. It has got to be a blast!

yeah, prior owner swapped a bunch of parts to make it lighter, so it's very very flickable.  and it's the old-style engine case, so it's smaller (clutch slave on the right side)

point is, the 750 with some head work can do much better.  it has a good crank x piston geometry

In my experience it takes about $2,500 to $3,000 to make a 92-98 750 produce the same level of horsepower that a stock 91-98 900 does, without boring or stroking the motor.  That's high compression pistons, flat slide Keihin CR carbs, porting and polishing the heads, 3-angle valve job, open airbox, and free flowing exhaust.

The 99-06 800 makes almost the same power as the 91-98 900 does, and putting in the Ducati performance ECU and a free flowing exhaust puts it almost exactly at the same power output (72-74hp) as the 900. [1]

My recommendation to someone with a 750 who either just feels that they need (or simply want) more power, or who has actually reached the point on the racetrack where they can't go any faster with the 750 (and trust me, you can go DAMN fast on the racetrack with 55-57 horsepower) would be to try riding a 900 BEFORE spending the money to hop up the 750 ... the 900 will almost assuredly always be worth more in the marketplace than the 750, where the money spent on hopping up the 750 will almost certainly have to be amortized by riding enjoyment, because it will be really hard to find someone willing to pay more than pennies on the dollar for those performance enhancements.

I just went through the same calculations for my ex-Moto-ST racebike 800SS in converting it to a trackbike, and decided to just go with a 1000SS stock motor instead of hopping up the 800SS engine.

[1] However, part of the flickability of the 600, 620, 695, 750 and 800-engined bikes is the lower crank/flywheel mass of those engines, and even getting the extra horsepower of a 900/1000/1100 version is goig to detract from that flickability.  The difference has been very noticeable on every single examnple I've ridden, and I have owned and ridden a LOT of 2-valvers, both on the track and on the street.  There is a lot to be said for the feeling of engine lightness along with chassis lightness.   It's a lot like the difference in feel between a dual-disk front end on the track and a well set-up single disk front end - you have to feel it to believe it.

Pretty sure the 620's are just as fast or faster than 750's.  Or less slower... ;)

Excellent post Tim.  [thumbsup]

I had a 02 M620 and a 97 M750 at the same time for a while...
750 felt faster