Ducati Monster Forum

Hi all,

  I just joined this forum, and I currently don't own a monster but have been looking for a while to get one.  I currently have a suzuki GS500F, my first bike, and I've had it for about 3 years now and am ready for an upgrade.  I saw the monster, started reading about it and just got hooked and am set on getting one for my next bike.  I'm not too mechanically savy, or have too much of an extensive knowledge on maintenance, etc, on bikes, so I was hoping you could give me some of your advice/knowledge/experience.  Here's my questions, thanks!

  - I was going to go for a monster 620 because those seem to be sold more often on craigslist, but 2 people mentioned to me that that's not a big jump from a 500, and I would probably grow tired of the 620 quickly.  What do you think?

  - I'm currently looking at a 2003 Monster 800ie, with 19,000 miles, for $4000 firm.  The bike just had the full 18,000 mile service done on it (seller said ~$1000 for the service) 500 miles ago, and new tires about 1,500 miles ago.  It looks to be in good condition, never dropped, supposedly good condition.  So my question, 19K miles sounds a lot to me because all the bikes I normally see for sale are in the 3K~14K miles range.  How long do these bikes last for before they start going downhill, need more maintenance, etc?  Is 19K a lot?  The mileage makes me hesitant because it seems so high compared to others. Second owner, all the keys and original stock stuff to come with it.  not many mods.

  - I keep hearing that maintenance is really pricy on ducati's.  How much more expensive is it to maintain a monster and how much more often do you have to "take care" of things for it?

Thanks for you help!  I can't wait to get a monster, been trying to get one for the past 2 months, but because of bad craigslist stuff and bad sellers, etc, I've been thwarted 3 times already...it's getting frustrating, but I have the ducati bug now and really want one  :P

Personally I think that's low mileage. that only a bit over 2000 miles a year. I'll do 4000 in one trip, my ST3 is an 05 and I'm just about to hit 50K.
I've found Duc parts tend to be expensive if you get them from Italy. There are other sources that really help out cost.
As to keeping up with maintenance. Alot of us here all do it ourselves. Personally I couldn't afford to drop $1000 on a service.
but I can afford to measure the valves and put new shims in and replace timing belts and change fluids and replace bearings quite easily!.
Get LT Snyders book and jump in with both feet. it's more fun than you know and you'll get that feeling knowing you did all the work on it.

First, the 620 is a very good bike, and is significantly more bike than a GS500.  A friend of mine has an '06 M620, and I've ridden it quite a bit, and it's capable of anything you need to do on the street.

The 800 is also a good bike, and of course is a bit more power and all.  Having few mods, and all the keys and such, and recent maintenance, is a very good start.  Maintaining a Ducati is more expensive than a Japanese bike, but not by a huge amount.  Figure an extra $3-400 a year.  The only real difference is the Desmo valve system, which requires tighter tolerances than a valvespring system, and thus more frequent checking.

If the maintenance has been kept up (and it sounds like it has), the 19K miles is nothing.  These 2-valve air/oil cooled motors are very durable.  The first time I had to have mine opened up at all was for piston rings and an alternator bearing at 122K, and I'm now at 198K without having had to open it up again yet.  It was dead reliable up to about 170K; since then I've had some issues with the electricals, carbs, clutch, and suspension.

Sounds to me like you should get the 800; you'll be happy with it, I'm sure.

PhilB

Thanks for the responses!  That definately helps to calm the hesitation i was feeling.  That was really the one thing that bothered me the most.  I'm not a very big person for tricks or anything crazy, I just enjoy the ride...and the look  :)  I would be using this bike mostly for excursions through the mountains around here, and to/from work and/or other short destinations.

After looking through a lot of other memeber's pics I have a lot of ideas I want to apply to the bike for mods for looks and such.  Thanks for the tip to get the "LT Snyders book", I definately want to get my hands dirty and learn how to take care of the bike...though I don't have a garage right now so hopefully I can find a place to work on it  :P  When I get it (or get one, if not this one), I'll def post some pics and prob be on here more often with other questions when trying to keep it in good standing.

SOmething to keep in mind during your hunt is the tank issue. In mid 2005 they changed to plastic tanks that are having swelling issues due to the ethanol in gas these days.

That 03 800 will be a steel tank, and just fine in that regard.

Other items to keep in mind when buying a used duc - the age of the Cam belts. they are specd to be replaced at 12k miles of use OR 2 years of service regardless of miles (assumed less than 12k).

18k service for a grand? Hmmm I'd want to see exactly what was done. If they just had the valves checked that's roughly $300/ 3 hours labor. But if they had the forks serviced and did other items then it might add up.

We've all heard that Ducs are expensive - and I don't buy it. Yes, you pay more often in smaller increments for the valve checks - that's true. But engines like the common i4 might go longer - but woe be to your wallet if they need a valve adjustment. It's brutal

The '03 is a fine bike.  The '04 and later began to feel the pinch of rising euros and started changing equipment (steel swingarm, different brakes, etc.)  I'm very happy with mine. 

Topic: What is "high mileage" for a Monster? - http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=47588.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=47588.0)

High Mileage Monsters! - http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=43822.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=43822.0)

In general simple things break less and cost less to fix. Get the 800, you'll love it! [Dolph]

I just got belts and valves done on mine (900) and it was about 700$, but i had some other things done at the same time.

And almost $100 of that 7 is the belt set.

Remember that unless you need new shims a check on many ducs is just pure labor. Don't confuse labor + parts into cost comparisons.

I have a 2003 800ie. It has almost 60K on it. The bike runs great and has been very little trouble. I recently had the valves checked and only one was out of spec (the last time I had checked them was at about 18K mi :o).
Maintenance is very easy on this bike even if you are not so mechanically inclined. Beware of a gas leak at the hinge of the metal tank.
Get the 800. Sounds like a helluva price.

Let me add to that by pointing out that you can check your own valves and save some money. If and only if they need adjustment, then you can take the bike to your dealer to have him set the clearance.

The bike will next need valve inspection at about 24K.  At that time everything will be well worn in and you may not need any shims.  As these bikes get some miles on them they need less in the way of valve shim replacement.  If you learn how to do the maintenance yourself, the Duc won't cost you more than any other bike.  The air cooled two valve engines are easy and fun to work on. 

Not sure where you're at but this guy's got a 2009 696 with 2000 miles for 5 grand.
http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2009-Ducati-Monster-696-97346669 (http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2009-Ducati-Monster-696-97346669)

Start going out to bike night. You'll start meeting people and usually find people who know how to do the maintenance and will usually do it for some beer. Even better, they'll let you use their garage to do your own work.

I too was hesitant about getting mine last year but once I found out how high milage they run, I was more comfortable. I got my 900S with 14K on it last september and have 22K now. It runs great and I don't have any regrets with the purchase.

Not to hijack, but hey, you're back! I periodically wondered how many miles yours had on it now.

For the OP, I'd get the 800 personally over a 620.

I have an '03 M800 with 27K on it and it has been very reliable for me. I've only had to replace the usual wear items and the regular 6k services have been fine.  [thumbsup]

Yep.  I got perma-banned back in '06 for politics, but eventually they either forgive or forget, I guess.

The ol' Monster is still doing great.  I have had to put some money into it in the last couple of years -- some stuff wore out after about 170K, and I had a lowside last year and had to fix some things.  The good side is that I'm finally making some mods and upgrades in the last couple years, after leaving it stock for 17 years.  Now have Ohlins rear shock, Cycle Cat rearsets (with a GP shift pattern), and StainTune slip-ons.  I expect to turn over 200K next month.

PhilB

 [clap]  We applaud you for your mileage and being an example of what these bikes are capable of. 

Hey everyone,

  I got the 2003 Monster 800ie!  I LOVE IT.  it feels great, has plenty of power, and just hugs the road on the turns. I haven't gotten a good chance to ride it through the mountains (I'm in Denver, CO) yet, but that's definately happening this weekend.  Thanks for all the advice, it totally helped me in choosing to buy.  I soon found out the bike has some problems, and was able to fix some on my own...it felt good to find the problems and fix them   :)  Since I've got the bike now, I'll prob post in the introduction page a little "hello".  But since I posted here first, here's some pics of the bike as of this morning  :)  not the best pics, but will do for now just for show

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/7263858692_86d956ef3a.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7263860388_5432e56f0b.jpg)


  I do have some problems that I found after riding that I'm possibly a bit worried about and was hoping for some advice.  I did research and found out some info, but nothing conclusive.  Sorry, I have a lot of questions...looking into buying a book to help with maintenance etc so i can learn more and do stuff on my own   :P  I also wasn't sure if I should post the questions here, or move them to a different thread in the technical threads.  If I should do that, let me know and I'll edit this post and move the questions over there.

  1) When riding, I found the foot brake was somewhat recessed, meaning i had to tilt my foot under the clutch cover on the right side to actually get to the brake.  On the dash, the high beam headlight LED, and the turn signal LED don't work (they don't light up on startup either), so I was curious about all the other lights. The actual turn signals are ok, high beam works, but pulling the brake lever or stepping on the brake pedal didn't trigger the stop light in the back.  Turns out, I think somehow the foot break pedal was bent inwards toward the bike so it's against the frame, and it's now misaligned with the stop light's "off trigger" and no longer makes contact it...so the brake light is essenitally ALWAYS on. I disconnected the lines connecting that foot break trigger to wherever it goes, and now the brake lights work on the handlebar, so I know that's the problem. Also, whatever it's connected to (I think it's the rear brake master cylinder?) is ever so slightly bent.  That's what worries me, can I just "unbend" it?  Here's a picture of it...you can see on the bottom left, there's a nut and bolt, that's the nut that you shouldn't be able to see and should be flush with the stop light trigger to the right of it...which I think you can't see in this pic  :P

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7263853674_8614d383dd.jpg)

  2) The exhaust "pops" or "backfires" when I decelerate with a load. I researched and read that people said this could mean an air leak somewhere. My bike has slip-ons, so I checked where they slip onto the pipes. It looks like there's some leaks because I can see black marks where exhaust probably escaped and has left marks over time.  Is this bad?  Should I find some gaskets or something to close these gaps?  Or are these backfires ok?  I also looked at where the pipes connect to the engine and it seems like they're connected, but there's a small gap there too.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7263851420_d23071104c.jpg)

where the pipe connects to the engine...looks like its flush inside, but there's that little opening you can see all around the connection...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7263856518_07edd826f6.jpg)

  3) The fast-idle lever doesn't do anything, and upon further inspection, I see that the lever itself works, but it looks like it's been adjusted so that it doesn't actually engage the throttle (or the valve or whatever the throttle is connected to to make the engine rev higher).  Should I readjust it to function correctly?  Why would someone not want the fast-idle to work during warm-up?  Though the bike has no problems starting up and running.

  4) Because the dash LED's for the high beam and turn signals aren't working, I was curious to see if the "Low Fuel" LED would work too. I saw that it lights up on startup, but tried to ride till the tank was low and would show the light, but it never turned on.  I went to 150 miles, and got really nervous because I read on a lot of other posts in these forums that people usually refill around 110-130, which is close to when their "Low Fuel" light goes on.  Is there another way to check the sensor in the fuel tank if it's working or not, and how would I do that? I'd prefer not to find out it's not working when the tank is empty and i'm on the side of the road somewhere  :-\
  

  5) I don't see many posts or stuff on the '03 800ie, and I wanted to make some mods to it. More specifically, the belt cover.  It's ugly...plastic, looks old and discolored, and stands out. Does the 800ie have the same engine as all the other monsters?  Because when I look up ducati monster timing belt covers, the 800 doesn't always come up...I wanted to get one of the see through ones, but those are expensive  :(  so maybe i'll just buy a black one to replace mine or something i guess...

  6) Last question...sorry, haha.  Simple one though. The bike is kinda dirty, and I Want to clean it.  Looks like some grease in places, and dirt everywhere too.  What's a good safe thing to clean all the parts with - calipers, forks, engine, chain and area around the chain, etc?


  Thanks!!