Ducati Monster Forum

I'm looking at a used Monster on Craigslist. The guys says it's a 2005 Monster S2R 800 (not a Dark model). But he said it's carbed, and everywhere I look says that the 05 S2R should have fuel injection. Am I missing something?

Bonus question: did this model come with a steering damper from the factory?

No and no

In '05 All monsters were injected.

And no monster has shipped with a damper.

What can I look for to make sure it's fuel-injected (forgive my ignornace, I don't know what EFI looks like versus a carb on a Ducati)?  I want to make sure he's being honest about the year of the bike since a 2005 can't have a carb.

It can have carbs... it just didn't ship with them it would be custom work.

It would be difficult to tell from just some crappy photos on CL. A look under the tank would do a lot of clear things up. Under there will either be an ECU, throttle bodies and injectors... or well.. carbs.

Injectors will have branches off the wiring harness running to them to activate the injectors. Carbs don't have electrics running to them (unless they have warmers)

Well, I like pictures personally, so this may help:

CARB:
notice the tanks for fuel (float bowls?) and other assorted mechanical trickery
(http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn216/chuck_v/My%20Bikes/1995%20Ducati%20Monster%20900/IMG_4405.jpg)

TB:
notice the lack of tanks, and the presence of electrical wiring
(http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc492/maksbikesshop2/07%20Ducati%20Monster%20695%20parts/100_8084.jpg)

actually, this TB is off a monster, and the wires come off at the connectors...so there are electrical connectors there, but no wires.

Those more knowledgeable please correct any errors!

No corrections just a  [thumbsup]

So you can see the big differences for fuel delivery. The 800 will also have an ECU under the tank. A black rectangle with two large, many wired, connections coming to it.

While it's possible to retro fit carbs to a FI bike - I'd be pretty surprised. It would take a fair amount of effort and cost to do so.

There are aftermarket ECUs which are for using an EFI system with carbs.

Isn't EFI superior?  Why would anyone mod it back to carbs?

Um... Wouldn't those ECUs be controlling ignition? And the Carbs handling fuel? Can't really have fuel injection and carbs - right?

What he probably doesn't understand is the 'fast idle' lever on the controls.
This appears like, functions similar to and is located where the choke on a carbureted bike would be, but it is most definitely fuel injected.

That's a debate you don't want to start. EFI is easier to maintain (day to day) but harder to service and adjust. You can rebuild a carb in the field - you're SOL if your computer shits the bed... Both have ups, both have downs


Why mod?
Some folks just do because they can.
There may have been an issue with the electronics - which would make me wonder

just providing ignition. 

I have worked on cars and bikes for 20 years and I will flat out say EFI is superior in every way.  IF you have the right tools for handling EFI, then you're in like flinn.

Rejetting a carb is a PITA.  Carbs are far more complex than EFI and the complexity in an EFI system disappears when you have the bench system for connecting.

You are very right.  However, some of us mouth breathing, knuckle dragging, window licking Luddites prefer to twist screws and spill gas all over the place instead of paying someone a ridiculous amount of money to fix a factory lean condition or burbles from swapping exhaust.  ;D

lol..  window licking..

don't get me wrong, i am there too..  the vast majority of my bikes are carbed with dellortos...

iltl32 - got a link to the CL ad?

You forgot 'Scruffy looking'

fixed

Monster became fuel injected in 2002 when the 620 came out. By 2005 the S2R s, also had plastic tanks I believe. So if that bike has carbs and metal tank, for sure is not a 2005 for what I understan.

M900 was fuel injected beginning in 2000.

And some bikes made in early 2005 had metal tanks

The only one I know of was the S2R dark, do you know of another?

They used the same tank as the first year S4R

Early 620s. Some 05 620s still had the 4 pot calipers too. Basically 04s production/spec that carried to early 05

same tank.  makes sense.

skipping to the end because i either missed it or no one has mentioned it...look for the single side swing arm. if it doesn't have one, its most likely not an S2R anything (again, custom work excepted.)

so, if it's not an S2R...........seller is either a crook or a fool.

what are dellortos? are those awesome carbs? i am going to google that sh!t [popcorn]

In my experience Dellortos were worse than Bings, which, in turn, were worse than Amals.  Someone may have a different outlook but running any of those three was an instant incentive to figure out some way to get a Mikuni or Keihin to work on the bike.

Malossi made a kit a fews years back for Monsters and SS's that consisted of Dellorto carbs and new manifolds - no idea on the quality / perfomance gains but they seem to be rare.

I'm looking for a body part / relative to sell to get me some FCR's  [evil]

Funny you mention FCRs.  I was thinking that could have (if it was converted to carbs) been the carbs it was converted to.

JM

dellorto PHM/PHF carbs were the choice for older bikes thru the 80s such as the Pantahs and old Guzzis. 

DP sold a kit for the 1992-1998 Supersport and Monster with short manifolds -- right alongside the FCR kit in the same DP catalog! They are pumper carbs with a round slide.  Somewhat difficult to tune by modern standards. 

They were the upgrade of choice for Paso 750 or Nuovo Sports.

FCRs are more modern and superior.  Even if you coat the dellorto slide in an SFL, it wont move as easily as the roller-bearing mounted slide in the FCR.  FCR is much easier to tune as well.


i haven't found them much different to tweak than either the Bings or Amals.  The Amal has one less circuit and is a function copy of the PH series,  The Bing CVs were copies of the Mikuni BDSTs and a later design, but the older 53-55 and 80 series were just copies of the Dellorto PH series.  The difference is that Dellortos were used on 100x as many bikes as either the Bings or the Amals and there are far more aftermarket stuff to "fix" them...

The simple answer could be that the seller doesn't know much about his own bike and the throttle lever on the left side of the handlebars is labeled with a "choke" symbol, and could simply be using that for his information. When I first got my duc (a week ago :)) I was confused in the same manner.

Which is probably the case - as that fast idle lever has tripped up a number of folks in the past... But if you're selling a bike knowing if it's got carbs vs Fi is an important bit of info to know.

Yea, you'd think he'd know that haha

Had pumpers on many bikes from R90S, 900SS 40's to 36's on Pantahs to Reno Leoni's 38's on my Paso 750 Limited. All worked great straight "out of the box" although I leaned the slides a hair on my 600 SL's. You just have to remember that the pilot screw works backwards.  8)

LUV that accelerator pump!