Ducati Monster Forum

Last November I purchased my first lot from Copart, a 2008 695 with very light front end damage. I had spent a ton of time searching and waiting for the right bike, finding a running, riding and lightly damaged Monster in Minneapolis took about 2 years. I had almost given up the idea for an Indian Scout but those kept falling out of my planned budget.

In Minnesota I do not need to have a Dealer/Junk license to buy at auctions, there are some vehicles that are dealer only but for the general purchase anyone can buy, you only need an account with Copart and enough money in your account to cover 10% of the purchase price you intend on buying. That account balance does not get applied to your sale, it is only good faith money. You can remove that money at any point.

I wanted to keep my purchase price around $1500, going over that puts this range of monster into an "out the door price" plus repairs close enough to a non-auction machine that it would no longer make sense. My auction closed at $1400.  After fees, license and registration my out the door price was $2056. As a non-dealer I had to register on the spot and pay my state sales tax, plate and yearly Tab fee. I was not expecting the almost $700 all in for fees but here we are, all learning together.

So what did I end up with? 2008 695 with 7300miles
(https://i.imgur.com/hDAQIoq.jpg)

There were some small details I missed in the pictures posted by Copart. I saw it had non-stock exhuast but didn't realize it was a Leo Vince SBK. Also to my surprise was a legit set of CRG RC2 shorty levers, I saw they were aftermarket but figured that would be a knockoff set. From CRG as well is a single bar end mirror. Frame sliders, which I've been told can be worse in a crash for a trellis frame bike...? Still nice to see some protection. Bonus. Tires are like new and overall the bike was very, very clean. I went over budget slightly but so far I'm pretty happy.

Whats up with the Damage? Looks like we had a pretty low speed fall on the right side. Bars were sent left and everything was pushed
(https://i.imgur.com/qNwvjAT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Oij3cPd.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9040Yyo.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ni3Vb1T.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/o9tfngR.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nbFIemg.jpg)

The most obvious was the wind deflector, it is pretty much useless. Its mounting points were all bent and the clear window is cracked off and missing. That will be in the garbage and maybe not replaced. Headlight bucket was cracked but with a little PVC glue I was able to reconstruct it all and back to normal shape minus a quarter size chunk missing from the very back. The CRG brake lever Rocker was bent down and cracked, no repair to be made there only a phone call to CRG and a $35 replacement piece.

The most challenging thing to find and replace so far were the cylinder-vibration mounting points for the dash and small bracket. No place locally carried the M5 double male end, 15mm rubber damper. A quick internet search found something close on Amazon and $10 later I have some in the mail. I will need to cut them down a touch as the thread is 5mm longer than it should be on each side but that won't be a problem.

(https://i.imgur.com/gUIpV2y.jpg)

new rocker installed
(https://i.imgur.com/7ypqrqX.jpg)

Here in MN its still pretty chilly, 30s-low40s so I'm not in a huge rush to get on the road. I want to get an oil change in and possibly brake fluid before putting too many miles on. I dont know how long it's been off the road so a full general tune up will happen this summer as well.

As it sits this morning waiting on rubber dampener mounts.
(https://i.imgur.com/z2CrVhO.jpg)

Ha, my Cat trolling my pics. classic.

 [thumbsup]
Looks like it has a low seat option.
Keep us informed of your progress.

The seat is a bit low and the front has been lowered. I’m 6’0 and it’s a little lower than perfect for me but my wife is 5’7 and she fits really well.

Time to find a taller one for yourself. ;D [thumbsup]

Those bikini fairings are quite effective for their size. You can get taller screens for them too. Fairing repairable with epoxy?

Always on the look out! We also have a CB450, xs360 and CM200t, my wife may make me sleep in the garage if I come home with another Monster becuace “babe, this one is just a tiny bit too short for me” ;)

Nice find! I have a clear windshield I can sell if you're interested.

...but if you immediately added...

this one's for you. ;)

I received my new rubber cylinder double male dampening screws, no idea what they’re actually called. They are a little softer than the originals but nearly the same size, they will do for the moment while I source a more perfect piece. I wanted to check in with the company I ordered them from but one piece has already broken with a small twist as I was removing the bracket so I may look for a new source. Odds are all the parts that are easy to find will have been made in the same rubber plant in China. Quality has a price and it is not $11 Prime.

(https://i.imgur.com/jaReZKG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bYVzoRq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sNuyTAG.jpg)

It snowed this evening but the weather outlook this week is positive, odds are I will get a ride in at some point and see how good of job my glueing and tightening turned out.

We regularly troll Copart.

We picked up an ST4s a few years back.  It had some nice aftermarket parts that almost made up the value of the purchase.   Damage was primarily the body work.  It is set to become a track/custom bike.

I scavanged most of the goodies for my ST4s.    [evil]

There was a real nice monster S4rs and 999r on recently. 

First (short) ride of the season today. First trip was to the local guzzaline station for some crappy winter 91mix. I want to use non-oxy as much as possible but it is very hard to find super locally. Oh well, Holiday Station premium is what goes into the Audi and its been fine so far. We have a BP sort of in my normal driving area and they have 93 on tap, I  may seek them out more and more.

First impressions: I have spent far too long on Vintage machines. Holy shlt. Because of the SBK exhaust I assume there is some sort of tune involved that I am not aware of but even if that were not true this is a wonderful machine to click through some gears. Our streets are rough, potholed and covered in sand so I was not in any capacity to push, that and it was 41 degrees and tires are quite hard so grip was lower than perfect. Even at 1/2-3/4 throttle and shifting up early I can say that this level of power and speed is something I havnt experienced in many years. I know that most of you ride 800+ CC bikes on the regular, and I have owned an M900, but in the last 5 years of regular riding I have been on 70s 350-400cc bikes making just south of 45HP. Today I am riding a spaceship by comparison.

As stated earlier the lower seat height is more suited to my 5'4ish wife than my long legged 6' frame, I feel a tad cramped in the saddle and after just 10-12 short miles I had a nice little tightness in my left hip. Could be that I havnt been in the saddle since September and I need to just get out more, or I could use a couple of inches...

The CRG levers are much shorted in real world use than I was expecting. I know they are labeled as Shorty Levers but I had to adjust my reach to have a comfortable pull. Not what I was expecting after just sitting on it in the garage. The clutch and front brake work well, braking is very progressive with a lot of modulation action through the whole pull. Much better than Honda Drums ;)

On the list to replace:
1.Rubber vibration dampeners, I knew they would be soft but at speed and over bumps they are very, very soft. I do believe that will all crack in the first few hundred miles of normal driving.
2. Bar enc mirror has seen its last miles. The piece is great but the plastic connector has had to many shakes and shimmies and it will not hold position in the wind. Perhaps CRG carries rebuild pieces like they do for their levers.
3. Seat wont latch easily. When they chopped the tail something must have been messed with as the latch and seat arnt quite lined up. Could be some interference with the turn signals, I will investigate.
4. My key, black only, is bent out of shape. It operates the fuel lock and tumbler but it looks ready to break any any turn. I will need to send out to have it cloned and some fresh keys made. As an 08 it has a chip and immobilizer, correct?

(https://i.imgur.com/a02oLBs.jpg)

Anyone know of a source for OEM or better misc parts? Grommets and bolts?

Our sponsors Monsterparts and California Cycleworks:
     https://monsterparts.com
     http://ca-cycleworks.com

For OEM stuff they do not have, Omaha Ducati or, of course, the local dealer.

If I remember correctly, those isolation dampers are about $6 each OEM.

Omaha Ducati is exactly what I was looking for! That site is amazing. Thank you!

The 695 had (at least when produced) the honor of having the highest HP output per CC of any air-cooled Ducati.  They’re plenty peppy!

If you’re having seat issues, perhaps pick up a spare and add some foam for your taller frame.  That way, you have a HIS seat and your wife can use the original as a HERS seat.  Just a thought.

Great idea [thumbsup]

After a few more miles I have found a couple more things to replace. The gasket on the oil return line right above the shifter has a small but consistent drip. I need to raise my rear suspension, looks like there is some room to go up, I'm only 180lbs and I can smash my license plate with my rear wheel, that or the chop was done poorly and the license plate holder is in the wrong spot.

(https://i.imgur.com/rtTQneC.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iyc4cuT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tX3lDOT.jpg)

It may be a little small for me but my Son fits pretty well ;)
(https://i.imgur.com/yR5xHnF.jpg)