Buying 2003 Monster 620, questions & Tips

[mysticbluex3]

Looking at buying a 2003 620.  2nd owner, 1st owner is neighbor across from street.  1st owner dropped the bike, dealer repaired everything except for dented tank and some minor paint scratches.  Has 11.2k miles so coming up on 12k service.  Clean title.  Tires are pretty good.  Got him down to $2700.  What do you guys think?  Any advice?  I'm also knew to the Ducati world.  My previous bikes were Kawasaki 250 ninja and Yamaha R6.

Also, whats the deal w/ the 5-speed?

[mstevens]

That sounds a bit high to me for a 7 year-old bike in need of 12k service and with a dented tank.

What "deal" with the 5-speed are you referring to? Is this a "dark" (matte black) bike? If so, that probably also means it has a single front brake rotor instead of double.

[IZ]

^^ Sh*t..I'd be selling my '03 620 for at least that much and I've got nearly 75K on it.

[sbrguy]

i have the same bike, the 5 speed trans is fine.

at highway speeds of 70 and up do you want a 6th gear for a little more fuel efficiency and keeping revs down? of course i do, but its not relaly a big deal at all.

for general commuting and such i've found the 5 speed fine.

the came out with the 6 speed ont he bike a couple of years later, i figure they did it because it was more cost effective to put a 5 speed in this bike when it was originally out.

[KrakHor9]

I have the same bike in yellow... this is exactly the same reason why now I am at the point where I don't ever think I will sell my bike.  It's not worth it and I won't get enough money for what I think it's worth.  It's a good bike you are looking at for not much money.  So if I ever feel the need for a new bike... guess I will have TWO bikes...  [moto]

[sbrguy]

funny you say that mine is a yellow 620 also. funny.

20k miles into it so far its been great, no problems just start it and do the maintenance and its great.  put on an oil cooler and it runs a ton cooler and is still really easy to ride and just a great all around commuting bike and get saddle bags for it and its good for an a weekend tour or just the local grocery shopping for a few days worth.. if you can get the monster city bags/mandarina duck bags for the bike that were made for the monster in the early 2000s then you are set.

i've spoken to a bunch of people that have owned these bikes as either first or second bikes then sold them.  each time they said the same thing, that they loved how fun and easy the bikes were to ride and that they regretted selling them in hindsight and that the bike is a perfect "spare" bike for just tooling around or for a friend to use when in town to go on a ride. 

[Buckethead]

Had one. It had dual front discs. Great bike. All you could ever want around town. That seems like a fair price. That was the last year they used the 5 speed. As mentioned, it would be nice to have that sixth cog for highway cruising, but it's not a big deal.

Big things you're going to want to think about are the same as they would be for any other Monster: it's sprung for an Italian teenager, and you're coming up on a major service. I'm guessing the belts are original. In that case, if you do buy it, the first thing I'd do is take it someplace that knows what they're doing and have the 12k service done. You're looking at anywhere from about $500 up to as much as you want to pay, but at most places, it's a pretty thorough service. Chances are when you get it back, it'll run as good if not better than it did when it rolled off the lot.

That would be an ideal time to have new fork springs and oil done, ($200-300) and then it'll be set up for your weight.

Of course, you could always just buy the thing and run the snot out of it. There are plenty of them around that don't see the recommended service intervals. Kinda depends on whether you want to keep the bike for a while.

Lastly, coming from an R6, you're probably going to be disappointed by the overall power of the smaller 2 valve motor. If you haven't already, I'd suggest asking for a test ride.

[justinrhenry]

i have an 03 620.  $2700 seems a little high for one with a dented tank and scratches.  not too high though. 

[DarkStaR]

I scored (for a friend) a '03 620 (dual disc, 5-speed) w/ 18K, dented tank, CF fender, CF bellypan, CF Remus Exhaust, cycle cat bars & triple ect. ect. for ... $1900.

(It's also custom painted...but that doesn't matter so much when the tank is dented.)

[mysticbluex3]

Thanks for all the advice.  I'm really looking for a bike to get around town and to get to school which is not far away.  I doubt I'll do much hwy ridding so the 6th gear won't be an issue.  Probably keep the bike for awhile so I definitely will be doing all the required services.  What do you guys think is a fair price for the bike?  I'm a student so I'm looking to spend the least amount of money possible.  BTW the bike does have a bunch of CF on it.  Not that it matters to me but I'm sure the seller will try to use it to justify not lower the price anymore.

[Autostrada Pilot]

I think that price could be fair depending on where you're located.  I had an '03 620 but sold it a year and a half ago.  Great around town bike, great gas mileage (I pretty much got 47mpg and I could have gotten better if I had been gentler on the throttle).

Not a lot of people have extra cash laying around right now to buy toys, so I think it's a buyer's market. I highly recommend getting the service done as it will run as good or better than coming off the lot.

[Goat_Herder]

I had just sold my '03 M620 yellow.  It's a fantastic city bike.  Being 5'7 and 140lbs, the bike was sprung perfectly for me.  I added bar risers to better posture.  I got 55 MPG commuting/around town.  Can't really beat that. 

The bike is intended for getting you around town and it's great for that.  From time to time, I would prefer a 6th gear for highway cruising.  But 5,000 RPM at 70mph ain' that bad.  The smaller displacement engine can handle higher rev.

I think the price is fair.  I had just sold my bike a month ago for a higher price.  Than again, it depends largely on your location and condition of the bike.

[Monster Dave]

I don't see any real reason to consider fuel as a factor with  the number of gears we get on the 620 - the 620 is so light that even with a rider it still gets amazing mileage at higher rpms.

On the highway, I get about 160 miles on a tank (cruising between 75mph-85mph). Not too shabby.

If you're looking for more gearing, play with your sprockets a little and you should find a happy medium.

[ducrider45]

On a 620 that old, check the rear base gasket for oil leaks. Look at the base of the rear cylinder for any oil. It was a common problem with that bike.

[mysticbluex3]

On a 620 that old, check the rear base gasket for oil leaks. Look at the base of the rear cylinder for any oil. It was a common problem with that bike.

Thanks.  Noob question.  Can you post a picture showing where the rear base gasket and rear cylinder is?  Thanks.