Looking at a 1998 Monster

[Jason333]

I am looking at a 1998 Ducati Monster. It has around 16k miles (I assume not high at all).

Are there any issues with this year model (Frame cracking, motors etc?).
How comfortable are these models with bars? I have ridden on sportbikes for years, but age and back issues have taken me off of them all together.

Any advice is appreciated.


Jason

[redial]

for that age and miles you should be looking at a 900 or you might as well go newer


they are awesome bikes. motors said to be "bulletproof" on the 900. you get the very nice looking dry clutch as well
Not sure how far you will be riding but after 2 hrs my butt/back sure hurts.

lack of clipons may help.

an aftermarket seat will surely help too. i got a corbin which i love but i have not done more than an
hour on it since getting it

[the_Journeyman]

My 1999 750 has been a great bike, but as mentioned, the 900 is a better bet, but a 750 should come in pretty cheap.  Some years had an issue with the base gasket on the vertical cylinder, so look for a very noticeable amount of oil/gunk there.

Other than that, I can't think of a whole lot of issues ~

JM

[Düb Lüv]

what's the guy asking for it? ask about service records.


timing belts and valve adjustments are the main thing. valves should be checked every 3-5k and when were the belts changed. if they haven't been done that frequent, don't let that shy you from buying. my bike has about 25k and where last checked at about 18k by the PO's. when i did check them, they were still in factory spec. just take into account that if you buy that should/need to be done to be safe. pretty easy to do yourself. $80 for 2 belts and feeler gauge. if you have a shop do the valves i'd be around $300.

the frames main problem is battery acid damage on the left side. wet battery with a steep kickstand angle is recipe for trouble. in normal cases it just eats the paint off the frame. i'm sure there's been some cases to damage the frame tubing.

[Jason333]

Thanks guys. The bike is a 900, and the asking price is 3k.