"Baby" Monsters - 620 & 695's

[Travman]

My brother is interested in the smaller cc Monsters.  Just want to make sure I know what I'm talking about.  Please let me know if any of this below is incorrect.  Thanks.

"In 2005 the baby Monster (620) had some cost cutting which included the smaller two piston brakes instead of the 4 piston Goldlines.  I'm pretty sure this is also when they received plastic tanks. So you may have to go back to 2004 to get a metal tank on a 620."

Also,

1)  When did the 620's get the six-speed transmission and Adler Power Torque Plate Clutch (APTC)?  
2)  Have the plastic tank 620's and 695 suffered from the tank expansion problems?


What about 695's?  I think my brother should stay away from the 695 unless it has the Ducati Performance ECU and pipes.  The year the 695 came out was the same year the latest strict Euro emissions went into effect and the 695 was set very lean.  It ran so hot it turned the paint on the cylinder heads closest to the exhaust brown.  You could see oil temps well above 300 degrees.  The previous 620's never got anywhere near those temps.  The Ducati Performance ECU and pipes allowed it to run as it should and brought the oil temps way down.

[kopfjäger]

I don't think the 620 ever had a plastic tank or an APTC. (?)

[Travman]

I am pretty sure my 2006 620 had a plastic tank.  One of the first things I noticed about my 2005 1000s when I got it home was that it had a metal tank which was different from the 620.  

[sbrguy]

the six speed i think came out in 04.

i know the 03 don't have either the slipper or 6 speed.

my 03 has a 5sp trans and is not a dark model

[ItsaDuc]

Well, I can tell you that the 03' Dark has a metal tank, but is only a 5 speed. I also have the 4 piston gold lines. Again, mine is a "Dark" model, I know the other models that year were all 6 speed.  I believe that the 5 speed was for darks only and that stopped in 04' with everything getting 6speed. As for plastic tanks, I think you are right with 05' being the magical year.

[kopfjäger]

Looks like the plastic tank came in, in 05 along with the APTC. 03 hade a 5 speed, 04 had a 6 speed.

[TitanMonsterS4R]

I had an 08 695 and the tank was plastic.  Just got a brand new tank from Ducati to fix the issue.  Yes, oil temps did go above 300 and a number of times I had to pull over because of high temp readings.  My 08 695 was a 6 speed.  Still have my termi slip-ons, ECU and airbox if you little brothers looking for a set at a cheap price and still look pretty damn good.  Left Termi has a couple of scratches.  

[Travman]

Thanks for the help guys.  I found some specifications on Ducati's website.  
http://www.ducati.com/bikes/monster/620/2004/tech_spec.do

2004 was definitely the year the 6-spd and APTC debuted.  (The 2004 Dark still kept the 5-spd.)
So, the 2004 could be a good year to look for.  It has the better brakes and metal tank of the earlier 620's and it has the 6-spd and APTC.  It  but doesn't have the plastic tank.  All of the good, none of the bad.  

[kopfjäger]

Thanks for the help guys.  I found some specifications on Ducati's website.  http://www.ducati.com/bikes/monster/620/2004/tech_spec.do

2004 was definitely the year the 6-spd and APTC debuted.  (The 2004 Dark still kept the 5-spd.)
So, the 2004 could be a good year to look for.  It has the better brakes and metal tank of the earlier 620's and it has the 6-spd and APTC.  It  but doesn't have the plastic tank.  All of the good, none of the bad.  

Looks like you answered your own question. 

[Travman]

Just had to dig a little deeper.  Also, I forgot that you can tell the difference between the metal and plastic tanks by looking at the little lip at the bottom of all metal tanks where the metal was sealed together. 

A few questions remain.
 1) Have the plastic tank 620's and 695 suffered from the tank expansion problems?
 2) What about 695's?  Do they run too lean? Should we stay away unless it has the DP ECU and pipes?

[kopfjäger]

 1) Have the plastic tank 620's and 695 suffered from the tank expansion problems?
 

Look a few posts up

[Buckethead]

A few questions remain.
 1) Have the plastic tank 620's and 695 suffered from the tank expansion problems? They're plastic, so yes.
 2) What about 695's?  Do they run too lean? Should we stay away unless it has the DP ECU and pipes? They use the old ECU, so a re-flash to DP spec is only $250. If they don't show discoloration or any other damage, I wouldn't worry about it. That's not to say that Termi's and an ECU aren't desirable.

[superjohn]

Just had to dig a little deeper.  Also, I forgot that you can tell the difference between the metal and plastic tanks by looking at the little lip at the bottom of all metal tanks where the metal was sealed together. 

A few questions remain.
 1) Have the plastic tank 620's and 695 suffered from the tank expansion problems?
 2) What about 695's?  Do they run too lean? Should we stay away unless it has the DP ECU and pipes?

I have an '06 620 and yes, I have replaced one tank because it expanded. I have a full quat d exhaust and only had an issue with the engine running lean when I opened the air box up.

[Scotzman]

Having an '08 695, I have a some small issues with the tank, but other than that it's been cherry. No problems with fuel mixture or anything.

[Speeddog]

Go for the '04 620.

If you want bigger, go for the '04 M800.
No APTC, but all of the other good stuff.