Looking at a M620 as someone new to Ducati

[bammerburn]

Hi all! I am trying to sell a Kawasaki Z1000 for a smaller bike. Someone offered me a 2002 Ducati M620 Dark to trade along with cash to make up the difference. I just checked out his bike, and thought I'd come here to see if you could give me some help.

I have owned eleven motorcycles in the past few years. It'd be my first Ducati. I have owned a series of SV650s so I immediately liked the character of the bike. I am looking for a bike that is rough around the edges, but mechanically good, because I live in a small (upstate New York) city with just a carport.

• The bike has 23k miles on it.
  
• There is oil seeping from the engine, from the upper cylinder from the looks of it. I can see oil sheen on the engine, at the bottom of the top cylinder on both sides. No dripping during my inspection, or after I rode the bike around for 20 minutes. Temperature goes up to 220-230. The seller says that the oil seepage is normal with those bikes and to look it up. Oil seeps when he revs it in the upper range, he says. What is common with this bike in terms of this?
• The seller took off the belt cover, and says he likes the look. He says that the previous owner had the belt, etc, chanced at 19k at a local reputable dealer. No documentation though. From what you see in the pictures (below), are the pulleys in acceptable condition?

I checked out the bike and rode it around for a bit. Rode just fine.
Here is the photo album: http://imgur.com/a/O9Ul8

The seller and I initially agreed upon the value of the bike at $2500. Now that I have inspected the bike, what do you guys think?

Much appreciated!

[Howie]

220-230^oF is normal, oil seepage is not.  If the belts are more than 2 years old  they should be changed.  No service records, assume the worst.  The local dealer should be able to give the owner copies of the service at 19K.  Can't tell anything about the pulleys from the photos.  Nice price, but I would have an expert diagnose the oil seeping problem though.  Could be as simple as a valve cover gasket or something not so simple like cam bearing seals.

[koko64]

Welcome to the forum!

If you buy the bike, check with the dealer for the service records. As howie said, with no documentation, you should assume the need for a service.

Was the power enough for you after the other bikes you've owned?

[justinrhenry]

temp and price seem ok if it weren't for the oil leaking problem.  the oil is not normal or common. 

that said, i have an 03 620 and it's probably my favorite bike i've ever owned.  it's also the bike i've owned the longest @ about 4 years.  i tend to swap bikes every 6 months or so, but i've held onto this one. 

it's definitely underpowered depending on what you're used to. 

the pulleys seem a little rusty on your bike, but i guess that's what happens when you don't have belt covers on.  as long as they turn ok i guess it's not a problem.

[IZ]

I had an '03 620 for 10 yrs before totaling it. Bought brand new and put about 80K miles on it.  Fun bike to cruise around town on for sure.  If you're on bigger bikes though and trading down ..you probably won't be satisfied.  Once I bought my 1100 Monster and had a taste of that Hp for a year, I put the 620 away for the most part. 

Just checked those pics.  Holy rust! 

[minnesotamonster]

Looks like a base gasket leak to me which was fairly common. Happened on my 2001 m600. Expensive (labor) fix though if you bring it in to the dealer. Cheap if you can DIY.

[bammerburn]

Was the power enough for you after the other bikes you've owned?

The power was just perfect My preferred ride is a low-geared 1st gen SV650 with suspension mods, so the M620 hit all the checkpoints nicely (narrow, small, torquey, handles well) - and certainly looks better & sounds better than the SV! I'm an advocate of "ride a slow bike fast...." philosophy too

I think I will be passing on that specific Ducati because of the oil leaks (I don't want to bother fixing other owners' mistakes, especially with how deep the hole could possibly go),  but I am now quite interested in picking up another small Ducati in the future... now, how to find another 2002-2005 M620 in the area...

Thanks for satisfying what I came for, with explaining what's possibly up with that bike.

[ducatiz]

base gaskets on a lot of models dry up and leak.  few hours if you do it by yourself, but you have to remove the head and cylinder.. not rocket science, but not for a beginner.

[MendoDave]

The oil leak is not as bad as the one on my 750. The gasket around the oil journal that goes up to the head is a little thin and they leak on some bikes. De greaser and a hose are your friends. I quit worrying about the leak a while ago and learned to accept it.
The bike looks OK from here. I would Change the belts and ride it. These bikes are pretty tough little machines and that one looks like a good one to start modifying.

There are a few members here with around 100K on their bikes.

[lethe]

looks fine to me but others will tell you that my criteria for "fine" might be questionable 

what upstate city are you in?

[bammerburn]

looks fine to me but others will tell you that my criteria for "fine" might be questionable 

what upstate city are you in?

I'm in Rochester.

[lethe]

I'm in Rochester.

ah, so a good distance away then
well if you ever drop a bit south and want to explore some roads let me know

[ab]

My 2004 620 is still serving me well at 52k.  Just be sure you service belts on time etc.  as for oil leaks, both my triumph and monster seem to drip here and there despite all the maintenance. It's a euro-trash thing :-)

[Twizted]

Have a look at the 695's too.