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ducati monster + beginner = bad idea?

12K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Joe Caringi 
#1 ·
hey guys, im new here and to the motorcycle world as well! :D I have read several threads here and learned a lot! Anyway, here's my question:

Ive looked into buying a motorcycle for myself (total beginner, no experience), and Ive seen a 97-98 Ducati Monster 750 go for abt $4K. Is that a good deal for that kind? But the most important question is will it be a good bike for someone who has no prior riding experience? I will be taking the MSF course before i buy a bike though. How is the Ducati maintenance wise? I also saw a 2003 Monster 620IE (?) for aroung a grand more.

Another option is I go the Japanese way. I can get either a GS500 or SV650 (both used).

Any help and opinion will be much appreciated! thanks :)
 
#3 ·
well first off, the ducati monster 750 is right about the same power level as the sv650 (give or take a few ponies) The Ducati screams italian flavor. It's a pretty bike, it's a bike with alot of character, and sole. Take it or leave it, they are VERY expensive to fix, and maintain. The sv650 isn't, but while it has character (mine has a mind of it's own) it doesn't have that certain something that you get with a ducati. But, they are alot more reliable, require less maintence, and have a near cult like following. I have an sv650, love the bike, considered a ducati, decided on the Sv as my first bike, don't regret it, but look at ducati's every day.
 
#6 ·
BurnMyHeartDown said:
Ducati's run around $800 every 6000 miles to maintain.
whoa!?!?! 800 per 6000 miles? I didnt know that it costs a lot. My BMW only costs 400 pero 5000 miles. I bet insurance will be significatnly higher also with the ducs, huh? Besides, with the expensive parts and sotly maintenance, Im better off with a GS500 or SV650. Would anyone know how much that maintenance for those bikes are?

And yea, ill take the MSF course weeks before I get a bike. I just want to narrow down the bikes i can get.

Thanks.
 
#7 ·
The Monster is a good bike, but it won't be a good first bike, not for the same reasons as a SS bike, but for the fact that it will be extremely expensive to repair. And repairs it will need, you aren't the easiest with your first bike.
 
#8 ·
I would not go w/a duc for my first bike just because of the cost of maintence and repairs if you damage the bike. I would look at a used gs500 or ex500 to begin with.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Im not sure where you got "800$ every 6000 miles". The service interval is 12,000 miles and any shop charging you 800 dollars is ripping you a new A-hole!! Two new belts+valve clearance check and two hours labour shouldn't even be close to 800$. :bitchslap

Anyway.. the monster is probably at the top end of what you want. BUT, a NEW monster dark is going for 6800ish which isn't much more. They do hold value well, but if or when you drop it (even in your driveway) your going to pay out a whole lot more then you will with a sv or a gs.
 
#10 ·
I've got to step in here because there's some serious mis-information being dispensed. My first ever bike, at age 42, was a new 2001 750 Monster. I had it for 2 years, put over 16,000 miles on it, and loved it.

My rip-off dealer 6200 mile service was 489.52, and it did require 2 shims at that time - it's more expensive if they have to adjust after they've checked. My 12,000 mile service by a Ducati factory trained service manager of the local BMW dealership was 417.80, and this included replacing a leaking cam seal - obviously not part of the scheduled maintenance.

I wish people who've never owned a Ducati would stop with the histrionics regarding maintenance costs. I've never owned a Japanese bike so I can't knowlegeably (and therefore will not) compare, but the urban legend numbers that get tossed around for Ducat's are nonsense.

It was a great starter bike, for me. It got dropped four times, three by me, and once be the service manager. Damage was quite minimal - total replacement parts involved a clutch lever and side stand, total damage included very minor scrapes to an exhaust and a mirror, and a bar end. It turns out that the handle bars completely protect the tank in a drop - and this includes a 2 mph high side during which I watched the bike bounce down the road as I hit the asphalt.

Reliability was good, perhaps great by motorcycle standards. It had a clutch slave cylinder recall performed before any issues occurred. It stranded my once with a bad (German) relay. And that was about it.

It was beautiful, fun, and easy to ride. My only regret is that I saved a couple of hundred dollars and got the black, instead of the yellow I really wanted. After the two years, I wanted some more power and comfort (I am b***** than the average motorcyclist), and I traded it for decent money on the Futura. The dealer sold the bike before they even got it on the showroom floor. I just bought an 05 Speed Triple as a back up for the Futura, and if I hadn't already owned a Monster, I would have bought one, and been delighted with it.

Ducati was extremely diligent in making significant upgrades just about every year to the Monster. Therefore, I recommend spending as much money as you possibly can on the latest model year, the color of your choice, and the largest displacement you feel comfortable with (understand that a 1000 DS is not like a Japanese liter bike). You could end up with a keeper, in addition to a good starter bike.

Post up with more questions about the Monster, if you've got them. Have fun.

2cats
 
#11 ·
Joe Caringi said:
I've got to step in here because there's some serious mis-information being dispensed. My first ever bike, at age 42, was a new 2001 750 Monster. I had it for 2 years, put over 16,000 miles on it, and loved it.

My rip-off dealer 6200 mile service was 489.52, and it did require 2 shims at that time - it's more expensive if they have to adjust after they've checked. My 12,000 mile service by a Ducati factory trained service manager of the local BMW dealership was 417.80, and this included replacing a leaking cam seal - obviously not part of the scheduled maintenance.

I wish people who've never owned a Ducati would stop with the histrionics regarding maintenance costs. I've never owned a Japanese bike so I can't knowlegeably (and therefore will not) compare, but the urban legend numbers that get tossed around for Ducat's are nonsense.

It was a great starter bike, for me. It got dropped four times, three by me, and once be the service manager. Damage was quite minimal - total replacement parts involved a clutch lever and side stand, total damage included very minor scrapes to an exhaust and a mirror, and a bar end. It turns out that the handle bars completely protect the tank in a drop - and this includes a 2 mph high side during which I watched the bike bounce down the road as I hit the asphalt.

Reliability was good, perhaps great by motorcycle standards. It had a clutch slave cylinder recall performed before any issues occurred. It stranded my once with a bad (German) relay. And that was about it.

It was beautiful, fun, and easy to ride. My only regret is that I saved a couple of hundred dollars and got the black, instead of the yellow I really wanted. After the two years, I wanted some more power and comfort (I am b***** than the average motorcyclist), and I traded it for decent money on the Futura. The dealer sold the bike before they even got it on the showroom floor. I just bought an 05 Speed Triple as a back up for the Futura, and if I hadn't already owned a Monster, I would have bought one, and been delighted with it.

Ducati was extremely diligent in making significant upgrades just about every year to the Monster. Therefore, I recommend spending as much money as you possibly can on the latest model year, the color of your choice, and the largest displacement you feel comfortable with (understand that a 1000 DS is not like a Japanese liter bike). You could end up with a keeper, in addition to a good starter bike.

Post up with more questions about the Monster, if you've got them. Have fun.

2cats

Good write up. It seems like there are not a lot of people with Ducati's on this forum. My question is in regards to the 620/Dark. Is there a big difference in all honesty between the dark and the standard version? I know you lose a gear with the dark (5spd not 6spd), but do you know of anything else?
 
#13 ·
If what Wisper found on the web site is for the current model year, I'd also pay attention to differences from previous model years, because of all the changes year to year. I can't remember now. I'm pretty sure with the 750 in 2001, the dark was missing the body color fly screen and seat cowl that came on regular models- and I really like those seat cowls.
 
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