first time buyer

**i_need_£** · 26 Apr 08, 04:33 PM

Going to look at a 1999 ducati monster 600 black tomorrow.

I'm a little worried about the realiability issues that cloud italian bikes, i recently had a gilera that i was using daily, and to be honest it could be a little funny.

is it a good idea to get a monster if i'm going to be using it daily, or would i be better off with somthing like a suzuki sv650 - i'm under the impression there a very similar bike, however japanese bikes have a tendency to be a little more reliable, if a little less passionate.

bearing in mind, it will be stored under a cover, and after a 2 mile journey to work indoors could this be a problem? i'm fairly handy with a toolkit, so dont mind having to tinker with it, as i like to have a good understanding of the vehicles i'm using.

And what should i be looking out for when buyin one second hand, known faults etc.

as much help as possible would be great, and who knows i might be joining this community for many happy years to come, cheers

**sweetpea** · 26 Apr 08, 04:42 PM

hi I_need_£

Most folks are out either at DD racing or the Bristol meet but I am sure your will get a sensible answer soon. Until then...... IMHO they are more realiable now but I would be concerned that you are only traveling two miles to work (if I have understood you correctly) I am not sure that it will have time to warm up...

Check that you have details of the service history and get a feel for how much these are if you were to buy as the belts need to be looked after.

Monsters are just great and I love my one so much.

Good luck with your choice

**i_need_£** · 26 Apr 08, 06:25 PM

yeah, as much as i try to get up earlier and leave it on tick over to get warm, i am only doing a 10 minute journey, so yeah it probably wouldn't get that warm, i'd be willing to sacrifice so many late nights to have one

a freind of mine who was looking at buying a 748 biposto, and was told that a belt service would cost somewhere in the region of £600. I imagined it would be cheaper on the monster, being a naked bike, and less labour involved, how often does something like that need doing, is it somthing thats best left to the pros?

**sweetpea** · 26 Apr 08, 06:31 PM

I think belts should be changed every two years as part of the normal service and will be about £500 (about £350 if you do not go to a main dealer) the other years a normal service is about £250.

I have this pleasure to look forward to so have been looking at prices. If you know what you are doing I am sure you could do it yourself - fancy doing mine?

BTW have you thought about taking the long way to work? That way you get more time to enjoy the bike...?

**i_need_£** · 26 Apr 08, 06:35 PM

pretty handy with a tool box, but dont reckon you'd be too happy when i delivered your bike back to you in a box

**barry** · 26 Apr 08, 06:52 PM

Hi folks, if you are handy with your tools, then changing the belts is a doddle. My bike is an ss, so plastics have to be removed first, but even then it only took me about 3/4 of an hour to change them, including removing the right fairing...most other service items are straight forward too. Valve clearances being the only real exception. Check on youtube, and search for `ducati how to`....belts and valve clearances on your screen..

welcome btw

**half man, half mole** · 26 Apr 08, 06:52 PM

Hi,

Belts will need replacing every two years without fail to maintain reliability.

If you decide to do-it-yourself then these links may help:-

Maintenance Schedule

Basic Maintenance

Advanced Maintenance

Tools

Good luck

M

**gillan900** · 26 Apr 08, 06:55 PM

Welcome aboard i_need_£,

Reliability isn't an issue these days especially a '99 600 monster. A sound bike

As sweatpea says make sure it's got a service history and it's not smoking like a chimney you should be ok.

As for changing belts, it's an easy job if your used to using spanners, especially on a monster. It would take you about 20 mins, there is a good thread on here somewhere about it which has a link to a little video clip, it's worth a look at and shows you exactly what to do.

Again I share sweatpea's concerns about the 2 mile trip to work, not just for a Duke but any bike, even if you let it warm up, an engine needs to be run... Anyway go take a look, have a test run on it and see how you feel, you could always take the scenic route home, owning a Ducati is a wonderful thing, hopefully you will discover this

**Rudolph Hart** · 30 Apr 08, 07:39 AM

Hi I_need_£.

Could I suggest you consider a charger such as an Optimate & keep your bike connected to this over winter when you're not using it? Ducatis need a well-charged battery over winter & the short rides you propose may not be sufficient to keep the battery charged.

Hope your search for a Ducati goes well, looking forward to seeing photos of your new steed.