Good morning

And hello to one and all.
First off I must admit to knowing virtually nothing about Ducati Monsters apart from I like e'm, a lot.
Up to now I have always had classic Jap bikes, both riding and restoring, and have never been without a bike of some sort since I was 16.
My main bike is a 1971 Kawasaki A7 Avenger, which I've owned since 2003, but I find myself not enjoying riding it as much as I used to, I dunno maybe it's the tank slappers,no brakes and 17mpg, or maybe that if I dropped it I'd need to spend £500 per exhaust. If I could get them.
Iv'e hankered after a 620 Monster for years but somehow never got around to getting one, so if anyone knows of a really nice one for sale please let me know..Ta.
The A7 is going on ebay soon, I'll be sad to say goodbye, but Iv'e got my heart firmly set on a Monster. I like the way the needles whizz round and all the lights come on when you turn the ignition on, call me shallow but how cool is that!.
The A7-


All the best.
Steve.

Hi Steve
Welcome, I just joined a week ago after having a 695 for nearly 2 years now. Like you My previous bike was a 70s Jap, a 1974 RD 250, but like you I wanted something that required less tlc and stopped and handled better. The Monster is a great choice and theres sooo much you can do to them, The site is a great place for info and people are willing to offer advice, I've already got new plans for my bike. Good luck in your hunt for a Monster

I had a 70's YDS7 and a Honda Benley ..
80's GSX400 E

I love retro bikes especially 70's and 80's
I now have a little M600 its cool.. and soooo much lighter.

I have a 400 Katana (mini version of the big kat) and it feels so heavy to push!!!!!..like a barge!

Youl love the monster.. bit retro but with all the good stuff.
I decided to go for an older carbed one as I still like good basic bikes...

Nice kwack itl be snapped up!!
I never thought I would move away from my 70's and 80's bikes but the monstrer had dragged me away with no looking back!

[Nickj]

You not got the go faster (LOL well straighterish) damper on it then steve? I only ever had the triples but I did have a nail round on an avenger once on balance I preferred the samurai.
Monsters are more fun and a good base to do what you want to them, you get way better than 17mpg too. Plus if you want you can spend hours fiddling, the heads are special fun

Erm...Iv'e got an RD250 too, a 73' residing in my loft at present
Yes friction damper and hydralic one fitted on the A7 (It's fitted on t'other side) but still gets frisky on bumpy roads at speed.
I hope the A7 will get snapped up by somebody as it has to finance my Monster, I think it will because it's a genuine UK bike, I even contacted the original owner who's father still lives at the same address since the 60's age 90!
This is what I got back after talking to Tony who purchased the bike new in 71', enjoy-

Hi Steve,
Thanks very much for sending these. The bike looks absolutely beautiful and exactly as I had it until it was sold (It was never left dirty - an engineers legacy from Ruston's) I often wondered what ever happened to HDT 856J!

The bike gave me great pleasure from the day I bought it until I regretably sold it for a Honda 400 Four in '76.

I rode it alll around South Yorkshire until getting a Job with Ruston Gas Turbines in Lincoln in the very early 70's. During that time I commuted between Hoyland Common and Lincoln once a week, occasionally leaving the bike at home and using the train, if I had a lot of kit to carry arround. At one stage it had a touring screen fitted and some heavy duty Lucas handlebar switches that were common to the NVT range - because they were more waterproof! On summers night the lads from works all rode to Cadwell Park circuit in the middle of Lincolnshire and found a "secret" way in, off some back lane or other, one of the local lads knew about and did some laps on the circuit dodging the rabbits in full moonlight. Stuff like that one never forgets!

Yes the bike hold many fond memories including taking my future wife, Brenda, for a run from Manchester (where she lived) over the Woodhead pass to my sister's house in Hoyland to drop off some house keys I'd inadvertently taken with me.

Best memory was burning off a fully leathered commando rider whislt riding over the railway crossing in a place called Worsborough on my way into Barnsley one morning. I was at the front of the queue waiting for the gates to open (gates in those days) and this guy flitering up and sitting on my tail blipping the Commando and annoying everybody.
As the gates opened I set off and he'd missed a gear perhaps embarrasing him in front of the car drivers behind him.

As I cleared the crossing I was in second and heard the Commando set off with a vengance He stayed on my tail to goad me into a burn up climbing the long hill towards Barnsley. Well as he dropped his bike a gear I dipped the clutch in second and poured on the revs and fed it in leaving two streaks of blue smoke like a jet fighter on afterburn (well thats what I thought at the time!) It was a decisive lesson for this guy and gave up - all done in one gear. I supposed treating a Norton cluch like that would have killed it but Kawasakis were made of stern stuff even back then.

I also did this afterwards riding up the long hill itno Hoyland and got stopped by a young bobby who just wanted to have a look at the bike as it was quietly getting known as a flier! The constabulary had just got rid of their fleet of LE Velo's so you can immagine the difference in performance they would have to contend with on the roads.

Well I'll delve into our photo archive and see if I can find some old pictures of HDT which may help with its history for you and any other snippets I remember.

Kindest Regards
Tony.

PS. Sorry to talk about my A7, I don't have a Monster yet

[Blah blah]

Hello, and welcome

Originally Posted by a7avenger

...I'd need to spend £500 per exhaust. ...

Have you seen the price of Termis???

[Nickj]

Originally Posted by Blah blah

Have you seen the price of Termis???

Termis are going to be much easier to get hold of though.

Hi Steve, I also love the old Jap bikes. Still have my Suzi GT185 which I'm in the middle of restoring.

Hope you find yourself a nice Monster

Well Iv'e got one, a 2001 M600, not exactly what I wanted but I saw it on pistonheads and could'nt resist.
It needs some work, but I don't have a problem with that, I'll give it a full service, belts, brakes, carbs ultrasonic cleaned, then see what Iv'e got.
Does anyone have an M600 workshop manual in .pdf??
The bike has 7.5k miles, been standing a while though and it's up in Sotland...DOH!
Not bad at £995 I thought?

Thats alot of bike for the money!

Thats seem like a good price, the last thing you want to do is ride it home and it goes BANG! though (happened to me, I was testing the top speed at the time! )

Unmolested M600 for under 1K? good price! (if only wasn't yellow..)

Originally Posted by Pomp1

Unmolested M600 for under 1K? good price! (if only wasn't yellow..)

Soon(ish) to be red with a big white or cream coloured stripe

That looks a nice tidy beastie!
and a good price.

If you haven't got a van I would recommend using Motorcycle delivery service .. I have used one twice and had no probs.. cheaper then fuel and van hire!!..

If you can wait a few days for it then you save a bit!.

I wanted a black or yellow monster... but the first yellow one checked out for me was a no go area.

I picked the Hector... and got a black one...soon to be Mellified....

Used to have a KH250 in the late 70's - it was green and lovely but vibrated like a road drill at 70mph and above.