Ducati 750 Monster Test Ride

Bike: 1996 Ducati Monster M750
Location: Allenby Motorcycles, Chelmsford
Weather: cloudy, 18º
Jumper: black, grey and white horizontal stripes

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Today was a wee experiment. If we can't afford the £180ish a month for a new bike, could I live with something I bought with the money made from the sale of the GS?

I found my answer - it is yes, and I only needed a 750 to prove it.

I've been in Allenby's before for some front pads, and the bloke in there is very straight, very dry and very relaxed. The ideal bike shop owner. He also has an interest in 'different' bikes that you might not find normally. Not being a dealer, but a mechanic and secondhand salesman, he can fill his shop with what he wants, and he does fill it. There's not a duff bike around. I might have to pop back just to take pics of his stock if he lets me. Harris-framed Z1000J, Ducati 600SS, two of the mintiest XT500s I've ever seen (and he says he'll never sell), a BMW S1000RR, an incredibly tidy and cheap TRX850, a few indoor trails bikes as well as the obligatory stickered-up litre sportsbikes. An interesting mix.

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The bike is dug out for me and left to idle in front of the shop. It's a carb-fed 750 air-cooled twin. A proper, wee Monster. It's not in bad nick for it's 20,000 miles and 15 years. One of the fork bottoms needs a lick of paint, the exhaust downpipes need a polish and if it were mine, I'd tidy some of the pipes and wires on the right side of the bike (though this may be a factory thing), but that's about it. The single front Brembo feels lovely and solid, several times more powerful and accurate than the ****ty Jap crap found on the ER6 yesterday. The carbs look clean with no hint of any leaks, the 1/4-action throttle snaps back nicely, and the tyres are Michelin Pilot Roads. Lovely.

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He takes my license, and I'm away. The front is bloody soft. The unadjustable forks are probably on the original fork oil and would more closely resemble a frothy cappuccino by now. A revalve wouldn't go amiss, but some heavier, newer fork oil would be a quick fix for a tenner and an hour. This, unfortunately, spoils the handling somewhat and means the bike weaves when decent force is put through it when cornering. Still, it gives me more confidence to **** around than the awful front on the ER6 yesterday. That's saying something.

The bars are perfect, wide enough and low enough to feel purposeful, but not uncomfortable. The clutch is heavier, but after a few miles and adjusting where I put my fingers on the lever, I don't notice it again.

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The engine is lovely. Proper mid-range drive and a willingness to rev means it has soul, although when I glance at the speedo I notice the sensation of speed is greater than I think. It feels quick enough, but you're actually traveling slower than you'd guess. That works fine for me. Zipping through the gears, it feels really eager and nippy, and if I were just arsing around on back lanes or through town, I'd be perfectly happy with the little 750, but I need more in my life. A 900 it is.

Once I get onto my regular commute of tiny, gravel-strewn lanes and pot-holed unclassifieds, I worry briefly that the bike won't handle it. I needn't have. It shrugs off bumps that see even the GS shudder a bit. It's accurate and planted, even with the front-end wobble, but becomes vague mid lean as there's little feedback due to the shoddy forks.

The brake feels a little dead, but it's unadjustable as far as I could see. I'd be tempted to put a bit of air in for some more feel, or different pads. Powerful enough, though.

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Equipment-wise, there's nothing. It's a basic, light air-cooled motorcycle. I'd need heated grips and some tidying up, and a few hundred off the price. It's not a two grand bike. I'd also need a rev counter as I had no idea where I was in the rev range or when to change down. The chain adjusters spoil it a little bit as they look the same that hung off the back of my Bandit. Horrible, rattly, inaccurate things. However, someone on the UK Monster forum has pointed out some much neater CNC-machined plates to replace them for under £40 which would ease my frustration. I think Gilles would ruin the look.

Looking at the sides of the bike, there's too much tape and cable ties on the frame for my liking. I think over time I'd re-arrange some parts that could be easily moved under the seat and tank to clean up the look of the engine. The cases need a lick of paint, too. Other than that, it's a very pretty bike.

I had a right blast on it. I can happily live with an older Monster. In fact, I'd prefer this ancient model to the ER6, in case you hadn't already guessed.

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More photos here.

[craigie]

I had a wee 750SS which was grand and a right laugh, also a right hassle, I was 12th owner. You're right it's not a 2 grand bike, I got a 1999 M900 with termi's and only 5000miles for a little less than that last year. Lovely old schoolness, although I have gone to town a wee bit with, subtle and not so subtle, changes. Loving it, hope you find one, if you don't get the shiny new one that is.

Oh, forgot to explain about the forks. When you shove them down, it bounces a couple of times before settling. It has little control over the damping, and there's no adjustment.

Originally Posted by craigie

I had a wee 750SS which was grand and a right laugh, also a right hassle, I was 12th owner. You're right it's not a 2 grand bike, I got a 1999 M900 with termi's and only 5000miles for a little less than that last year. Lovely old schoolness, although I have gone to town a wee bit with, subtle and not so subtle, changes. Loving it, hope you find one, if you don't get the shiny new one that is.

Yep, an 'optimistic' price, I think. I can't believe how low the mileages are on these things. I'm on the lookout for a 900 now, although I need to do some work on the GS.

Nice write up, bit as Craig said 2k is a bit optimists, but dealer-style. An early 900 in good conditions will set you back that sort of money, as they've now stopped depreciating. What you reckon you could make out of the GS then?

1100GS' are fairly sought-after as there's not that many around. When I've given mine a service and a deep clean, I should be able to get £2500 for it. I think.

I've just bought a 2000 model Monster Dark 750 with 17000 miles on it for only £1850.

The bike is in lovely condition with termis, carbon nose fairing, and an aftermarket carbon dash with led rev counter, and twin front discs.

I'm loving it, sounds awesome with loads of character and I don't feel as though I need more power.

I've come from a Triumph Daytona 955i and this is my first v-twin after loads of in-line fours and the Triumph triple.

It just shows that you can find them under £2000, although there don't seem to be many on Autotrader for less than £2000.

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^^^ Very nice

[slob]

Remember a 900 will have heavier (dry) clutch, budgeting £100ish for and uprated slave cylinder will help some, if you don't happen on one that's already had that mod done.
An 800ie will give you a little more grunt than a 750, if you can find one for sale! although the 750 wins on self servicability, given it has carbs and no ECU to tweak.

My experience has been that FI is much better than carbs when it comes to home servicing...

Thanks for the advice, though that stuff is invaluable when it comes to buying. What slave cylinder is used? One from another bike or new?

[craigie]

From new, not another bike. I have not done this and have no problems and I mostly tote round gridlock London using the clutch alot.

[Blah blah]

An early 750 is a cracking bike (I am a bit biased), proper cans, Stage 2 dynojet, K&N and big hole in the top of the airbox make a noticeable, seat-of-the-pants difference and worth every penny.

The dyno jet took me a couple of hours to install, and I'm rubbish with spanners, replacing the clutch cable took considerably more time.

I see it's got the clutch slave cylinder built into the crankcase and the seals can go (a design fault that was cured on the later models, but they're only a few quid and pretty easy to replace) and if you decide to buy a braided hose for it, you'll probably get one too short first time around.

I haven't got a rev counter either and don't miss it, but when it stops pulling I change up and when it starts to shake itself to bits, I change down.

The single disk is plenty, again braided hoses and hagon progressive fork springs enable you to wear you boots away with merry abandon. As for the weave, mine used to weave horribly on Dunlop 207s, getting worse as they wore down but a set of Pilot Pures sorted it, so it could be cured with a new set of tyres.

£2k seems a rather large amount, but if a deals to be had you can't go far wrong

[Nickj]

The 750's are fun again like blab blah I will admit to a little bias there
Having had both I'd go for a carbie, less electronics to go wrong, feels a teeny bit rawer and I guess a bit edgier than the IE.


Oh a plus I've found... Riding sensibly middling fuel consumption mid 40's, ignore sensible and scut about at my usual pace (not very sensible) and 50