The Good The Bad & The Ugly

Hello to all I have just bought a 98 m600 dark, so thought i would look up some info on the machine and what better place than an owners forum.
i am sure we all love our bikes in one way or another, but for me, looking past the the excitement of having my first 'big' bike to see any faults in the machine is still difficult. so can any one give me a heads up on what i need to be aware of with a m600 good bad or ugly?

i can however see i need a left pillion foot peg with pin, circlip and spring any ideas on expected cost and supplier any one?

T.

Hi, welcome aboard,

They're great first bikes, it was my first 'proper' bike too. You'll love it, get addicted, add some blingy bits then after a few months wish you'd gone for the 900 instead, nice jingly dry clutch and that bit more oomph! Having said that I kept my 600 for a couple of years before going up to the 900.

This is a great place for technical info and knowhow and a friendly bunch of people to boot (and you may wish you'd booted some of us eventually I'm sure)...

ebay is your friend for the footrest:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_tr...at=0&_from=R40

Ducati Spares for the pin, circlip etc.

[Dirty]

Hi, welcome, I think Nick_the_brief already mentioned me

I started with an M600 too, didn't take long to progress....

They are ok .... I still have mine ..
Kicking myself for missing out on 900 the other week but then I'd have had to sold a bike to keep the bank happy
If you just bimble about its fine easy to get to
Speed limit .. Is fine..
If your into hooning about and don't care about speed limits you may get fed up ..
I like mine .

[Dirty]

600's rock. Radiators are not cool Only thing I'd want to change is the dry clutch situation

Hello and Welcome

and hello to you all too, thanks for your welcomes and comments. this was an impulse buy really but had been looking every day on ebay for about 3 months and hadn't got any where.

thanks for ebay search string, can anyone advise if the pillion pegs are interchangeable with other models of monster and indeed front peg back peg etc.? also are Ducati service centers a bit pricey for parts ?

cheers T.

[utopia]

Hello and welcome.
Hope you enjoy your 600.

Change the belts at the specified intervals. Change them now if you don't know their history. If you have any mechanical ability at all its actually a fairly simple DIY job.
See ducatitech video .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vzPZ84ZRjU

Reg/rec units are prone to failure, possibly causing overcharging and acid spill. Tell tale stains on left side of frame indicate previous acid spill.
Main problem seems to be inadequate multiconnectors from reg/rec and undersized/marginal wiring from alternator.
Shindengen upgrades are the ultimate solution.

Most general spares are actually reasonably priced from Ducati dealers.
Servicing costs are what usually account for the big bills, but don't believe the rumours about Ducatis being sensitive beasts requiring dealer servicing. The 2-valve engines are actually pretty bullet proof and quite simple to work on. With the exception of adjusting valve clearances, the basic maintenance work is an easy DIY task. My bike hasn't seen a dealers workshop in my 6 or 7 yrs ownership.

Gearing is pretty long and many people fit a smaller gearbox sprocket to make town riding easier. However, I find that after a while you get used to it and, for me, the std sprocket is the better option.
I often dip the clutch momentarily before opening the throttle from low revs, to smooth the drive out of slower corners.

Clutch can be heavy. An aftermarket slave cylinder with bigger dia piston will reduce the lever pressure to more manageable levels. Various brands are available, Oberon being one decent option.

Gearchanges can be notchy. A well adjusted lever position and a well adjusted and lubed chain is essential for smooth changes.

Be careful when lifting the fuel tank, especially if it contains a lot of fuel. The rear hinge is spot welded on and is prone to twisting with resultant leaks. Also, the std tank prop is a bit dodgy as it imposes a slight twist to the hinge and also is prone to perishing of the plastic/rubber end piece. I use a length of wood to prop the tank from the airbox, which is much more rigid and reliable.

Headlamp is poor in std trim, but aftermarket bulbs improve it to manageable levels. I use Philips extreme vision.

Can't think of any more offhand.
Don't be put off by these little foibles. The basic bike is well designed.

[Mr Gazza]

Welcome in..

The footrests are fairly universal. Some have rubbers and some don't.
Front and rear pegs are the same as far as i know but the spring arrangement differs.
The riders are sprung loaded in the down position and have a hairspring type spring which coils round the pin.
The pillions have two positions, up and down, which they click into by means of a spring loaded catch in a drilling in the side of the peg.

thanks Mr Gazza and utopia both really useful, in fact bike no longer running as it seems the battery is flat! two rides in dark could of hastened that so this could be the the rec/reg unit utpoia mentions, just trying to charge battery up to see if its any good also, previous owner replaced battery just before i bought the bike. i wonder if he had similar issue.

If its reg rec sort it quick as boiled battery damage to frame and casing is no fun.
They like Motobatt batteries big yellow high cranking one brilliant in winter and if reg rec goes mine just blew out a bit ( swelled) and didn't explode.
I think Busters is the cheapest place to buy that battery and its worth it .
Also now its getting colder a slug of Silkalene PRo FST in the tank is a must .
They are prone to carb icing.

I ride all year round and the combination of the Motobatt and ProFST keeps my 99 M600 starting and going well through winter.
AFC50 it as well as any crud on the road will rot the bike especially engine casings.
hope that helps.

[utopia]

Ah, yes. Winter carb icing.
Its worth repeating Mel's comments as you WILL experience this, and probably quite soon at this time of the year.
Basically, low pressure at the jet/needle causes atmospheric moisture to condense and freeze, resulting in poor running and erratic tickover.
And you don't need particularly cold weather.....its more dependant on damp autumn weather than freezing winter conditions.
Ducati use two systems to "address" the issue....either electric heating elements in the carbs, or hot oil fed to the floatbowls. NEITHER OF THESE SYSTEMS WORK.
But dosing the fuel with pro.fst (by silkolene) will sort it.

[Mr Gazza]

I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, but for the very first time I disagree with Utopia, Oracle of wisdom and common sense.

I found that the diverter valve that put hot oil round the carbs on my '98 Monster, worked very well.
The icing occurs, as you say , in conditions of high relative humidity. If I mis-judged the conditions or forgot to turn the de-icers on, I would suffer spitting and coughing to the point of stall sometimes.
Turning on the oil supply and re-starting always restored smooth running.
Of course, a short stop will allow engine heat to rise into the carbs and thaw the little ice that forms, but the warmers always kept them ice free when deployed.

I thought it was an elegant solution to the problem. No idea about the electric ones though.

The carb on my 650 Ajay used to get so cold sometimes , that it would shrink enough for the bellmouth to fall off.
It would run very rough with the bellmouth off but I don't think it ever iced up.
Maybe the stop to screw the bellmouth back on thawed it out?