Hello and 600/750?

Hi all not ridden in 12 years but at 40 I'm thinking of getting back in the saddle! I've looked at the usual jap 600 suspects but realised I could get a Ducati for similar dosh! At 5ft 5 I like the low height and love the monster style. My wife isn't keen on me taking up biking again but I think if it's an older model that I can tinker with as well as ride shell give in rather than me ordering a new R6 and race leathers!
All this has got me looking at monsters... I'm told that I will soon be fed up with a 600s power and I should look for a 750 minimum but they are like hens teeth! I missed one on eBay at the weekend it was gone in a day!
There's a 600 not to far from me 17 years young in good condition and fair money I'm tempted to have a look at that?
What's the experts opinion? I will only be dry local plodding/cleaning/tinkering with the bike as I say not ridden for a good while...
Cheers

Go and have a look and see what you think, the 600 doesn't feel slow thanks to a good dollop of torque ifyou stay off the motorways, it's all about maintaining speed through the corners with the little 600, plus at 5'5" I wouldn't have thought you were going to make it struggle to pull you about.

I'm 5'7" and had a 600 for a year and was very happy with it, then a 900 came up at the right price.....

[gary tompkins]

Seat and suspension mods will normally drop seat height a few inches

[utopia]

The air-cooled, 2-valve monsters are a delight to tinker with. Access is excellent and, though valve clearances are a bit tricky to set, everything else is pretty simple.
I can't really speak for the 600, but I can say that the 750 is a lovely bike, and I'm still not hankering after changing mine for a bigger model after 6 yrs ownership. They are less common, but perhaps not quite as rare as you might think.
Also, I believe the 750s fall into the same insurance group as the 600s, so no forfeit there.
Either way, for preference, I'd be inclined to go for a late model, and benefit from their various development upgrades such as 3-phase alternator, external clutch slave, lighter wheels, etc. but its not a big deal.
The other question might be "carbs or injection". Carbs are simpler but will ice up in autumn/winter unless you dose the fuel with pro-fst. Injection avoids this but is more complex and any component failure could be difficult to trace and costly to fix.
As you point out, older monsters are good value biking these days, and particularly if you do your own servicing.
Whichever model you go for, be prepared to fall in love with it.

My nearest recent biking experience was a Westfield Megablade which was great fun. I stripped it down quite a bit, replaced, painted and cleaned everything I could myself. It was part of the fun, in the end though £8k was too much to have sat there waiting for a sunny Sunday! A £1500 bike however can sit and get pampered without a worry, it will be a toe in the water bike so I'm not concerned to much with performance more with character and condition. I could buy an 04 for £2.5k which is also appealing being more modern but looks are very similar and I just think ill have more fun fettling an old timer?....

Old ones are better

[Nickj]

LOL Looked at that pic and thought mid /west sussex, its the wall and the houses roof line and stack that gives it away.

Personally I'd go for a 750 but then I am biased and on my second one. They'll all go to good mileages without too much hassle, mines at 62K and doing about 1K a month! So as long as there's a service history OR you know the bikes history don't sweat a high number, it's a good bargaining chip in anycase to get the price down.
The main things you want to be happy about are (a) belt changes annually or about 12K but no less frequently than bi-anually even if the miles are low and (b) oil changes, mine gets a change at 3K, new filter and change at 6K and it's running nicely.
Otherwise they are pretty much all tough, and reliable and fiddlers delight

[Mr Gazza]

Tch...! It doesn't matter how many times you post that picture Juz..
..You are not going to make me any more jealous.

I have a few questions about the 750 model but I won't hi-jack your thread Nwsparky....Good hunting for your Monster.

Cheers

Gazza

Can I have yours Juz? That's lovely!

Forgive my laziness but does anyone know the end to end length of an early monster? Just wondering if my Reno traffic could manage?.....

Welcome i am a newbie myself i own a 750 and ts fantastic mine goes in my 8x6 shed no problem if thats any help otherwise i can measure it tomorrow

According to wiki ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducati_Monster ), wheelbase is 1,44 cm (57 in), my manual lists 143cm with overall length (including tea tray) at: 209cm

Cheers tricky/Dr, I've checked on tha tinterweb, it fits, next question is how would I get it in there...? 4 people or a ramp I guess...?

They're only 180kg, so 3 people max

[Nickj]

How do you get it in there??

If it's a shed then through the door as the windows are usually too small.

If it's a van then a ramp to drive it in, half a scaffold boards about right, longer and it can bend, shorter and the pipe grounds.
If there's a side door then ace, reverse process and ride out.

If that idea seems just too scarey then a minimum of two and a ramp (AKA scaffold board)