Monster maintenance rant

[adem]

I guess this is sort of a rant, but I got a shock today when I called up to get a quote for the 12k service on my Monster 750. $1,000? I was under the impression that 2v service was like half the price of 4v service, not $200 less...

I'm a college student. I'm in class 11 months a year (summer school) and I work near full time, but I don't make much money. Just doing the 12k service on my bike is going to cost nearly my entire earnings for the summer. So, the last 6,000 miles is going to cost me about $1500 (including the roughly $500 I've spent on gas, at 45 mpg and about $4.00/gallon avg). That BLOWS. But I guess that is reality and I definitely should have got a 2v quote when I was researching Ducs, instead of just a 4v quote...

So because of this I have to consider trading the Monster for a bike I won't like half as much. A generic, 4cyl 600cc bike that gets good gas mileage, is cheap to maintain (my friend's major service was $250 for his R6) but isn't boring.

Lame. So I'm faced with a tough decision. Keep a bike that I love, but cant afford to ride? Or get a different bike that I don't love, but can afford to ride? I don't see the point in having a bike that I can't ride, and I don't want to half a$$ the service (I do basic stuff, but I would never do the valves), so I've posted my bike in the classifieds, because I like riding itself more than owning the bike. Am I making the right choice here? I ride about 1,000 miles/month (no car), and I'm going to have to go back to working weekends once I start fall quarter, so it is looking worse and worse.

[avizpls]

Where are you from? The valves arent hard to check, and only slightly tricky to adjust. I'll do it. keep the bike

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted by adem

I guess this is sort of a rant, but I got a shock today when I called up to get a quote for the 12k service on my Monster 750. $1,000? I was under the impression that 2v service was like half the price of 4v service, not $200 less...

Where do you live? Ahh, you're in Seattle.
I'm sure there's someone near you who would be willing to show you how to adjust the valves on your Duc.

If you lived around Denver CO, or anywhere between Denver and Boulder, I could have done them for a couple hundred.

The 750 is so easy to do to.
Read the FAQ, buy a couple of tools, and give it a shot.

Start with the front cylinder.
Just get an oil pan, place it under the lower cover, and remove the cover.
Look at all the parts, look at the instructions in the FAQ, just measure the clearance, and write it down.

Put the cover back on, take off the upper cover, and measure that clearance.
When you do the rear cylinder, you need to prop up the gas tank, and remove the battery.

Once you have all the clearances, then you can decide if you actually need to adjust anything.

BC.

[Monster Zero]

That's way too high for the service. Keep looking around. Local boards may suggest a more reputable shop. Even if you have to travel 100 miles you won't spend $1000.

[tomrex]

The dealership here in Chicago just quoted me 2 labor hours to check the valves for the 12k service on my new 750. It was around $170 - why is it so damn high out there? What else do they do, dump gold into the crankcase??

[dwaltz61]

$1000 for 12K?

i just had it done for $700 on my M800. I almost did it myself, but wimped out last minute.

Don't stress, try to get in touch with some local ducati people. I have no doubt they would be MORE than happy to help out and save you some money.

[ffbaseball46]

Also go in and have them quote a price for just the valve check and new belts.
You can do the rest on your own with very little experience.
This is what I have done and it has worked out so far.

[jayguy]

Which shop did you try? If you're not happy with the quote from Ducati Seattle, try East Side Motorsports in Bellevue.

I've been away from the area for 3 years now, but I think there are a few people on here from there. If no one else answers, go ask over on ducati.ms, I know some of the guys I used to ride with are over there.

[StoBene]

I just bought my first bike, a new 696. So I can't speak from all that much riding experience, but... It seems to me that someone who is smart enough to buy a Ducati should be able to find a way to make some extra cash. Hang in there with the bike, get creative, and make it happen. You will never regret going the extra mile for something that you love. Good luck!

[chris1044]

Honestly, after just purchasing one of these bikes and comming from the automotive engineering/repair world, these bikes are gravy to work on.

If you're even slightly mechanically inclined, and have patience, you can do the service....even when you adjust the valves, if you're not sure you can manually spin the motor over 10000 times if you like to "double check".....and whats the worst that will happen, you take it in anyways?