[Guest]

;D

After getting my endorsement last week i decided to check out a used 98 red m750 today. Man was it fun. The only other bike i ever rode was the suzuki gz250 cruiser that i rode in the msf safety course.

Impressions:
starting from a stop without stalling it was a bit tricky. the bike would stall if i would drop the clutch too quickly. if i let go very slowly the bike was fine (just makes for some extremely slow starts from a dead stop, not too happy with that).
The bike was cranky when it was cold but it was fine when it warmed up (5min or so with the choke). I don't know if the fuel injected versions have the same problem when its cold. ???

Ergonomically the bike fit me like a glove. Seat height was great (i could almost flat foot) and the aftermarket corbin seat was really comfortable and the foot pegs were in the perfect position for me too. I did not like the clip on handlebars though. they were pretty hard on my wrists so i'd want to get the stock bars back on it even though they don't look as cool.

The owner was really cool and let me ride it around even though he knew i was newbie rider. The ride was fantastic. i didn't have the confidence to take it on the freeway (just got my endorsment a week ago) so i ran it around the neighborhood were there wasn't much traffic for about an hour. the sound of the bike was fantastic (aftermarket davinci high pipes) and there was gobs of torque. I'm a little concerned about slipping the rear tire in the rain if i get a little too aggressive with the throttle because of the massive torque (for a beginner like myself).

The owner said that it had a dry clutch and i didn't have any issues downshifting or upshifting with it (just my technique which needs to be a bit smoother). He also said that front forks were showas (non-adjustable) and that the rear was non-stock as well (had a yellow shock spring) but he wasn't sure about the rear.

I love the look of the bike and the insurance is not much more than that of the m620. I definetly would prefer the m620 if it wasn't as grumpy as the m750 when its cold. the m750 has carbs and has been jetted so maybe that makes a difference.

The price on the red m750 is fantastic and it is in good shape so i've got a lot of thinking to do! The bike has 13k on it and he recently did the big 12k maintenance which is a big plus. Next i need to test ride a ninja ex500 (my other choice for a first bike).

 

[Mark1305]

Sounds good. The good news about riding in the rain is that even though it has enough torque to really spin up in the wet, if you run good tires for all round conditions and get smooth on the throttle (does take practice) it is really controllable.

I just rode my M900 on the track in the wet a couple of weeks ago. I hate the wet and was really worried about going out in the rain first session. I was amazed at how well I could control slippage and make decent speed. I had Avon AV 45/46 ST tires on which I love for everything, including the track. A few people managed to crash out in that first wet session on less torquey bikes.

 

[Speeddog]

Glad to hear you finally got a ride on a Monster.

The owner of that 750 was very likely confused, only 900's, S4's and S4R's come with a dry clutch. It could have been converted, but that's a very expensive proposition.

A 620 would likely be less grumpy when cold, but I think a little more tweaking of the jetting on that 750 could improve it.

When choosing between the two, keep in mind that there's well over $1000 in upgrades on that 750, the seat that you would definitely feel, and the pipes that you heard.

Happy Shopping!

 

[sivan]

Great writeup and choice of a first bike!

WRT riding in the wet, the thing to watch for with this engine is downshifting as engine braking can be brute. [smiley=waytogo.gif]

 

[desmoworks]

NINJA OR DUCATI?

Well at least you have a 50% chance of getting this right. To decide between the two all you have to say to yourself is "Which will I be more proud to own?"

Good Luck, and I hope to see you around here. This is a great community, I bet there is not a comaprable one for the Ninja bikes, I could be wrong though.

 

[Guest]

do the right thing....go Duc

 

[JEFFS900S]

Get a Duc!

The tougher decision seems to be 620 or 750...

Regarding the 750, I think I remember reading that some of the very first 750's had dry clutches, but I'm not sure.

 

[green98gt]

no contest, park the Duc next to the ninja and just try to convince yourself that the ninja is the right bike.

 

[ScottRNelson]

No Monster 750's have ever come from the factory with dry clutches.

As for starting out, if the M750 has stock gearing, it would greatly benefit from converting from a 15 to a 14-tooth front sprocket. Just about every Ducati model sold during the last 10 years is improved by making that gearing change. I just converted my ST2 yesterday to a 14-tooth front and it helped immensely.

For carbureted bikes that are cranky when cold, opening the low speed mixture screws half a turn helps, and also improves the off-throttle to part throttle transitions in tight twisties.

I think you've discovered what the rest of us already know. The Monster is a fun bike to ride. We'll be looking for your announcement of becoming a new owner.

 

[DucSea]

All M750's are wet clutch, 5 speed.. The 98 used Marzochhi front forks and unless the owner actualy changed them to non adj. Showa's ?? He was wrong about two things on the bike, clutch and forks... Personaly this is a bit of a "red flag".. take a look at the 12K service paperwork, make sure everything was done at the 12K like belts, valve clearance inspection, etc..
The FI 620 run MUCH nicer and have better components, dbl disc up front, better forks than what came on 98's and a warranty !

 

[sivan]

The 98 used Marzochhi front forks and unless the owner actualy changed them to non adj. Showa's ??

You can't rule out Showa. Two ways to tell: old Marzocchi forks have the huge hex on the fork cap. Newer ones have inconspicuous caps based on what I've seen on the 620, but a Showa fork will have the logo cast on the back side of the caliper mount.

 

[Guest]

All bikes (even japanese ones) are grumpy when they are cold - v-twins are a little more so, and air cooled v-twins are the worst in my experience.

I'd say the 620 is a better bike than the 750. Better yet is the 800 if you can afford it. It's hard to ignore the mods on that bike though - pipes are an expensive upgrade, and the seats aren't cheap either.

Slow starts and stalling can be fixed with a differen size front or rear sprocket. It'll also get better as you get more experienced.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I'm glad to hear that the slow-start thing can be fixed with a new sprocket (as well as better technique) so that is very reassuring!

I've talked to a few monster owners in my area recently (seattle) and they all love their bikes and have had very little problems with them so i'm definetly leaning towards the monster. the ninja has a nice low seat height and is reliable+cheap but it just doesn't do anything for me.

Optimally I would really like to find a used m620 dark in my area. the 98 m750 that i checked out was nice and its cheap but i'm just not too sure how well its been maintained (lacked maintenance paperwork, rusty chain) so i'm just not too sure. the owner also mentioned some brake vibration issues at high speed although it felt fine when i rode it.

Today was perfect riding weather and i saw 3 darks (2 black and 1 silver dark) in seattle. Boy was I jealous!

 

[mitt]

tone,

Did you notice reply #9.

 

[Guest]

Thanks mitt (and DucSea).

I did read DucSea's reply so if i do decide to go for it i'll definetly make sure that the owner has the 12k paperwork (listing the valve job, belts etc).

 

[900_Duc_99]

Go for the Duc you will not be dissapointed !!!