Any Duck fans out there?

[Green Machine]

Im thinking of geting a Duck a 95-99 Monster 900 . I have been riding for about 14 years now and my last bike was a Tl-1000s

(coppie of a duck) I love the looks of the bike and the ride. But I hate most duck owners. All they do is tell you how much it cost and how fast It CAN go and all the crap they buy to go with it

Stickers shirts hats and so on. Then you go look at there bike and it has like 3k on it and its 6 years old. I wan't to put about 5k on a summer (thats a lot of riden in Washington) Will the bike hold up or will it be at the dealers getting serviced all the time?

 

[mazdarotary]

Don't know alot about Ducks other than they are beautiful machines,and that I would love to own an old 1975 750 SS. They look fast while standing still.



I sold my bike(88 BMW R100 GS) last summer,and really miss at times. I figure at some point in time I will buy a new bike. Maybe when my son is old enough to go on it with me.



I say don't worry about how all the other owners act just get one and ride the wheels off of it.



Chris

92 D250 CC

83 Mazda RX-7

74 Mazda Rotary truck

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

This is 2nd hand knowledge from a friend that owned one - they are VERY expensive to own. He had one a few years ago (99-00?) and the valve train had to be adjusted every 3,000 miles to the tune of about $800 each time. Because of the desmodromic valve train it requires some specialty tools as I understand it. He does his own valve adjustments on his ZRX and all his other bikes but didn't want to touch the Duck. He spent $3,500 in one year on maintenance and then sold it. He loved the bike, just couldn't afford to feed it.

 

[jmeehan]

I'm a fan, but I know next to nothing about them. I've heard the desmo valves can be tricky to adjust, but I've also been told a mechanically competent person can handle it.

I like the looks of the monster too. I was looking at the smallest one, a 620 Dark I think, that just looked awesome. It cost less then a similar Suzuki, which impressed me. I've been told the Ducati's will hold their value longer then the Japanese bikes.

Maybe someday, when I can afford two or three bikes. I'm still saving up for my first.



On edit: I didn't read Steve's reply before typing mine. I know I asked the service writer at the Ducati dealership in Phoenix about doing my own valve adjustments. He didn't seem to think it would be a problem, though I didn't ask about special tools.

I've also heard that the newer bikes aren;t as maintenance intensive as the older ones.

 

[scootergmc]

I have never owned a Duc. My experience comes from not buying a Duc and listening to guys who have and reading. My advice is:



Get past the looks. You're obviously into Naked bikes. I would recommend a Yamaha FZ1, a Kawasaki Z1000, or a Honda 919. In that order. However, judging by your last bike and your current wishmobile, I would say your into the twins also. If that's the case, your current options are kind of limited. However, there is also the Honda Superhawk.



If you do get the monster, it will not be in the shop all the time. Find one that's been well maintained and never down. From what I know, Ducati Monsters tend to be a more reliable than say a 916/996/998/999 series machines. Probably because they're detuned. Just remember, for each horror story there's another of shining glory.

 

[TFabian]

The monsters use the older air-cooled two valve motors and are less expensive than the later 4 valve engines. The valves need to be checked every 6K miles. May or may not require adjustment. If they do require adjustment, the service is pricey, plan on a few hundred $$s.



You can take care of all of the other scheduled maintenance yourself including checking the valve clearances. If they do require to be adjusted, have a dealer do only the adjustment. You can do the adjustments yourself. There are quite a few web sites that have detailed instructions on the procedure as well as the required tools.



I currently own a 999 and a few other bikes. By far the best handling bike I have ever owned. Planning on my first trip to the track with it at the end of July. So far, I have had zero problems with it. Parts and service on a Duc is more expensive than on a Japanese bike and depending on the part can take a while to get if it has to come from Italy.



A lot of good info here on Ducs:



http://speedzilla.zeroforum.com/

 

[Green Machine]

Thanks for the info guys I think Im going to get it. V- twins are hot on tork and that what I like . The Honda would be nexts but it has no style. Don't get me wrong I have had 4 hondas over the years and they are the best/cheepest bike to own. Just ride the **** out of them because there not worth crap in 4-5 years when you wan't to upgrade to a newer one.



Had



honda 550 ss

Honda 600 Ds

Honda 650 / 710 Ds

Honda cbr 600

TL 1000-s

Honda trail 90

Triumph 750 bonnie





All were great bikes ex the Triumph was slow and had crappy brakes even for its age.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

If you want torque and a naked bike take a look at the ZRX1200. The Ducati 900 monster makes 53. 8 lb ft @ 6,750 rpm - the ZRX1200 makes 70. 1 lb ft @ 5,500 rpm (78 hp@8,250 for the Duc 96. 3 hp@8,300 for the Kawi). There's a great online community for them and you can mod the heck out of it just like our trucks if you want - http://www.zrxoa.org . My ZRX (I have an 1100) is BY FAR the best street bike I've ever owned - you can see pics of it at http://my.voyager.net/stevest/zrxpics . BTW, you can pick up a cherry 99-00 ZRX1100 (a little less power than the 12 but not much) with 3,000-6,000 miles on it for $3,500-$4,000, 1200's are in the $4,500-$5,000 range in perfect condition. Just dropping a different suggestion on ya - I understand if your heart is going pitter patter over the Duc .