Introduction:-
When I had my Suzuki TL1000R written off following an accident a few years back I was after a fairly inexpensive bike as a stop gap to last me between motorcycles after I had to give back the hire bike that I had on my insurance, whilst I saved and added to my insurance pay-out so as I could get a new Suzuki Bandit 1250. I eventually ended up settling by chance on a Ducati Monster M600 that was offered to me at a fairly cheap price for a bike carrying the Ducati badge.
The Ducati Monster M600 has been in production and available in the UK since 1994 and the one that I owned was a 1997 model so is the last year of the early Monsters to be produced in its original guise with later models staying in production until 2001 and after this were produced with a bigger engine. As with all Ducati’s this bike is fashioned around the 90 degree V-twin engine which is pretty much a standard V-twin but laid on its front side to allow it to be a structurally integral part of the bike.
Price and Availability:-
I paid the princely sum of just £800 for my Ducati as it had no tax or MOT at the time of purchase. However the 600 Monsters of around this age do tend to sell for more around the £1200 - £2000 mark for a good example depending on just how good the condition is and the mileage that they have covered. For the equivalent new Ducati Monster which now has a 696cc engine fitted prices tend to start at around £6500.
Looks:-
For an unfaired motorcycle the Monster is most definitely in a league of its own when it comes down to design and looks. The trellis work frame is different to any other bike on the market and allows the engine to be mounted at a 90 degree forward tilt. This may well sound like a pointless exercise but this then allows the engine to become the stressed member in the frame giving the look that the engine seems to be floating underneath the bike.
With the café racer look, a very short wheelbase, large round front headlight, low handlebars and also very low seat height with very central positioning this bike definitely keeps up in the stakes of looks with competing models of bikes however does look quite small with only the little M600 V-twin engine hovering below the frame. The angular shapes of the tank blend in nicely with the lines of the frame, and sits very well on top of it, with the chunky upside down front forks, and large headlight this makes for quite a beefy looking front end when compared to the rest of this little 600cc machine.
The aluminium three spoke wheels give a nice minimalistic look and match in well with the styling of the rest of the bike. The clocks are also very minimalistic with literally just a speedo, and a warning light display panel, but unfortunately no rev counter which is an irritation as is something that would come as a distinct advantage on such a small engine V-Twin motorcycle when riding it to its limits. The exhausts are something that I also feel lets this bike down, with one either side they could very easily have been made to finish up nearer to the underneath of the seat rather than halfway down the bike which in my eyes ruins the otherwise clean lines of the bike.
The mirrors are another thing that let this bike down as they are definitely an afterthought and most certainly look like one. They stand on long stalks which means they vibrate a lot at anything over 40mph making it near impossible to see behind clearly, and looks wise the black round plastic mirrors look cheap and do not fit in with the Ducati premise of quality.
Overall in the looks department this bike leaves competitors behind in many ways and going on initial impressions looks very nice indeed. However once you start to look closer it does become apparent especially after doing a little research that this bike was actually designed on a budget and built using parts that were mostly pulled from the parts-bins of Ducati motorcycles that were already in production. It by no means looks bad in fact I quite often come back to where I had parked it to find people having a look around it but never really had the heart to shatter their illusion and point out all of the parts that I thought ruined the looks. Instead as a general rule I modestly took the praise for having a nice looking motorcycle and tried to get on and ride off before I had to start telling lies and agreeing to the fact that this was one of the nicer motorcycles I had seen as the novelty had worn off on me.
Engine and Performance:-
As mentioned above this was fitted with the 4 valve, 5 speed, 600cc V-twin Ducati engine that would do a very good job of leaving most bikes of the same engine size and quite a few larger ones off of the line, it was unfortunately all torque with not a lot of thought given to power. This ultimately resulted in a very quick 0-60mph time for a small bike however after this almost all bikes fitted with a straight 4 engine of 400cc or more would soon be catching you up and leaving you for dust. When you have got the name of Ducati scrawled down the side of your motorcycle you may well be forgiven for expecting all out acceleration and a decent top end but overall I found this little 600cc V-twin to be more than just a little bit of a let-down.
The performance related stats of the 1994-1997 Ducati Monster I am reviewing are as follows:
BHP:- 53 BHP
Top Speed:- 115mph
0-60mph:- 4.1 seconds
Standing ¼ mile:- Approximately 13 seconds
Dry Weight:- 175kg (Approx)
Fuel Tank Size:- 18 litres
Fuel Economy:- 40mpg+
As you can see from above the 600cc V-twin doesn’t actually look too bad on paper, I would say that it is more of a motorcycle for somebody that has just passed their test and is looking for a transition bike from a learner to a fully faired very quick sports bike. This bike is definitely not for an experienced rider that is looking for thrills and exhilaration in the performance and acceleration stakes as I fear that they would get bored very quickly when they realise there is very little in the performance stakes over 80mph.
Brakes:-
The brakes are definitely a plus point of this machine being more than adequate to deal with the weight of, and also speeds that this motorcycle is capable of.
The more than sizeable pair of front brake discs measure 32cms each which is about standard on the 17 inch wheels that the Monster sports and each have the stopping power of 4 piston brake callipers. The rear brake disc is 24cms in diameter with a twin piston calliper for the least vital brake on the bike. The combined power of the brakes is enough to bring the bike to a halt from 60mph in less than 13 metres which is fairly impressive.
Handling and Comfort:-
If there was a main reason for all the design features of this bike, the engine being the main stressed member of the frame giving excellent rigidity, and the upside down front bikes carrying this feeling on to the front of the bike, then this reason would most certainly be the handling. In my opinion the handling capabilities of this machine are most definitely its saving grace. Whatever corner you decide to go round just a little too fast this bike will manage it, to the point that I had the exhausts scrapping on the road at times, and it will manage this whilst giving the rider complete confidence in the machine. This bike is most definitely in its element whilst cruising about on twisty B-roads as this is where the handling comes into its own, and there is little reason to worry about the lack of performance closer to the top end of the bikes capabilities.
Comfort wise this bike is very comfy at lower speeds due to the fact that the riding position is quite up right even for someone such as me who is a touch over 6 feet tall. Motorway and dual carriageway riding however can get a little tedious as once at 70mph the wind on your chest can become very tiresome after only a short distance especially without any fairing. The fact that it only has the smaller 600 Ducati engine means that if acceleration from 70mph upwards is needed to get into a faster flowing outside lane, it can sometimes seem quite slow in responding when compared to a bike with a straight 4 setup of the same engine capacity, which sometimes leaves the rider feeling a little vulnerable especially on 3 and 4 lane motorways.
The handling is about the only thing I cannot find fault with on this motorcycle, it is spot on no matter how hard the bike is pushed it always seems to bring you out the other side and often feels as though it is on rails with little rider effort required to get around bends even at the limits of the motorcycle. One thing that is a pain however is the huge turning circle of the bike which is a pain whilst trying to turn it round on a driveway, in a petrol station or the like, I do not feel I can put this down as a handling fault though as once going it does not affect the handling of the bike in the slightest.
Maintenance, Servicing and Reliability:-
After the initial 600 mile service which in honesty you will not need to worry about when buying this specific model of the Ducati Monster as you will be very lucky to find one with less mileage than this, the suggested service intervals are every 6000 miles. As with all V-twins this is more frequent than their straight 4 counterparts, however is in my experience an average 1000 miles extra between servicing than most other V-twins.
This is not as costly a bike to run as you might think as Ducati parts as I have unfortunately found out are cheaper than you may expect. The best plan is to order parts from a Ducati main dealer as this is where I have found the best prices for Ducati specific parts, and then take to a local motorcycle garage to get repairs and maintenance carried out if you are not planning to do the work yourself.
Unfortunately I must report that this bike does little to dispel the fact that Ducati’s and Italian vehicles in general are unreliable. In the year that I owned this motorcycle I had to investigate the wiring which seems to be a common problem, and also had a problem with the engine which was only small but left me sitting on the side of the road with no chance of getting the bike started again without ordering parts for the bike from Ducati and then pulling the side of the engine apart to replace a tiny part that typically was essential in order for the bike to run correctly.
Overall:-
Overall I would recommend a Ducati M600 Monster if you have just passed your test as they are a quick enough bike to get about on, but not fast enough to go getting yourself into too many sticky situations. This coupled with the handling makes for a great intermediate bike to gain experience on but as previously mentioned seasoned bikers may not be that impressed especially with the expectations that are bought about when the name Ducati is heard.
The bike does look nice overall with the trellis like frame, and the angular fuel tank that fits in well with it, I just feel that Ducati could have done a lot more with this model with regards to the finishing touches such as tucking the exhausts a little further up towards the seats, and also putting a nice set of mirrors on as standard rather than the cheap looking large plastic ones would have been a nice touch.
This bike is mostly trustworthy given the fact it started pretty much every time I asked it too and is worth a try if you think it may be your thing. I would just advise to expect a couple of electrical gremlins to rear their ugly head from time to time. I think I was unlucky to have a problem with the engine, but I have spoken to many other Ducati owners many of whom have said that they have had problems with the electrics. The electrical problems are usually an easy fix and tend to start intermittently so give warning before they leave you sitting on the side of the road totally unable to start or move the bike.
It is however due to the fact that this particular model does seem to suffer from electrical faults, and the fact that the finish is cheap in places that I have knocked two stars off and given it only 3. It was close to 4 stars however I feel this is too much of a definite recommendation, and I would rather recommend this bike but say to approach with a degree of caution and be prepared to pay out for work other than run of the mill servicing and maintenance costs.
Only 3/5 stars from me I’m afraid.
Monster By Name But Not By Nature 
