Ducati M600 583cc

Bought my unloved and uncared for Monster 600 Dark 2001 model 3 months ago, poor running(hesitation and a misfire above 6k revs, been kept outside most its life(flaking engine paint), not well maintained. 20k miles and 8 owners in 11 years( August 2012 now).

The poor running was down to the carbs being messed with internally, after replacing the jets, needles, springs etc i ended up buying some M900 carbs for £60 and bolted them on which worked beautifully without even rejetting for the 600.

Gave it a thorough work over mechanically, good cylinder compression(130psi both), checked valve clearances, belt tensions, new spark plugs, fuel filter, tyres, ignition timing, cam timing,changed oil etc and 3 months on i utterly love my Monster!

They're simple beasts, engine is an old 2-valve design but that means that with allen keys and spanners you can take apart pretty much everything!

When i test rode it, something about it made me want it. It was so different to the hum drum in-line 4 bikes, it had charactor. And gave you a feeling of being proud to ride it, a Ducati.

People say its slow, but in real-world riding its not. It can get up to 90mph pretty quick, and even 100mph, but its pretty much run out of 'go' from there on. It can sit happily at 75-80mph on the motorway, and revs quite low, top gear is 15mph per 1000revs, so at 60mph its only doing 4k revs.

I am getting a good average of 64mpg on mine, ranges from 60-70 normally, thats commuting to work on 30/40/50mph roads and weekend blasts in the countryside. A good mix. Filling up at 100 miles i put in 6.4litres, 16litre tank that means about 240miles to dry, low fuel level sensor rarely work so just get used to filling up every(100miles i do)'x' miles and you will always be ok.

So far i've ridden in all weathers, heavy rain, wind, sunshine, heat(30degrees c) and its been 100% reliable, i'm doing approx 600miles a month. Starts every time, no electrical problems either.

Riding position is comfy up to around 40-50miles, from then on it is a bit uncomfortable but it doesn't get any worse.

Mirrors do not blurr at any engine speed which is good, and bars don't vibrate either.

Its a very easy bike to work on and shouldn't cause any headaches. Only yesterday i lifted the bike using a frame mounted stand, took off the top yoke, undone the head bearing nut and lowered the whole forks in order to re-grease the head bearings and put it back together. As easy as doing it on a mountain bike! Its all so accessible!

Belts rarely cause any issues, replace every couple of years for peace of mind, its a 20mins DIY job and is very easy to do! Just turn engine to TDC, lock the cam pulleys by winding a bolt thru the casing into them(just like a car), loosen tensioner and take off belt. Fit new belts, adjust tensioner pulley so you can fit a 5 or 6mm allen key between it and the belt, tighten then remove locking screws and job done.

Consumables like filters etc are normal pricing, some parts are expensive but there's loads of spares on ebay etc.

Riding the bike you get alot of induction noise when full throttle coming up from the airbox(under the tank), such a great sound. Its a very easy bike to ride too, not the best to commute on in town(awful steering lock-to-lock) as its happier purring away cruising but i commute on mine and am used to it.

Being carb'd you need choke if the engine is luke warm or cold, just let it idle for 20 seconds before taking it off and begin riding to quickly get heat into the air/oil cooled engine.

Suspension looks great up front-upside down forks, but it is largely unadjustable and a bit soft, tho components are top quality so rarely corrode(even mine which has been outside all its life is in good condition). Forks are prone to stonechips and pitting being upside down design. Single disc up front is pretty good tbh as its 320mm diameter, and 4 pot Brembo calliper does a respectable job of slowing you down. Rear too is ok, possible to lock it but has alot of feel before it does. Braided hoses as standard on the last of the 600's, clutches are lighter than its bigger brothers btw.

I have had Fireblades, Vfr's, Suzuki 1200 Bandits, Gpz 500, a whole range of bikes over the years and although this is slower and with only 53bhp it makes the most of it, and tbh is thoroughly enjoyable to use it fully and it will never get out of shape, but, it will make a glorious sound!!!

I've not ridden in winter yet but have been warned they suffer from carb icing badly, Shell optimax or V-power apparently is a good way of minimising it, so is adding pro fst additive to your fuel.

Overall, i absolutely love my Monster 600, it does what i want from a bike-commuting in the week economically and having something fun to ride and full of charactor for the weekend, i find myself smiling when i see it, and immitating the noise in my helmet when i ride it(like a big kid!). There's a wealth of information on the UK Monsters Owners Club Forum as well as helpful members, a few of whom i met up with on a Ride-out to Brighton the other week.

I wish i had bought one years ago instead of flitching between Bandits, Gpz's, suzuki Sv's etc.

So there we go, a great bike, economical, mechanically simple, accessible, reliable, good supply of parts, easy DIY, top quality parts, charactorful, it has let me enjoy what biking is all about-freedom.

The Ducati M600 is a cool bike with lots of Torque at the low end which means it can keep up with some in-line four 600's (at least for town riding and getting away from traffic lights).

Typical Italian electrics - relay's kept going all the time but they were only for my display - the lights always came on and the indicators always worked

Used to get around 150 miles to the tank which cost about £10 to fill

Can't handle wet weather or cold - I had to leave the bike parked on the street but would have to bump start it about as often as I could start it normally - this is why I changed bikes, it was just too temperamental...

I had the Ducati M600 from new for five and a half years, I did 18,000 miles on it and it never once let me down.

I loved this bike (only let it go for a M1000), it handled like it was on rails and it looked really good. With a yellow frame & wheels and matt black tank it was seriously cool

The 583cc 2-valve air-cooled engine is an old design but it was enough for most of the time, you just ended up riding with full throttle nearly everywhere. Only riding with big bikes on Motorways showed up the lack of power.

Horrendously expensive service costs from official Ducati dealer but cheaper to run once it was out of warranty as non-Ducati dealer serviced it.

As with all Dukes, change the cam belts regularly.

There's a comprehensive and helpful Owners club in the shape of www.ukmonster.co.uk.

I had a longterm owners report published in Used Bike Guide, about March 2004.

Mods I made included clip-ons, carbon race cars, LED tacho, smaller mirrors. D&D race cans sounded the best in my opinion.

Only sold it as I finally decided I needed more power.

Would I recommend it? Yes but it was superceeded by the M620 injection model in about 2002 which has got about 10bhp more, you'd probably be better going for that.