Ducati Monster 620 Review

Overall Rating

Super-fast, low to the ground, great handling, soooo beautiful, it's a Ducati!

Seat becomes a bit hard when touring.
It needs lotsa TLC.

The Ducati Monster 620 is my first "real" motorcycle. After spending many months researching Ducati-looking motorcycles, I found out about the entry-level Ducati Monster 620 Dark. It was everything I wanted in a beginner bike. It was low to the ground, which means that I can have my feet planted. Many bikes were too tall for my 5'7" frame and I wanted to be able to balance the bike easily on hills and around parking lots. It's a very light weight bike, something also vital for me. I figured that it wouldn't be too powerful, and it isn't, but this bike is SUPER-FAST and SUPER-TORQUEY and can instantly shoot ahead of any car at any speed. The riding position was very important as well. I really didn't want a cruiser-style bike and I didn't want to have all of my weight on my wrists like most sport bikes. The Monster has a relatively aggressive riding position that's a LOT more comfy than sportbikes and a lot cooler and better handling than cruisers. I live near the winding canyon roads of Malibu, CA and I can say this bike is super-easy to ride, has excellent handling, and is easily flickable on a winding road. Once you put on some carbon-fiber mufflers (illegal, but a must for almost all motorcyclists) this bike makes some beautiful, unmistakeable growling noises that are a Ducati trademark. So it looks great, feels great, sounds great and rides great but there are a couple of cons: Ducati maintenance is exorbitant and you need to do it often. Many Ducati riders strongly suggest you change the oil every 1500 miles. At the dealer, this'll cost you $100. Every 6000 miles you need a major service that'll cost you around $300-600. There are lots of little quirks individual to every Ducati, something a beginning rider might not want to deal with. Mine for example idles kinda low, something I'll be dealing with once the bike's in the shop for the 6000 mile service. Also there's some kind of minor leak in the engine that I believe will be a warrantee replacement. These problems do not in any way detract from my riding enjoyment, and I use this bike for commuting and for fun canyon rides daily. The biggest pro/con about a Ducati is that it's not simply a motorcycle, it's a consuming passion. Next thing you know you'll be listing off the thousands of dollars of modifications you'd like to do, from performance to appearance. I am in love with my sweet new Ducati!

Members' Comments ondanrogy's Review

• mattjhall2003 on 16th Jul 2005

  Mine also idles low (1000 rpm) but my mechanic sees no problems with this. Happy monstering, Matt

• chasnic on 25th Dec 2005

  It's entirely possible to do the servicing yourself. Nothing complicated about it even the cam belts and valve clearances are straightforward. You'd probably do a better job than the garage because you'd take more time and care. On the four valve heads the best way to do the clearances is to remove the cylinder heads so you can be absolutely certain of comparable and correct clearances. The garages probably do it with the heads in-situ but in my experience this is not adequate and leaves too much to chance. The two valve heads may be more amenable to in-situ adjustment. The really is no mystery to working on Ducatis so why not do it yourself.

• danrogy on 9th Jan 2006

  Well, I totalled my new Ducati a couple of months ago. Can't blame anybody but myself. I can blame Ducati for taking THREE WEEKS to get me a new engine management computer. Still, I am totally in love with Ducatis. Too bad because they're EXPENSIVE to run.

• mattjhall2003 on 10th Jan 2006

  My Monster got written off by my neighbour reversing his van at the beginning of November, so upgraded to an S2R. I loved my 620S but the S2R is a much better bike, makes the old one seem cumbersome and under-powered.
  Whichever one you own though, these Monsters are definitley addictive!