HELIOLITH

I’m publishing these helpful emails anonymously, pending permission from their sources…
If you don’t know what these 2 bikes look like see my graphic.

#1
Michael:
I bought the 01 SV650S at the beginning of the winter with a blown engine. The crank had spun a bearing which is a common thing with the SV650. The bike had 6500 miles and was owned by a city policeman here in State College, Pa. He enjoyed doing wheelies (the 650 wheelies quite easily) and when doing a wheelie the oil runs away from pickup in the sump and oil starves the crank journals. Guess what, it wipes out a $650 crank. I spent $1500 for parts, crank, one rod, bearings, rings and gaskets. It’s back together now and for sale. The bike is basically a very cheap run of the mill Japanese bike. The front end isn’t adjustable, with lots of money you can get 90 hp from the engine but you’ll spend big bucks on the suspension getting it to handle.
BUY THE MONSTER!!!

#2

Hi Michael,
You sound just like me trying to make a decision.
When you rode the two middle weights, what was your impression of comfort and rideability? Things like saddle shape and firmness, relative location of handlebars, seat and foot pegs, angle of the bars is what you want to look for. I haven’t ridden a 620 Monster, only the 800 so I don’t have a good feel for the 620. The compression braking is a function of how much compression the bike has and the exhaust cam timing. I actually got used to compression braking on the track, so I prefer to have some. It was always bizarre to get onto a 2 stroke race bike that basically has none at all. Consequently, I’m perhaps not a good judge of it for street bikes.

There is no question that the aesthetic is a HUGE part of buying a motorcycle. Let’s face it, there is no reason to own one. Cars get just as good mileage now with the advent of hybrids, you have to worry about the weather and how much stuff you can carry, and unless you live by yourself on an island they are more dangerous. Consequently, the only reason to get one is an emotional one. The feeling, sound, smell and yes, the look of riding are what draw us into this otherwise illogical sport. It’s been my experience that when you are buying something that you need to depend on and learn on and grow with, that you shouldn’t necessarily just pick the one that is beautiful, but also the most effective choice. I’ve bought motorcycles for purely quantifiable reasons before, and been very happy with them. The ones that I’ve bought for purely aesthetic reasons, I’ve loved more, but perhaps enjoyed less. My Moto Morini, for example, I only used to take to poser rides with our local club.

That is all my opinion. This is a bike for you. I, for instance, would never want a black bike. They get very hot in sunlight, show every little scratch, are perpetually dirty and are not very visible at night. I would also choose the S model with the fairing. I say this just to point out that we have a different aesthetic. Don’t get me wrong, I also think the Ducatis are much better looking bikes. I just wouldn’t choose one over an SV for myself. I think I’m just too much a product of my engineer father.

#3an earlier email from the same guy (=:

I am currently riding a Suzuki RF900R, but would trade it in a heartbeat if I could justify the expense. It does everything just fine, but I would rather have an SV 650.

It sounds to me like you’ve already got your mind pretty much made up about Ducatis. I have only owned one, an 851 which I raced for season and a half, but I have worked on many. I am a big fan of twins, and particularly the V twins due to the crank timing. This creates both a very pleasing exhaust sound, and a nice power curve. I have also had a couple of Honda Hawk GTs (650), a Moto Morini (350), and one H-D Sportster (what was I thinking?). Another V-twin bike you might consider is the Honda Superhawk.

I would only recommend that you consider what your plans or goals are for riding. If you goal is an all around combination of riding (around town, canyon corner carving, touring, etc.), then I would suggest that the Ducati is probably not the best choice. I say this because the Ducatis have somewhat quirky handling characteristics, have a smaller range of steering so they are a bit harder to ride at slow (parking lot) speeds, and are not the most comfortable bikes for all around use. They are also not the easiest bikes to work on, and are relatively expensive to maintain due to their desmodromic valve actuation. My input about displacement is that unless you are planning to do a bunch of drag racing against other motorcycles, or are planning to do 2 person touring you will not outgrow the power of a 650. If your Nighthawk was out of tune, you probably have a bad memory of the amount of power available. It’s always good to remember that even a stock 250 Ninja runs the ¼ mile in the same time as a Porsche 911. I have outrun guys on GSXR 1000s and R1s with my Hawk GT.

Rider education is everything. Take the MSF course for sure. If you don’t ride very frequently, take classes every couple of years. Take different classes to get exposed to different ways of thinking about things. Consider an Aerostitch suit. They’re great for touring and commuting since they go on over street clothes and are waterproof. They are a bit warm when it’s really hot outside, but then all protective gear is. Leather is the best, but flexibility makes it easier to get along with. I wear race leathers for corner carving and track days, and the Aerostitch for everything else.

All that said, it’s all about making yourself happy. The “soul” of a motorcycle is all in the perception of the person sitting on it. Everyone has an opinion, and very few of them are the same. Don’t buy a motorcycle just because you think other people will think it’s cool. Buy one because you really believe that it will be the best choice for you (and your family), and that it will best serve the purpose you have intended. If the only forums that you frequent are the Ducatista ones, then you should just be aware of the slant to the data that you are getting. (=

#4

If you will go to a race meet, you will get to see lots of spectator bikes including Ducati’s, and lots of different treatments and mods — Pipes/ ETC. Go to and click on “Calender” in the left margin to find a race near you. They list events by many racing organizations.
Clutch ?
The clutch is a dry clutch ( race Type) that will not get bits of friction material into the engine oil, but is noisy. I use a vented cover which is noisier still, and makes my bike sound like it has serious problems, but the dust does not build up inside the clutch. Not A problem. —- Some folks who use their bike in stop & go traffic - experience some “grabbiness” Some wimps complain about clutch effort - I am 65 and have no problem with the effort. Some slave cylinders prematurely leak fluid, ( Low Mileage bike) and need to be honed and the seals replaced. Mine did, and I did the simple job, and replaced the seals with ” Quad Seals” and presto, no more trouble. The clutch is simple, and I lube the “actuator rod”, and “throw out bearing” once each year.

Drive line snatch ?
This is the effect of “taking up the slack” in the chain/ cush drive, ETC. when rolling back on the throttle after slowing. Many bikes have more drive line snatch than a Ducati. The only time I would be bothered by it is when sport riding. ( Which is all I do) I solve the problem by always gently using the rear brake when rolling on the throttle while leaned over coming out of a turn. That technique modulates the “snatch” for ultimate smoothness. Smoothness is essential when on the edge. That is my only use of the rear brake over 15 MPH.

Leathers
“New Enough” is one place you can find used leathers. Vanson & Daineise are two good brands.

Required accessories : Some “after Market” carbon Exhaust cans, for proper sound. Its not a Ducati unless you can experience the enhanced “feel” and auditory pleasure of some good cans.

SV - 650 …>>> They need fork work before they can be enjoyable. Their engine is strong and nice, but the bike is not anything like a Ducati to ride. My Ducati is a pleasure, and it’s forgiving, where some other bikes will spit you off.
Y.M.M.V.

#5

On Sun, 2 May 2004, [iso-8859-1] michael m wrote:

michael: My local dealer even has a year 2000 sv650 for 5600+tax that has 4k miles and a bunch of valuable mods on it
> (supposedly $10k in mods) But no matter how I look at it, the Suzuki just isn’t a Ducati.

maybe that’s just as well — ’cause Kelly Blue Book retail for a 2000 SV650 is $3740. that dealer was trying to skin you! and “valuable mods” never are; blings are valuable only to the blinger. don’t pay for ‘em if you wouldn’t buy them separately! the used market is even softer than KBB indicates; a friend just sold an SV650 with luggage racks, race tech springs and rebuilt rear shock, and custom seat for just $3000. if you are considering buying a used bike, check out KBB at www.kbb.com (look for Powersports/Motorcycles on their main page), and compare pricing to your local classified ads. and read Adam Glass’s excellent Used Motorcyle Evaluation Guide: (see links on right)
if you remember even a tenth of what’s in here, you’ll be way ahead of the game! a Monster 750ie might be a good bet…

michael:

It’s funny, I really have very little motorcycle knowledge and experience overall, (owned a suzuki 300 in highschool for a day- lol and a honda nighthawk 650 for a year about 5 years ago) but the Monster specifically SPEAKS to me like no other bike does; it calls my name every time i see its picture; if I see it in real life I get all dizzy-like. Sounds ridiculous perhaps, but> it’s true. Every angle, curve, line and corner… the s o u n d it makes … everything… ahh alas… I sound obsessed lol.

sounds like you know what to get, then.

> >>3rd party quote:

“I loved it but sold it becasue the clutch and excessive driveline snatch make for a lousy city/commuter/daily rider.”

>> michael: What about the clutch? and what is driveline snatch?

the dry clutch of a Monster 800, Monster 900 or new Monster 1000 will be quite loud. quiet when new, but within a thousand miles,it’ll sound like someone is on the inside of the engine case,banging on it with a crow-bar trying to get out. really. some people like this.
i believe the M750, like my old 750Sport, has a wet clutch, so no noise.

i don’t know about the driveline snatch, but it sounds like he’s complaining about high gearing. ducati’s tend to be geared too tall for low speed ridability around town. allegedly this is to make it easier to pass EPA requirements. which segues into…

… on a similar note Fillmore wrote

“The Monsters need to be geared down a bit when you spend a lot of time on city streets, but > they can be good commuters too.>

What do you mean by “geared down”?

high gearing means a vehicle is geared best for high speeds, but not geared well for low speeds. this tends to manifest as a lot of jerkiness at low speeds, as the engine is just on the edge of stalling out. this usually is solved by replacing the rear sprocket with a larger one, or the front with a smaller one. sprockets are cheap, but this may require replacing the chain, which is not a cheap proposition — figure $120-150 for the chain. front sprockets ~$25, rears $60-80.

(Right now I could get a 2003 Monster 800 that’s going for > $7000 (8400 after taxes+fees). That seem like a good deal? I > figure I’d need to invest another $1000 minimum in protective > gear

this sounds fair to me. (note per the question in your later email to list, sales tax on a used bike might be paid to the registry of motor vehicles when you register it — that’s how it’s handled here in Massachusetts.)
i’m very glad you’re budgeting for protective gear! $1000 will buy you minimal high end gear, or full kit of less pricy gear. here are some recommendations…

an Arai helmet will run $450 or more, but in a crash, a $200 HJC will do just as well. just look for the Snell certification logo on the helmet, and you’ll know it’s a safe helmet. DOT is a minimum, but there’s no testing and makers self-certify. i’ve seen helmets that claim DOT but don’t meet the specs — for instance, Zeus helmets ($80) have rivets through the shell, a DOT no-no. snell, on the other hand, requires that every model and size be submitted for testing, and snell also buys ran dom helmets in the open market for testing. tough standards. do NOT, ever, ever, buy a used helmet, or use one. you don’t know what it’s been through, how it may have degraded. there are lots of ways for helmets to weaken — for instance, does the owner leave it on the tank? if so, gas fumes may be eating at the impact-absorbing styrofoam lining. do they hang it on the mirror? the pressure of the mirror may be creating a point failure of the foam. is it more than 5 years old? the foam has gone brittle — time to throw it out and replace it!
you easily can spend $500 or more on a jacket, but again an affordable $250 leather or sturdy motorcycle textile jacket will do the job for you. i suggest you check out New Enough, which often has closeouts of previous year models and overstock goods, and their reviews are very honest. you can call for advice, and their customer service is great. http://www.newenough.com/
they currently have some leather jackets for under $150 — less than half of the new price! (note that i can’t recommend Joe Rocket gear in general. it’s one-crash gear, with a reputation for coming apart at the seams in a crash…) gloves will run you $50-150. i suggest buying locally if you can, because sizing and shaping varies among makers. don’t cheap out here — when you crash, chances are your arms will be flailing out trying to support you. i’ve got abrasion damage and some tearing in the palms of my leather winter gloves from a 20mph slide-out in an intersection this winter!

over the ankle leather boots are a good start — i like US Army speedlace legboots (your basic combat boot). $70 or so. $150 gets you into the game for armored motorcycle boots. (for comparision, my waterproof Daytana boots, made in germany, were about $250.)

for good yet affordable leather pants, i recommend this seller who does business via ebay: http://tinyurl.com/33hzc

at $83 + shipping, this is a _steal_! i bought a pair of pants from these folks last year, and they are high quality tough moto leather as described, well built. the legs come long; put on your boots, sit on your bike, and turn up the cuffs until they are at the length you want, then take them to any boot repair shop to have them hemmed to that length. when i was younger and thinner, i paid three times this for the same basic pants at a shop in san francisco.

wow, this went on for a while! i hope it helps.

—Robert