i always had a soft spot for ducati. for italian bikes, really. and apart from the 998 series i felt the monster was the best representation of what ducati was about: a desmo engine suspended in an artwork of a trellis frame. and the typical ducati sound, the unmistakable 90 deg twin cylinder throbbing.

where i went wrong was this: i should not have bought the 600 …
the truth (as i see it – others may disagree): the monster 600 is underpowered.

but i also did not like the chassis much; it was limiting in the corners, the suspension was vague and it actually was quite uncomfortable to ride. i first thought that was due to the straight bar the previous owner had fitted, but things did not get much better when i went back to the original.

i did not keep the bike long enough to ‘experience’ the cost of a desmo service, which, i am told, is quite substantial. not as bad as the high end desmos, but a bit of a drag on the purse for sure …

when i started to find electrical problems – which shut the engine off and forced me to push the bike on a number of occasions – i decided to trade it in.