Hello All,

After years of wanting to ride, getting a bike became practical (that's the excuse I gave my wife) when I moved to San Diego from Green Bay, WI.  I bought a Buell Blast to learn on and was surprised how fast I out grew it.  Wanting more power to get away from horrible drivers I just bought a 2001 Monster 750 Dark with 7000 miles.  Unfortunately, I've had it for 5 days and haven't been able to ride it much because my kids take up a lot of time and the naval base I work at won't let me take it on base until I have the permanent registration card and not the temp one.  The few times I have rode it I absolutely love it.  The clutch is pretty loud which makes me think it is a dry clutch, but I've read that the 2001 M750 has a wet clutch.  I don't know how to check without taking the cover off, so any advise there would be great.  Also, I would like to see a little color added and have looked at clutch covers, belt covers and brake/clutch levers in red.  If anyone has other ideas on how to subtly add a little color to the bike I would love to hear it.  I look forward to hearing your advise.

Thanks,
Dylan

First of all, welcome!   

Second, your 750 is a wet clutch so no changing the clutch cover there. Only the larger displacement motors have the dry clutch. However, Speedymoto and SSR make a billet aluminum piece (just a cover so no removal of anything required) for the wet clutch bikes but Im not sure if it will work for the 750.

Belt covers for those bike are no longer made, IIRC. Someone may correct me on that one. You might be able to find some of the old 2V Rizoma belt covers on Ebay but I can't promise they'll be cheap. Painting them is an option. Or use the search bar in the "Accessories & Mods" section, there is a great thread on dying the plastic covers. 

Levers are a great way to add subtle color as well as some adjustability. Try CRG, ASV, Pazzo, etc. There are also some folks here that have ordered some from Ebay that are from China and crazy cheap but great quality!

There will be plenty of help and opinions from everyone here to help with the mod "addiction". Post some pics and give us more of an idea of how you would like to see your bike and many of us can help point you in the right direction for vendors.

And if the clutch is absurdly loud it might be something to have checked out. The monsters have kind of a loud running sound (belts, valves, clutch, exhaust) and it may be nothing to worry about so don't freak out. At 7k miles you're far from needing to replace the clutch on a wet clutch bike. Hows the oil level? When was the last service and what was done during that service? If you give us a little more details on the sound/noise we might be able to troubleshoot the issue.




duc

Easy way to tell does clutch side case only have bolts around the perimeter? Or are there a 2nd set in a circle around the protrusion. If only around the perimeter - wet clutch.

it is possible to convert a wet clutch monster to have a dry clutch, but it's not an easy nor inexpensive process. So it's been done, but pretty rare.

So now for the older monster speech
Buying an older bike, especially a duc there's some stuff to check on.
The Cam belts are a two year/12k miles service life item. If you don't know how old the belts are think hard about replacing them. at 7k miles I'd assume they are 11 years old unless youv'e got anything that says different.
Valves should have been checked at 6k - any notion of that was done? Out of spec valves will cause clatter
Fluids should be replaced. This is oils (fork included) and hydraulics.
Any notion of how old the tires are? Most manufacturers recommend a service life of about 5 years on moto tires. They do get stiff over time and loose their grip and ability to flex.
Some techron in the gas tank wouldn't hurt anything either.


Regarding color - all sorts of stuff. You could get brake lines with a colored jacket. You could paint or dye the belt covers or just about anything else you fancy. Wheel stripes are an easy way. Tape Works makes some nice wheel stripe kits in a huge number of colors - even a lot of reflectives. Catch is that you need stands or the wheels free to do they as they are 1-piece tapes.

So it i definitely a wet clutch because it only has bolts around the perimeter.  I don't need to have a dry clutch and it would be worth it for me to change it.  I have no documentation on what servicing has been done to it, so I can't be certain if all of the fluids/belts have been changed.  The tires are brand new, less than 50 miles on them.  I was told by the guy that sold it to me that the scheduled servicing is at 7500 miles and they'll go through and check the valves, belts and everything else.  I first saw the bike when the owner was brining it to the dealer to get the oil changed.  I was looking at another bike and ended up talking to him and bought his, so I at least know that the engine oil is new. 

I've looked at the wheel stripe and like the look, but I was curious how well that adhered to the rim and if it would come loose after a short time.  I never thought of the brake cables and I'll have to check out the thread on dying the plastic parts.  Thanks for your advice.

As soon as I figure out how to post a picture on here I will.

There's an FAQ on pix. Basically you need to host is some place else and point to the URL.

Service is 6k. They extended it to 7500 in 08 or so - whenever the 695 appeared. But your (and my) bike is 6k so it's over due - he's incorrect. And with those old belts, i'd be a bit nervous. Loose a belt and you're 99.99% sure to need at least some new top end bits - worst case is basically a whole new cylinder from the case up. Desmo valves won't close like spring driven ones if you take the cam pressure away - piston, meet valve.

Regarding the wheel tapes - it's all about prep and application. Do a good job and they well last a long time. You need to clean the wheel and get the tape on sans bubbles - it's like any sticker. I had some on my 620 for a year before I sold it, and I saw the bike a year after that and the tapes where right where I put 'em

Quote from: Artemis on March 22, 2012, 11:20:53 AM
I don't need to have a dry clutch and it would be worth it for me to change it. 

Eh? You meant wouldn't?
- yeah it's probably $1500-2000 job start to finish with little gain.

Here's the FAQ on posting pics...
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=109.0



Like Panda said, you're overdue for service.

A full service (belts, valves, fluids, etc.) would have been due at 6k. It's a good idea to check things that are often overlooked as well, fork oil and air filter are a couple.

Rim tape is pretty durable stuff and fairly cheap if it goes on wrong the first time.

And +1 on the clutch conversion. I was thinking about a conversion when I first bought my 750 but because of the price and labor involved I decided against it. Also, like Panda said, there isn't much of a gain from converting to a dry clutch.

Thanks for the advise on the belts, being new to riding, I wouldn't  have thought about them.  Also, yes Panda, I meant to say it wouldn't be worth it for me to change the clutch.  Back to the belts, is that something a novice could tackle?  I'm fairly handy around a tool box being a aviation structural mechanic in the Navy, but I don't work on engines.  My last bike was a Buell Blast and was about as complicated as a lawn mower.  I just don't want start replacing the belts if it is something I can really mess up the bike in doing so.  Also, if I was taking it to a shop, are there other things I should have them check or just say it needs a "full service"?

Lots of folks who are new to Ducs and buying used are not aware of the inherent gotcha potential with the belts. So I try to mention it to folsk like yourself.

Changing the belts on a 2v is pretty simple for the mechanically inclined. Tools are pretty basic, though you should have a torque wrench and appropriate sockets (allens) for the job. Less common stuff if you're a new rider would be a rear stand. If you're planning to do your own work of any level you should get one. They can be found cheap (T-rex) or for $1xx. Though they are in the top cost tier I'd recommend a Pit-Bull stand. They are more costly, but very nice.

The stand will stabilize the bike, and let you get the rear wheel off the ground. Getting the wheel up will be important *if* you don't have a crank turning tool:
http://www.motomfg.com/Crank_shaft_turning_tool_for_Ducati_s_p/et-1.htm

You need some way to turn the engine to line up the timing marks on the pulleys to marks on the case. So you can either use a tool like that ^^^ or you can put the bike in a high gear and turn the engine that way (remove spark plugs first of course).

Otherwise it's pretty much just hand tools for there on. There's a video tutorial on Youtube
Ducatitech.com "HowTo" Ducati Timing Belt Change
- There's also a tutorial on checking the valve clearances. More in-depth than the belts, but not voodoo

If you don't have a set of metric allens - get them - sockets too. Most common fasteners on the Ducs are allens and of course Metric.

- Don't just roll into a shop you don't have a relationship with and ask for the full monty.. your bank account will weep and your wife will curse you. if you're no equipped to or feel confident in your skills yet have them check the valves. If you're having them do that, they might as well replace the belts too, as to properly check the valves one must remove the belts so there would be no additional labor cost.
- Have them replace the fork oil. Oil doesn't stay good forever.
- DIY the hydraulics. It's a simple procedure and will cost you about $10 the first time as you'll need some hose. At a shop you could get whacked for 30 min or so to do the whole bike - Clutch, front brake, rear brake.
- It's probably not a bad idea to have them service the carbs. If they are in for the valves they already have to be in the same area. 11 year old carbs on a low mile bike probably have a decent layer of varnish. A good cleaning will improve power, response and milage.

Plenty of otehr DIY items you can do - like get some Dry-slide for the cables and give them a go. No one likes a sticky cable. I could go on... but I'll stop for now and let your process

Thank you very much for all of the ideas.  This should keep me busy for a while.  I did check the belts and they are brand new, I called the shop that did the oil change on it and they said they were replaced 2 weeks ago.  They also told me they checked compression and it was at 80 (I don't know what that means).  I'm definitely going to try to dye the plastic parts and search for more home made mods.  Thanks again!