As the gs is getting a bit old, and start leaking oil, so I decide it is time for me to get another bike, currently there are 2 good deal on the market,

A ducati 97' monster with mircon exhaust
A suzuki 02' SV650 standard

the ducati is a fair bit more expensive then the SV.

I have listed some factors that I need to consider

The bike is my major transportation, 70km/day, so the bike need to be realiable.
It is also my toy up the twisty, so I want a bike that can handle( this is my major concern)
The cost of the maintance.

I am open to other ideas, any advice is more than welcome!

Cheerz

Leaking oil huh? Your GS has the same disease my new 07 GS has, Harletitus. It can be fatal but can be cured, expensive but worth it. Just do a rebuild. But if I had to choose, SV. 

Bump up the year on the sv to '03, and it's a hard bike to beat. IIRC that's the year fuel injection came in.

The monster looks cooler, i guess. But who gives a hang what it looks like if it's a blast to ride (and economical, and reliable, and cheeeeeeeeap)

Does the Monster have Desmo valves? 
I like Ducatis, but only if I had unlimited $$$$$ for maintenance.
The more I read about the Duc valve train and the complicated adjustments, the more I think "Japanese Power Rules".

Lots of people have SV's and love them. 

Just to play devil's advocate, the Duc is going to have better suspension out of the box. 

What is it, 800cc? 

Reliability depends a lot on how each has been taken care of so far; whether all the maintenance has been kept up to date...

The Monster Is The Beast!!

One vote for the Monster !

First off, what version of the Monster are we talking about here?  If you're talking about a 600, the SV is a better choice.  If you are talking about a 750...meh...its a toss up to personal preference.  If you're talking about the 900...well...

Ducati's do not have complicated valve adjustment procedures, despite the fact that all of them have desmodromic valve trains.  I get so tired of people who have no experience with Ducati's throwing that one out there.  For the record, my 900 Monster was supposed to have valve adjustments every 6,000 miles.  Mind you, the GS must have them every 4,000 miles (33% more often).  Also, my 13,000 mile Monster never even required an adjustment, as the valves were always within spec when checked.  My GS on the other hand...

If its a 900...get it.  You'll never look back.

-Turd.

Forgot to mention it is a 600, alot of people told me that the 600 is underpower, but at the moment i can't afford a 900.

I hate to say this, but between a 6xx monster and the SV I would go SV   more bang for your buck.   but if you can afford it the older 800 monster is pure beast for the money

i wouldn't touch a 600cc monster. i think a major factor is your wrench hand. wanna modify it? i'm taking a shot in the dark here, but i'd guess it'll be more expensive to modify a duc than an SV. are YOU doing the maintenance, or are you paying someone to? i would imagine you'll end up paying someone more to do a service on a duc than on an SV.

ehhh.....the desmo valve train really shouldn't be that bad to work on, at least not on 2 cylinders but bang for buck the SV is going to far exceed the Duc 620
800 is the smallest Duc I'd shell out fair value $$ for

btw should i also consider sometime bigger such as the bandit 1200 or zrx1100.

They are for sell at the samiliar price.

Any advice is much appericated

bandit 1200 is a nice bike if you're ready for it

You don't say what condition they are in, miles etc.  That makes a HUGE difference...  With all else equal I would take the newer bike... The Monster 600 is pretty equal to the GS500 performance wise,  The SV650 will annihilate the M600 performance wise.   If it was the Monster 620 of the same year as the SV for the same price,  I'd do the Monster, as it would be fuel injected, only slightly down on power from the SV, I think the Monsters look and sound WAY cooler than the either the Gen1 or Gen2 SV's.

The maintenance thing is WAY overblown with Ducati.  The only difference is the valve/belt check intervals are at 6k miles versus like 12k mile valve check intervals on the SV650.  The valves are actually easier to adjust on the Duc if needed.  Also it might be slightly cheaper to mod the SV, but you wouldn't pay a huge amount more if at all... the Monsters are serious mod platforms.

Quote from: Johnny5 on June 03, 2007, 05:03:16 AM
You don't say what condition they are in, miles etc.  That makes a HUGE difference...  With all else equal I would take the newer bike... The Monster 600 is pretty equal to the GS500 performance wise,  The SV650 will annihilate the M600 performance wise.   If it was the Monster 620 of the same year as the SV for the same price,  I'd do the Monster, as it would be fuel injected, only slightly down on power from the SV, I think the Monsters look and sound WAY cooler than the either the Gen1 or Gen2 SV's.

The maintenance thing is WAY overblown with Ducati.  The only difference is the valve/belt check intervals are at 6k miles versus like 12k mile valve check intervals on the SV650.  The valves are actually easier to adjust on the Duc if needed.  Also it might be slightly cheaper to mod the SV, but you wouldn't pay a huge amount more if at all... the Monsters are serious mod platforms.

+1, good post.

i'd take the Duc, if financnes allowed.

Having had both - I'd take the Monster everytime - although the comments about the 600 being a little limp are true. Don't be scared off by tales of reliability issues on Monsters, these are usually told by people that have either never owned one, or if they have have only dragged it out of the garage two days a year and expected it to start first time. That said the SV will be (even) more reliable - probably.

If you are even vaguely handy with a spanner, almost everything on a 2v monster can be done yourself - vale checks and belt changes are easy, and there is plenty of support on how to do it - if you buy one let me know and I'll point you in the right direction (I've just rebuilt the heads, overhauled the valve gear and re-shimmed my 900ie and its the first time I've had a desmo apart).

The Monster is definately way more cool than an SV, and that Ducati badge gives you something to be proud of. The Ducati is the emotional choice, something you buy with your heart not your head, but it's not a risky purchase as some uneducated people would have you believe.

Rather than a 600 though, I'd go a year or two older and get a 750 or 900 as others have suggested - and buy on condition, not year.

Good luck      

i guess it's like bmw vs asian in my world. i'll buy an older bmw before i'll buy a newer anything, even at similar prices, just because i know how easy it is and how inexpensive it is to turn that 1500 (or500 in my most recent case) 80's bimmer into a total sleeper. with little more than $1000 in suspension mods, my e28 can easily fend off 90's sports cars in the twisties. if a 92 911 (non turbo) can't touch me with stock suspension in the twisties, i think my little 4dr 5er has some decent size cajones. so perhaps it's the same with ducati, i've just yet to have the pleasure of seeing it firsthand.

Quote from: ledfingers on June 07, 2007, 11:31:30 PM
so perhaps it's the same with ducati, i've just yet to have the pleasure of seeing it firsthand.

Once you ride them, you say to yourself, "So this is what everyone is talking about..."

It's a whole 'nother world, man.

you're makin me jealeous alpha
I know what ya mean though,  after I drove a bimmer nothing ever handled the same