Thinking of a Monster......

[motomartin11]

Originally Posted by Brian.

Thank you for your reply I do love riding my GS750 and thought about a GS550 but there's not a great deal of difference in the weight. Also, the centre of gravity of my Suzuki is high, it's top heavy as well as just plain heavy.

Talking of temperamental, I do remember one or two interesting times with my 900SS I've heard of plastic tank issues, not just with Ducati either, but they are steel on early Monsters aren't they? Which reminds me, one of the interesting times I had with my 900SS was the petrol tank rusting through underneath, me patching it up temporarily because I couldn't find a rust free replacement, and then the regulator/rectifier going up in smoke. One of life's sphincter-twitching moments

The 25 year bit with the VMCC isn't exactly for purists, it's because some of the rides & events etc I like to participate in are for classic bikes only, for many of the rides it doesn't really matter what we use.



Brian.

Yes the early Monsters have a steel tank. You can still get the usual age related issues with them but obviously not the swelling plastic. The tank prop can cause leaks due to twisting of the metal so best to not use it with much fuel in or use a piece of timber instead.
There can also be electrical issues with the early models but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I'm aware. Check that the battery is charging and keep it charged up over winter if the bike is not being used. Check the heavy battery / starter cables are corrosion free-someone does an upgrade but mine were OK when I checked.
Don't forget if you need OE spares you can get a 10% discount at Moto Rapido if you mention this forum.

[Brian.]

Originally Posted by motomartin11

Yes the early Monsters have a steel tank. You can still get the usual age related issues with them but obviously not the swelling plastic. The tank prop can cause leaks due to twisting of the metal so best to not use it with much fuel in or use a piece of timber instead.
There can also be electrical issues with the early models but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I'm aware. Check that the battery is charging and keep it charged up over winter if the bike is not being used. Check the heavy battery / starter cables are corrosion free-someone does an upgrade but mine were OK when I checked.
Don't forget if you need OE spares you can get a 10% discount at Moto Rapido if you mention this forum.

Thank you