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Ducati M620ie Review

I had the pleasure of riding a Monster M620ie Dark at a ride day at Gecko Motorcycles on the weekend. I'm glad I did. It's so cute! I won't be buying one now, but in other circumstances I might.

People seem to perceive sensations by contrast to their present situation — think of stepping from a chilly winter day into a moderately warm room — and this is certainly true for something as visceral as a motorcycle. I can't help but think of the M620ie by contrast to my current ride, a ZX12-R, which has about three times the peak power output, and perhaps 60kg more weight. I'm sure my impressions would have been different had I gone to it from a 250cc learner bike, which is a much more likely progression.

The overall impression is of something small but exquisitely formed, perhaps like a seared slice of foie gras. The suspension is set up with standard Ducati firmness, so on chopped up back roads you do feel the bumps, though they're not jarring. The bike does track along the road with more determination and poise than one might expect from something so small. It's miles away from 250s and 400s which always seem to bounce around at 100km/h.

The engine has a good spread of torque. It's no rip-snorter but is never short of urge. The flatter torque curve characteristic of twins seems to allow a bit more laziness in gear changes than would be possible on a inline four of the same capacity. It is quiet and steady at idle, and has a nice hint of the Ducati engine sound, although far more subdued than the 998 superbike. The clutch gave a funny jelly-wobble sensation at one point, perhaps because I held it at the wrong point. Bringing it right out and then in again resolved the problem.

Amusingly enough a decal on the tank warns that the bike has a "energy saving CPU" that goes to sleep after a few minutes with the ignition on but the engine stopped. (Does anyone even do that? On most bikes it leaks current so I can't imagine anyone having the habit.)

We got up to about 130km/h on a brief stretch of the the Monaro Highway, at which speed the wind buffeting is noticeable but not objectionable. I did notice my jacket blowing around more than usual, but something about the shape of the bike avoids the feeling of being blown off one sometimes has with naked bikes.

When might I buy it? Well, if I lived in a built-up city, and had to deal with traffic and traffic lights more often than I do -- this is a weak spot of the ZX12-R, which gets hot and guzzles petrol in slow traffic, and is grumbly at less than 20km/h. At legal speeds the engine and suspension work together well, and the wind is fine. Oh, and if I didn't carry a passenger: the Ducati has a vestigial passenger pad, whereas the Kawasaki has absolute aplomb, feeling if anything more settled with two people than with one. At about AUD11k brand new it's practical transport, even more so since you're getting "that" name, sound, and aesthetic.

It probably fills this role as well as a Japanese 600cc 4-cylinder, which seems to be the default all-rounder in Australia. You're not paying for a big fairing and top-end performance you'll probably rarely use in the city.

I haven't ridden a Honda CB600 Hornet for a few years. I suppose it's the nearest competitor. From what I remember the Hornet has more of the rorty sportsbike engine feel, but less of the strong-yet-slender balance.

posted Wed 14 May 2003 in /motorbikes | link

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