Ducati Monster 900 i.e. Maintenance Schedule
This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Ducati Monster 900 i.e., made between 2000 and 2003.
The Ducati Monster 900 i.e. is one of the now-established line of Ducati Monster motorcycles, middleweight street / sport bikes from Ducati powered by midrange-focused V-twin engines.
The Ducati Monster 900 i.e. is an update on the venerable Ducati Monster 900 (carburettor-fed), taking the carburettors and replacing it with a fuel injection system. But it’s still air/oil-cooled and a relatively low-revving engine.
The Monster 900 has a 904 cc engine with a bore and stroke of 92 x 68 mm, and a compression ratio of 9.2:1. According to the manual, it makes max power of 57 kW (78 CV/76 bhp) at 8250 rpm, with peak torque of 73 Nm (54 ft-lb) made at 6750 rpm. The final drive is via a dry clutch and chain drive.
Here are all our Ducati Monster maintenance schedules:
Air/oil-cooled Ducati Monsters
- Ducati Monster 900 (Carb)
- Ducati Monster 900 i.e. (EFI)
- Ducati Monster 800 (WIP)
- Ducati Monster 1000 / S
- Ducati Monster S2R800
- Ducati Monster S2R1000
- Ducati Monster 1100 (including S, Evo)
- Ducati Monster 659 Gen 1
- Ducati Monster 659 Gen 2
- Ducati monster 620 i.e.
- Ducati Monster 695
- Ducati Monster 696
- Ducati Monster 796
Liquid-cooled Ducati Monsters
- Ducati Monster S4
- Ducati Monster S4R
- Ducati Monster S4Rs
- Ducati Monster 821
- Ducati Monster 797
- Ducati Monster 1200 (2014-2016), and Monster 1200 S 2014-2016
- Ducati Monster 1200 (2017+), and Monster 1200 S 2017+
- Ducati Monster 1200 R
- Ducati Monster 937 (including +)
- Ducati Monster SP
The Ducati Monster Monster 900 i.e. was eventually replaced by the Ducati Monster 1000 i.e. from 2003, the first time the largest capacity Monster had been increased in capacity since launch.
On and by the way, the “i.e.” in Monster 900 i.e. isn’t Latin for id est (“that is”), but stands for iniezione elettronica, which is Italian for “Kraftstoffeinspritzung”. You’re welcome.
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Ducati Monster 900 i.e. Service Intervals
For the fuel-injected Monster, service intervals are every 10000 km or 6200 miles OR every year. At every service, change the oil, check/replace the spark plugs, check the timing belt tension, and check the valve clearances.
The Monster 900 has a Desmodromic valve timing system, which means that there’s both an opener and a closer for each valve. When one gets out of spec, the other one can, too.
Every two services or two years (some do it every 4-5 years), you have to change the timing belts.
Finally, the Monster 900 has a hydraulic clutch as well as brake, so keep the fluid for both updated.
What you need to service the Ducati Monster 900 i.e.
Servicing the Ducati Monster 900 i.e. is much like servicing any of the earlier air/oil-cooled fuel-injected V-twins.
Apart from normal motorcycle maintenance tools, here’s what you need.
| Part | Ducati Monster 900 i.e. spec |
|---|---|
| Oil | The manual recommends 10W-40 engine oil for most uses. A high-quality synthetic like Motul 7100 10W-40 would be ideal. |
| Oil filter | The standard Ducati part 44440038A works, but the Hiflofiltro HF153RC is a drop-in replacement. |
| Brake fluid | Use a DOT 4 fluid, e.g. Castrol DOT 4 full synthetic. |
| Spark plugs | Standard type is NGK DCPR8E or a Champion RA6HC. Remember you need 4 (this is a twin spark engine). |
| Timing belt | Renew this before it’s too late! Part number is 73740211A. |
| Fork oil | Use either Shell Advance Fork 7.5 or Shell Donax TA, 0.45L in each leg. |
| Brake pads | EBC HH pads give better bite and feel. Front: FA244HH (this is a change from the earlier carburettor-fed Monster), Rear: FA047HH. |
| Air filter | Standard air filter part number is 42610091A. You can also use a K&N DU-9098. |
| Chain mainteanance | Keep a Motul chain care kit handy to keep your chain lubed. |
| Cable cleaner | Protect all cable life is a popular cable lube. |
| General grease | Use Lithium soap-based grease for external parts. |
Regular maintenance for the Ducati Monster 900 i.e.
This is maintenance that you can do yourself (though the manual says you need a dealer to do it).
Every 1000 km/600 miles or 6 months:
| Ducati Monster 900 i.e. regular maintenance |
|---|
| Check the engine oil level (Motul 7100 10W-40) |
| Check the brake and clutch fluid levels (top up with Castrol DOT 4) |
| Check tyre pressure and tread wear |
| Check the drive chain tension, alignment, and lubrication (Motul chain care kit) |
| Check the brake pads. Change if necessary. (Front: FA244HH, Rear: FA047HH.) |
| Check for loose fasteners, and re-torque as necessary |
| Lubricate control cables, and check for kinks |
| Check battery fluid level & charge state |
Ducati Monster 900 i.e. Maintenance Schedule Table
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Ducati Monster 900 i.e..
Generally speaking
- Follow the earlier of distance or time intervals (e.g. you don’t have to arbitrarily check the valves every two years if it has been sitting).
- Legend: R = Replace, Cl = Clean, C = Check, L = Lubricate
| km x 1000 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | Replace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mi x 1000 | 6.2 | 12.4 | 18.6 | 24.8 | Every |
| Change the engine oil (Motul 7100 10W-40) | R | R | R | R | Year |
| Oil filter (HF153RC) | R | R | |||
| Air filter (part DU-9098) | Cl | R | Cl | R | |
| Valve clearance | C | C | C | C | |
| Timing belt (check tension, or replace) (part 73740211A) | C | R | C | R | 2 years |
| Spark plugs (NGK DCPR8E) | C/R | C/R | C/R | C/R | |
| Fuel filter | R | R | R | R | |
| Throttle body sync & idle speed setting | C | C | C | C | |
| Air filter | R | R | R | R | |
| Engine oil pressure | C | C | |||
| Brake pads (Front: FA244HH, Rear: FA047HH) | C | C | C | C | |
| Clutch and brake fluid (Castrol DOT 4) | C | R | C | R | 2 years |
| Clutch disc pack. Replace as necessary | C | C | C | C | |
| Rear wheel rubber cush drive | C | C | C | C | |
| Fuel tank | Cl | Cl | |||
| External fuel hoses (check for kinks/routing) | C | C | C | C | |
| Steering bearing play | C | C | C | C | |
| Front forks & rear shock absorber (check for leaks/pitting) | C | C | C | C | |
| Front fork oil (Shell Donax TA) | R | R | |||
| Torque of all nuts and bolts (especially engine and wheel mounts) | C | C | C | C | |
| Wheel hub bearings | C | C | C | C | |
| Clutch and brake levers/controls | C/L | C/L | C/L | C/L | |
| General lubrication of external parts (side stand, pivots) | L | L | L | L | |
| Battery fluid level & charge state | C | C | C | C | |
| Front sprocket fastening plate | C | C | C | C |
About the Ducati Monster 900 i.e.
The Ducati Monster 900 i.e. brought fuel injection for the first time to the originally carburettor-fuelled Ducati Monster 900.
It’s the same basic motorcycle — a 904 cc L-twin (a V-twin on its side) in a trellis frame, powering the rear wheel via a dry clutch and a chain drive.
The engine is a 2-valve-per-cylinder design with Desmodromic valve actuation, meaning that there’s both an opener and a closer for each valve. Each valve thus has two shims for which clearances need to be checked, giving a total of 8 clearances.
The engine in the Ducati Monster 900 i.e. is not a massive powerhouse, and was never designed to be. Those coming from sportbikes or even sporty standards like the Speed Triple of the time may be disappointed by the early rev limit.
But the joy of riding the Ducati Monster is like the joy of riding any air-cooled twin. It’s full of roar and vibrations and makes riding a visceral joy.
Visually, the Monster 900 i.e. is as stunning as it always was. The lines of the wheel, tank, and exposed trellis frame are something that we just don’t see today (especially as trellis frames are now considered an inefficient use of metal — they’re strong, but heavy).
Checking the clearances is a rite of passage for many Ducati Monster aficionados. Changing a shim is a bit more involved and requires a bit of nous — but it’s still doable by the home mechanic, especially with guidance. The service manual gives details on how to do it.
There were various models of the Ducati Monster 900 i.e. released, including the Dark, Cromo, City, and S. They were all the same basic motorcycle but came with different components and designs, most notably the front suspension on the higher-end models being fully adjustable Showa forks, and the rear shock being either a fully adjustable Sachs/Boge shock or sometimes an Öhlins unit.
Since many of these components have been swapped out, check the spec of the bike you’re looking at (or own) and see how it compares against the originals.
Ducati Monster 900 i.e. Owner’s Manual
You can download Ducati manuals from Ducati here, although the one for the Monster 900 i.e. is no longer available.
Further, the Monster 900 i.e.’s manual didn’t actually have a maintenance schedule in it. There was a complicated one in the service manual, but people adapted the service manual from there based on their own experience.
Below is a screen grab of the maintenance schedule that’s reproduced above. It’s essentially an amalgam of the manual from the Monster 900 (same block, carburettor-fed) and the Monster 1000 i.e. (bigger engine, fuel injected).
