In reply to cdeforrest :
you are the 2nd guy I have heard say they might dump their monster. The first one was the host of this motorcycle life podcast.
I bring this up because there are two monsters within driving distance of me for less than 5k. One of them has 58k miles on it and to be honest, that intrigues me. Must have been well maintained. TBF the other one has over 15k miles so is probably well maintained too.
Let me rephrase that. one of them is 15 miles from me. very interesting.
Honestly I doubt I’ll ever dump it. It’s my favorite bike out of the 8 I’ve had in 20 years of riding. It’s simple, sexy and quick. The regular guy thinks it’s exotic but it was a 10k bike new, no big deal.
The air cooled bikes (and that’s most of them, save the crazy models which has spawned its own Streetfighter line) are basic and haven’t changed much since their 1996 intro. Later bikes (2001?) Just got fuel injection and better materials which lead to longer service intervals.
Theyre low, so short of stature can ride them without feeling scared. The frame is from the 888 superbike, so if you want to upgrade suspension bits, it’s plenty sporty.
My ‘99 750 will do the Ton (100mph) but just barely. I don’t care- it’s quick around town and super fun to ride. I got mine with almost zero miles and it has about 30k on it now. Mileage really isn’t an issue - people usually either wreck them Or move on to another. Plus the engines are like legos, so bore kits and swaps are common. Think Italian Sportster.
And now the negative - they’re not Honda’s. Something will need attention and the aftermarket is more than willing to fill that need. Clutch slave cylinders are one that come to mind. They tend to fail.
The electrics aren’t great but they’re simple. Mine caught a little bit on fire once after a long traffic slog.. just keep an eye on things and remember it’s not an appliance
I put a Yoyodyne slave on mine. The lower models have cheap shocks you might not like..so there’s a nice Ohlins for ya. Same with the front.. people will upgrade to the superbike parts. I mean it’s what you make it.. if I wanted to go 160mph I’d get on my cbr. The monster is a hooligan cruiser..
There was a recall on one of the Brembo master cylinders that Ducati was using sometime last year.
If you're shopping one, you might want to see if it's been changed.
With Husqvarna, the potential for maintenance nightmares varies a lot by year and model. My 2016 701 Enduro has been really reliable and has long service intervals compared with just about anything else in that same category and performance bracket. The only exception is the dashboard has a tendency to get fried when ridden in the rain. It has happened three times in five years and hmmm...how many miles? I don’t know....how do you keep track when your odometers stop working? 
In any case, I love the bike I wouldn’t call it unreliable.
I don’t think it’s on your list, and I wouldn’t recommend one, but my Aprilia SXV550 can easily match the Husky’s performance, but each time I ride it, another issue crops up. I think the fact that it changed hands often before I got it and that the spotty service history contribute a lot to the situation, but it ranks right up there on the love/hate breaks-as-often-as-not Italian exotic list. But when it is running right...
In reply to ae86andkp61 :
I have seen some beautiful Aprilia's and I tell ya those and MV Agusta's are probably not where I will put my back in to biking money. Wow do they make some gorgeous bikes though.
The RSV4 makes my pants tight.
It sounds incredible too. I thought about renting one when I was in Vegas but I figured I would probably end up in jail.
In reply to ShawnG :
I’m sure you’ve already seen/heard this then:
I love the noise the V4 makes...dang it...now I’m off to browse Tuono V4s for sale again. 
I have an 04 Aprilia rsvr. It’s been super reliable and is still a gorgeous bike. I would say it’s super reliable and easy to maintain.
I also had an original Honda vfr and it was bulletproof, fun and made glorious sounds. Just like the Aprilia.
Geez guys, you kept talking about Aprilia so then I had to go looking. not v4's but both the shiver and the dorsoduro are now on the short list. Theres a NOS 2018 dorsoduro less than 150 miles away from me with no fees out the door under 9 grand. very compelling.
Buy an Italian bike. It'll change your life....
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