Low speed control (plus MPG)
 

Afternoon all, just picked a 1098 standard up this morning and my first impessions are that it is cmpletely differentr to anything i have ever ridden before.

When you get above 3k rpm all is fine and dandy but rolling around built up areas is very peculiar compared to the CBR600rr which I had previously. The 600 would happily, almost coast, on tickover and would be really easy to deal with at low speeds.

The 1098 is a different matter entirely. Im finding it really difficult to deal with such low speeds, the bike seems to want to stall and finding the correct gear too seems tricky - im either too low or too high. ive only ridden her in cold weather (hands were freezing) for an hour or so and it will take some getting used to but what would be the best way of dealing with this.

Also, what MPGs do you get. Full tank and had about 75 miles from it, not hammering at all.

Cheers
R

The clutch and low speed control are two of the most often talked about things with Ducatis!

Yes the clutch is heavy, and if poorly adjusted (or excessively worn) then it will give you problems selecting gears. I've even found that a badly adjusted chain can make things worse. You will also learn to get used to the clutch. If you've come from pansy-ass cable clutches then you're just missing the necessary muscles, so a few hundred miles in the saddle will see you right.

If you're find it is not running perfectly, ie prone to stalling, then taking it to a knowledgeable specialist and getting it checked over and setup correctly can make the world of difference. It's usually down to the TPS/idle/balance setup that needs to be done *properly* and sometimes isn't even done right when they leave the factory! It may also explain the poor fuel economy if the fuelling trim is not setup right.

As for the low speed control - it's not meant to go slow ;)
But yes, that does happen so a common change is to drop the front sprocket by one tooth (15t > 14t) which moves the speed/rev range to make it far more easier to ride around at low speed, at the expense of top speed.
It's a very cheap (and easy) mode to do, around £20 for the sprocket.