strongly recommend you get the suspension properly set up including raising the rear ride height - the standard ducati settings, certainly on the '03 749s, can be readily improved. Certainly the case with my now sold and still sorely missed 's', despite the fact that I'm now running a 999r...good luck with it.
the engine braking is quite hard to get used to, blipping the throttle is the only real way unless you have a slipper. plus blipping sounds good with those Termis