Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 999 / 749 > 749 sound and feel

[coko]

I hope you can help me with anther question, sorry in advance if it’s a
silly questions but im new to riding and im sure you can remember when you
was new to riding. I ride 749 and it’s the first bike I have ever owned, a friend of mine has recently brought a Triumph 675 and he let me have I ride on it. I notice that the Triumph was a much smoother bike whilst you accelerate, getting back on the 749 sounds and feels really raw like its misfiring, similar to a car that has a blocked injector, but I get no performance loss (I have never noticed this before, but then again apart from the silly 500 I done my DAS on and my 749 I have never ridden another bike). Is this normal as it’s a V-twin and the Triumph is a triple or should I take it in to get looked at?
I also find if I make a mistake and take a corner in a high gear it struggles and hesitates and only feels right when it is in high rpm, where the 675 is more forgiving and feels a lot smoother under the same conditions.

[timk]

i'm like you in that ive just passed my test and have noticed a big difference between my 748 sp and other bikes,i had my 748 2 hours and someone hit it outside my house,the insurance gave me a gsxr 600 k6 and ive done 3000 miles on it in 6 weeks.having not really ridden mine i could'nt wait to take it out when i got it back this week,i nearly plowed straight on at the first corner i tried to take fast(the gixer would've sailed round no probs)it really shook me up,i pulled over and explained to my mate whos an expierienced rider,he took it out and came back grinning from ear to ear who said it was amazing and it handled a dream.he asked if i'd kept it singing in the revs in the corner and thinking about it i'd kind of coasted round a bit,after setting off again and following his advice of keeping it about halfway up the revs it transformed it for me and felt so much better,ive done about 1000 miles this week and am loving every minute.i guess the point of this ramble is yes they do feel different and aren't as easy to ride or forgiving,but i wouldn't change it for the world,as for the sound of the engine im not sure,but i bet some of the more knowledgable on here may be able to explain,all i know is i bloody love the sound of mine with its induction roar and carbon term's :-)

[coko]

timk, similar to you I found the 675 a lot easier than the 749 to corner yet all the reviews boast how good the 749 is on corners, I find I need to lean more on the corners than on the 675. Did you find the same with your 748? so your advise is to keep the revs at about 5000 rpm on turns or should I go higher?

[moto748]

Eeh, in my day we had to start off on a James Captain...

[swannymere]

What you're finding is that the Duke requires more effort to 'turn-in' when cornering but once you get the knack you'll find that the Duke will corner better than almost anything this side of a 250.It's all down to practice,practice,practice

[twpd]

Ducatis tend to require a higher level of skill to ride well but, they respond well, reward input from a skilled rider very well. In my experience they don't suit novices or people who are more used to riding Japanese 4's. This is why you often see low mileage immaculate Ducatis going for sale. On the flip side - riding a Jap 4 no matter how powerful or fast just bores me stupid because they are so anodyne.

There's no set engine speed that you should use with a Ducati to corner well. You have to learn from experience as to how the bike best performs. That comes from practice, time and miles.

[timk]

theres a lot more experienced riders answering you now mate,like they've said its just what works for you,it definately responds better to a more manly/forcefull/you take charge of it kind of riding syle compared to the jap bike i rode,once i adjusted the way i rode it,it transformed the bike for me.

[twpd]

Jap bikes are designed to be easy to operate in the same way as a Ford Mondeo is easy to drive. It's ok up to a point but, if you want something with a bit more depth....... A Ducati is more involving - I'll never own a Jap bike again.

I bought my 800ss racer from a guy who had just passed his test. He always liked the look of a Ducati and he bought it immediately after passing his test but, he just couldn't get on with it and put it up for sale after a year and just 800 miles...his telling comment was along the lines of "you can't ride it like you can drive a car, the engine chugs too much (!!!!!) - you have to pay attention".

Sums it up really.

[timk]

Originally Posted by coko

timk, similar to you I found the 675 a lot easier than the 749 to corner yet all the reviews boast how good the 749 is on corners, I find I need to lean more on the corners than on the 675. Did you find the same with your 748? so your advise is to keep the revs at about 5000 rpm on turns or should I go higher?

ive not noticed much difference in the lean angle between the bikes,but i am practicing getting off the bike just before a corner and it seems to turn much easier,ive only been riding a couple of months so i dont want to sound like a tit giving advice(a bit like the blind leading the blind),im just saying what worked for me and what ive noticed about the two bikes ive ridden :-)

[Twinfan]

I've found keep the revs up in corners is the wya to go. Remember you've got two whacking great pistons going up and down, so it's bound to be lumpy lower down the rev range. I try and keep the revs past 6 o'clock (5000rpm) at all times.