Poor handling?
 

This is probably going to appear an unusual thread but I do not seem to be able to make my bike corner anything like I would have expected a bike equipped with Ohlins and the like to do.

The bike has got new tyres and I have made sure that the suspension is all back to factory settings but it just lacks any feel and appears to take a huge amount of effort to go around anything other than fairly relaxed curves. Roundabouts are a complete nightmare and the fast and sweepys almost life threatening.

The bike was recently serviced and there was no suggestion that there were any problems so am coming to the conclusion that the problem is me.

Prior to the 748R I had GSXR's and the only problems I had were definate pilot error, and typically where as a result of too much entry speed and too little forward observation ( :o )

At the weekend I road tested a new GSXR750 (which is an absolute corker of a bike) and it handled like a dream. After having gotten used to the road I felt that I was slicing through bends and around islands just like days of old. I then followed the same route on the Ducati and found that I was nowhere near as quick or as comfortable and the islands took twice the effort for half the outcome. Whilst the Suzuki outperformed the Ducati in terms of handling, I decided that I would prefer to try and ride the 748, rather than buy what is a fantastic but rather emotionless bike.

I have since booked the California Superbike School in an attempt to work through this problem and hope that this will help, but my questions are: -

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Is there a trick to riding Ducatis quickly around corners that I have not picked figured out?

Any help greatly appreciated as this is really ruining what has always been my dream bike.

Thanks

Is there a trick? I don't think so, it sounds to me like you just need to get your suspension setup for you.

Plenty of people do it - I used HM racing initially. My monster, which handles better than my 996 at the moment, was setup by Sigma Performance. I can't fault it.

Definitely sort that out!

Cheers TP,

Was half expecting someone to tell me to get out more!!! :lol:

Forgive my ignorance, but is it simply a matter of turning up somewhere and them setting it for your height, weight etc?

If so, where are Sigma and what sort of money does this typically cost?


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Steering Damper ???

Is it free to move ? is it sticking ? if you have an adjustable one is it on the wrong setting ?

748's in general and R's in particular come with a justifiable reputation as one of the sweetest handling bikes anywhere. Certainly the ones I've ridden have been fantastic.

They're not going to steer as quick as a Gixer no matter how you set them up, but they should pay you back with rock solid stability once in the bend.

I guess it's difficult to tell what you consider to be a huge amount of effort because that's a personal thing. Maybe trying another 748 would tell you if there is an issue with yours.

I had a ride on a mates 748 SPS and it was a right barge. It didnt want to go round any kind of corner. The thing i found with my bike is that the suspension adjustment actually do something and on the bigger Ducatis you have front compression, rebound and preload, rear compression, rebound and preload and also ride height and maybe steering head angle. Add in tyre pressures, tyre profiles and riding style as well as the weight of the rider then you have several million possible combinations of settings, only a few of which will give you the ride you are looking for.

Nigel,

Wasn't sure about the steering damper as turning the knob didn't appear to make much difference!

Opted for counting the clicks left to right and settling for the middle, not the most scientific plan but as the manual didn't suggest which way to make if stiffer (?) and I couldn't feel the difference (!) this was my only choice.

Does however seem to move freely, the head doesn't shake unless given the 'berries over poor surfaces and the damper isn't leaking.

Will however knock it all the way back to one end then the other and see if there is any difference in the feel - would be wonderful if it was this simple!

Thanks

Sigma are in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. I have no idea what Neil would charge for a suspension setup because I had it all done as part of other work. His work is undeniably quality.

You could have a hunt around his website here and give him a ring maybe?

HM racing is here and they have pricing on their website depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Have you set the ride height? My adjuster was wound right in until recently increased it by about 5mm, increasing the ride height by about 20mm. I nearly crashed at the first roundbout when the bike turned a tad quicker than expected.

As TP suggests probably best to get the pro's to look at, I'm trying to get mine into HM racing but they're a bit busy, something to do with TT or something.

[Edited on 31-5-2005 by 748mart]

One easy free thing you can try - reset all the suspension settings to the stock ones you'll find in the handbook - mine are set to this on my 748 and it handles fine - better than any of the recent jap bikes I've had a go on.

If you get everything back to where it should be, see if it feels better, if it doesnt, then maybe think about getting someone who knows their stuff to set it up.

Also check the rear shock is working properly - if its knackered this can effect the handling of the whole bike. Likewise, head bearings, wheel bearings etc...

Its quite possible a previous owner messed around with them without knowing what they were doing, and has cocked them up somewhere along the way, or they were a very different weight than you and had them specifically set up for themself.