| Hi and welcome
I think Martin has addressed a lot of the issues very well, but i can add a few comments.
I found that the standard screen on the 03/04 models was rubbish and fitted a Ducati Performance high screen, the highest of the 2 versions available and it sorted the problem for me and i'm 6'3".
The rear preload is set very soft as standard and if you increase the preload (dead easy to do with the remote adjuster) it improves the steering. You can also increase the rear ride height with the rod that is paralell to the shock but this takes a little more time.
The fuel gauge/light is VERY pessismistic, and mine generally came on when i'd only used 12 or 13 litres of a 20 litre tank. Check this out by filling up as soon as the light comes on. It means that you have 7 or 8 litres left. I worked on the principle of doing another 50 miles from when the light came on, and still having a safety margin. Annoying but i just lived with it. It is hard to ignore the fuel light for so long, but believe me its OK. I did Lands End to John O Groats in 16 hours, and the last thing i wanted to do was run out of fuel on that trip, especially in the Highlands.
Changing the gearing 1 tooth on the front sprocket is cheap and will make a lot of difference.
Ducati's take a bit of getting used to, but its a great bike and worth perservering with for a while.
Worth while as a simple measure is setting all the suspension settings as per the handbook. Ride it and see how it feels, then increase the rear preload with the remote adjuster to at least half (thay all seem to come set on minimum), but you may have to increase the damping 2 or 3 clicks to compensate.
Good luck with it.
They are real fun bikes and very verastile.  |