Well, I suppose they all have fast idle - i.e. it's not 749/999 specific, but maybe it narrows it down to how it worked ~20 years ago? Possibly the K75 I rode nearly 30 years ago had it, what with injection and Engine Management, but I don't recall ever having to use it. All I really know about moving a lever on the bars for cold weather starting is an actual choke, that richens the mixture by blocking the air. So the fast idle is useful for stopping the motor stalling, like it regularly did when I first had it (and given how the tickover speeds up on full lock, I think we can deduce the quality of Ducati Oxford servicing!). But it is not a choke! So the point would seem to be for fast tickover until the engine is warm enough not to stall? One would think that the ECU measures the temperature and adjusts the ratio for cold weather starting, hence no need for a choke. I don't know if that's being optimistic. So why such a large range on the fast idle lever? So as you can set it to run at 2/3000rpm on the stand, if desired? If all else is equal, i.e. plugs not fouled, air filters not blocked, etc, is all you need to start a 999 at sub-zero a well-charged battery? After I'd flattened the battery the other day, I briefly thought of bumping it. I presume such is still possible? Though I quickly decided not to - I thought it'd be a near certainty I'd whack my leg on the tail fairing and fall over.
Cheers Sev. I'm trying not to be pleased I'm not the only one. Yeah, there's a point on the lever range where I don't get stalling. Unfortunately there's no discernible difference on the tacho, so if I have to use a bit more for starting, I lose the sweet spot, and have find it again by trial and error. Most of the time I do get it right, but not always, and it's back to stalling in the centre lane of the main drag at rush hour with so much traffic behind I can almost feel it like a breaker in the sea.
I have never succeeded in doing it ...... even when I lived at the top of a hill !! The back wheel starts skidding before it will properly rotate ..... in any gear . [ I wondered if a battery with a low charge might also cause fuel pressure to be a bit lower ?? ] I didn't try with a passenger / volunteer / victim ..... to get additional weight on the rear wheel ..... it seemed like a recipe for falling off . My winter start routine - fast-idle lever full on | don't touch the throttle | press the button ..... when it fires , back-off the lever to get about 1200 tickover BTW - I'm old enough to remember when you pressed the "tickler" until you could smell petrol ..... That really shouldn't happen ..... it usually means that there isn't enough slack at the lever or the cable isn't routed correctly . -
I'll try that (lever full on), thanks! Yeah, I wondered about engine management not enabling the requisite conditions, from standstill, say without the starter energized. I recently read about how the racer was light enough they could retain the starter motor, but no Ducati race team is ever going to turn up with a knackered battery, so no need to retain the ability to bump them, I suppose. Me, I'm old enough to have forgotten having to tickle the carbs, and God do I miss it! Pretty sure you're not allowed those on new designs now - not that I suppose anyone wants to do things that way any more. About 17 years ago, riding my Meriden Triumph, I was getting stressed out by the speed and volume of traffic. Well, it's not so bad on a 999. Shame it's so hard to fix things yourself at the side of the road but I'd be scared to do that now anyway! Even without taking 'smart' motorways into account.
Thanks. I know next to sod all about road racing. I started watching in the 851/888 (and the Norton rotary) era when it wasn't just Jap fours and strokers any more, but stopped long before the 999 was a thing.
That leaver is the only thing that stops my bike from stalling at every traffic light and roundabout when I pull away. Spent a lot of time and money trying to fix the issue and in the end just accepted that I need to push it up a bit when the bike is going slow.
As a new to Ducati rider, I do find it difficult to get off the line smoothly, too many revs and the clutch shrieks, too few and it bogs, careful throttle control is my only answer to date. If you have to use the 'choke' once the engine is warm, then in my view something is wrong somewhere. Is the bike standard or has it been upgraded/messed with?
If your clutch shrieks, it likely needs looking at. A well adjusted clutch with minimal wear to basket, hub and plates should allow a smooth get away with no nasty noises of grabbiness.
What's need to strip the clutch? With the cover off do you just evenly undo the nuts over each spring? Do you need it to be in gear or lock the back wheel to stop everything rotating? What substance do you need to clean the plates? Quick spray or long soak?
Hmmm, as this is my first Ducati maybe it's already doing what others describe. But if the 'choke' lever just affects revs without directly affecting mixture, why not just use a little extra throttle? Am I missing/misunderstanding something?
