hi all. I’ve no frame of comparison on a Ducati. I ride my 999 out of town and on reasonable throttle and it’s fab. The more throttle the nicer it is. But I live in London and do quite a bit of commuting. It hunts, shunts, clutch is grabby and there’s a dead spot on the throttle, and I have to slip the clutch up to about 22mph in traffic. Are they all like that sir? I’ve got 17k on the clock. Full termi system. Clutch basket has wear marks. If you have a 999 can we compare? I never want to sell my bike but I hate that around town it’s almost unusable.
No Ducati’s are great in London. I remember the clutch on my 998 overheating to a point I had to pull over and let it cool down. I believe the aftermarket clutch master cylinders make the pull easier, never bothered with changing mine before though. If you want something a bit more town friendly then you would have to go for one those inline 4 thingys.
If you have the standard (36T) rear sprocket, consider upping it to 39T. Places the engine's revs in the right spot for town-riding. (Other folk might suggest a 14T front … that's a long conversation but it is a common modification). Clutch sounds unhappy, shouldn't be grabby if it's all in order. Consider replacement. Dead spot on throttle? At first opening or a some specific turn of the grip? I found that swapping the standard twist-grip for a (2004???) R1 throttle tube gives a much better throttle action - quicker, less slack. This is another common modification. Summary: 999 will never be the world's greatest town bike, but you can make it work : o )
Your first mistake (and the most significant) is living in London. Don't worry though, you'll be stabbed within the hour and then you won't be *living* in London... just "in London". The bike is a mismatch. On the sad occasions I've ridden a Ducati in London it's been a miserable experience and I'd say that unless you're on a light, narrow and preferably clutchless bike in London then you're going to be having a pretty crap time. I had a Vespa 150 when I lived in London and it had a lovely light clutch and was small / nimble / fast enough to make the morning GP tolerable. A colleague used to ride an R1 in, and he was not very happy about it... he then got a Buell and it was improved but still heavy. He eventually settled on a modern automatic Vespa, a 125 I think, and it was the right tool for the job with the bar muffs and lap cover etc. Better than public transport and rapierlike in traffic. Save the 999 for non-city riding and you'll enjoy it more.
Point one, what load of bollocks and I suggest you step away from the Daily Mail website... Point two, more bollocks, maybe you need to learn to ride a bike, thousands a day have far from a crap time commuting into, out of and across London. Point three, fully agree .
All the Ducati's i've ever owned ,and theres been a few, have been a PITA around town in traffic, they are not designed for commuting, however it sounds like your clutch is on its way out if it feels grabby and has signs of wear, i fitted an Oberon clutch slave on my 999S when i had it ,one of the best mods IMO...and there shouldnt be any flat spots, might be a good idea to get the TPS properly set up as a starting point. They are all JeKyll and Hydes but thats part of the attraction, and when Mr Hyde appears on a swoopy open road when the suns shining you will forgive it anything!...
Retort 1) You’re welcome to enjoy living there. That’s me told. Retort 2) You’re right, a Ducati 999 in heavy traffic is a joy, the riding position offers excellent ergonomics for exactly these conditions and the gearing is spot on for sub 20mph zones. Heat of course is just perfect for those summer rides through town. If I could ride a bike I’d know all this. An automatic scooter offers no benefits over a race rep in stop / go traffic...
So. Some interesting stuff here. In central London a 999 is not the perfect bike. But the pro is its narrow. Compared with the inline 4’s I’ve had. But it’s hot and head down does get a bit sore. And the clutch lever (mines shorties) does get heavy. Certainly a scooter in central is better. I’m just outside the ultra low emission zone so traffic is a bit better. Which is why it’s a close call. Gearing options is a consideration. Shorter front sprocket I think is a mechanical risk though. The dead spot on the throttle is from zero to take up. Ive got it set to spec but there’s a bit of play that I really don’t like and I can’t tune it out. I’ve never changed grips and would need an idiots guide. Is there one out there. I don’t need it quicker as such I just need it perfectly accurate all the time with no slack. Thanks for the comments!
This is where the 999 belongs... But if you can put up with the punishment at slow speed anything can be used for commuting depends on how much compromise you are willing to make.
Basically you need to re read post No 6, but to summarise- 39t rear (chain will fit) Re furb clutch and fit Oberon slave. R1 throttle (from 05 I think) Long clutch lever is better than shorties.
Thanks for the reply. Can you tell me exactly how to do the throttle swap. What parts do I need to get. Happy to try but not happy to guesstimate. That would be a huge help. Thanks
Just go to Yam dealer and get/order part No 4yr-26240-02-00 approx £20 well worth it. Fitting is p o p 15mins max.
That ^ Every day... from too cold to too hot, and everything in between... getting home after a 16 hour day and cleaning your 999 to avoid it corroding... the worry of parking it in London... the risk of damage and the dependency upon what is a rather fickle bike (tip: get an Exact Start cable kit from @Exige to make it less fickle). Even deferring to the hive-mind of people who can ride bikes better than me and who are clearly utterly hardcore... if like me you have a mentally demanding job that can require you to ride to work at 5am and ride home in the early hours then you don't want to have to give more than a cursory thought to how you get to / from work. If on other days you ride at peak Chelsea GP time then you don't want to mind suicidally mixing it when needed / fun. Yes you can do it on any bike... but whether it is sane and in the interest of an easy life... well I still think that picking up something cheap and easy is easy. No chain maintenance, minimal running costs, minimal emotional investment and maximum opportunity for still experiencing a commute outside of trains and buses and all the good that comes with that. IMO (and remember, I can't ride) any large capacity bike is going to be a poor relation to something cheap, light and nimble. In London my Vespa allowed me to mix it with everyone from power rangers to couriers, it was good fun and I had £900 in it, so really didn't care if I had to leave it in town all night if needed (but please do remember that I know nothing).
If you're really intent on commuting on it... do what the Hugo's do and go in at 5am and don't leave until after 7pm. If you really want to see how the rich get to work then between 4-5am is when the thick-rich seam of Ferraris / Porsche / Maserati drivers arrive. Nobody with awkward poor-driving cars / bikes heads in at peak time.
