I have been looking a long time to get hold of one of these for touring. I have a few issues and would appreciate any comments form other owners. It is in standard form as far as I know. The engine is running badly at lower RPM. Spitting back. Banging in the silencers on over run. Seems worse as the engine gets hotter. There is a 'whistle' type noise which I think is coming from the front of the engine. The gear change is very clunky and needs a lot of pressure on the lever. The gearbox is agricultural compared to my 999. I have a set of panniers from an ST4s and thought they would fit but the upper location lug on the ST3s pannier frame is reversed. Why did Nonfango/Ducati do that? How do I check that the ABS is working? Easy in a car but on a bike extremely risky checking the front! Once out of town the bike is a pleasure to ride. Cheers
I'd be amazed if the panniers don't fit. As long as all your parts are standard they are identical aren't they? Is it on standard gearing. My ST4S used to run poorly at low speeds and especially when hot, helped slightly by super unleaded. It would stall at idle and spit on the throttle such that you could feel it at the handlebar at the lights etc. A very minor tweek by Nelly, to either(or both) the TPS and CO2 settings completely cured it and it has run like a swiss watch ever since never missing a beat regardless what i throw at it.
I thought the same about the panniers. I don't know if the gearing is standard. Obviously this is a different engine and set up but I assume there must be something that can be done to put it right.
I was always under the impression that the rear end was the same on all ST's - can't see why ST4S pannier racks wouldn't fit an ST3...
Post some pics of your panniers and racks and I'll compare them with the ones from my 3 and see if I can spot any thing odd. Chris
The bike is back at the shop that supplied it. I can get some pictures to you if/when I get it back but I know the panniers and frames are different as they are still with me To be honest I am much more interested in the bikes other issues. Do you have similar experiences?? Any other ST3 owners out there??? Do other Ducatis use this engine?
I have a standard ST3 which came with panniers, these are in the loft now as a top box and rack was more important to keep her indoors happy! I had hoped to be able to fit both, but it seems that there is only 1 manufacturer ( nonfango I think) that makes this possible, and it was out of my price range!
I would love to get a top box fitted as well but as far as I know Nonfango kit stopped being available years ago . The shop that has my ST told me on Thursday that they had balanced the throttle bodies and are waiting for new spark plugs to arrive.
I had to buy a Givi rack and plate for my top box, just over£100 for the 2. Not sure if it's possible to modify the pannier frames to fit with the rack, if you're any good at metalwork I guess anything is possible, also not sure if this would put too much weight on the mountings with everything fully loaded up. I am looking to get some throw overs to use if I ever get enough time/money to get a decent trip away!
I hunted a similar lumpiness and hunting at small, constant throttle openings on the 4s and it turned out to be an incorrectly shimmed RPM pick-up sensor. Vey easy fix and something that can be easily eliminated. A PS: Well wear!
Mine has Ducati pannier rails with a rack for a top-box bolted to them. I modified the rack myself to make it fit... Not the prettiest job, but it does the job. Wouldn't want to put too much weight in it though...
I have also experienced poor running when hot, but only in hot weather with lots of stop start at low speeds in town. It's especially noticeable when letting the clutch out, I find I just need to give it slightly more rpm to avoid the problem. Not sure what the whistling could be, might just be the belts and be perfectly normal, best see what the garage have to say. For checking the ABS it's up to you, checking the rear is easy, I'd do it in the wet though to save scrubbing a patch on your tyres. If the ABS is working you'll feel it in the pedal. Deliberately locking up the front takes some willpower, we were taught to do it on a track based training course I did, purely so that we could understand what not to do. They got us to ride at 30mph and grab a very quick handful of front brake and then release immediately, this makes the tyre lockup more easily as the tyre contact patch is smaller than if you progressively increase lever pressure. It shat me right up when I tried it, but so long as you release the lever immediately and are going dead straight you should stay upright.
Simon - can I ask what it is that you disagree with in post #13 ? It is merely a statement of fact...
Well the bike was returned to me with little or no improvement after being sent to a Ducati dealer. I was not happy with it and did not want another project to put right, so it was returned to the shop that sold it to me for a full refund. I am still looking for a sports tourer but may leave it next year.
Who was that Ducati dealer, they should be ashamed of themselves. I would be suprised if its one of the outfits that are regularly praised on here, we all know who they are and if not tried already they are the guys to go to. You are missing out if you have dumped an ST
Yes , I agree I am missing out and potentially I made a bad decision! However I left the bike with the supplier for 4 weeks (one of my weeks of ownership was going to be a touring holiday with my wife). I feel that should have been plenty of time for it to be sorted out. I will add that the shop was always extremely courteous and friendly. I have loved Ducati's since the 70's and owned them since 1990. I must admit that very little else on the sports/touring market appeals to me. I hate the fact that Ducati haven't catered for this market since 2007?
There are plenty more out there I love my ST3 - going to Europe in a couple of weeks on her for the first time and really excited Dont be put off - hope you see and get a good one soon
