V4 Travel N Radar To Rally

ok, good to know. Blow dry is a good tip.

I went from using a scott-oiler for years and permanent mess to not oiling a chain at all.
In reality the life of the O ring chains was roughly similar, but no lube does mean the rollers themselves wear inside.
So now i give it a clean when it looks crappy, and oil it if it looks too dry, but thats not often.

 

I went from a V4S to a Rally, and pretty happy with the move. The Rally’s dry weight is a few kgs up (231 to 238), but that’s partly due to including the stand, wire wheels and bigger engine guard in those figures. My V4S had the first generation wire wheels which were about 3kg heavier than the Rally’s gen2 wire wheels anyway. The bike definitely sits a little higher but the suspension and steering are still pretty good and I still use Auto for the preload, but for some reason I have to run it one step harder to get it to feel the same. There is a lot of talk about being more space for the pillion, but in reality the bike is exactly the same and Ducati have just moved the metal luggage back slightly, topbox by 6mm and panniers by 30mm, I have kept my original panniers and topbox so no change for me. The new phone pocket is slightly larger, but the biggest benefit is the extra 8ltrs of fuel (about 8kg) and the rear cylinder deactivation under 3,800rpm. Admittedly I am still running in but I am seeing 56mpg (UK) and I never broke onto the 50s on my V4S no matter how I rode.

 

Yeah, the extra space i think was mis-quoted, because i found out the riders seat moves back when in the lower position, so they allowed the pillion seat to do the same .
I have bought a lowered heated rider seat, and i think this makes the seat height the same as the V4S.

Interesting regarding the suspension, i may have to do the same. I tried the auto, but for me it is a little too soft when 2 up, so i set it manually to 2 up. It is nice to be able to put it into minimum (or whatever its called).

Good to hear your mpg is that good. I don't really mind given the extra tank capacity, but if it is better than my 1260 was thats a bonus

 

I used to use paraffin but have converted to simple green for cleaning as its way less messy and biodegradable for less care of the mess, as for lube, my go to is gear oil from a small oil can or xcp for a quick job.