V2 Riding Tips!

My motorbike career started with a Monster 620, then 749, then 1098SF, then 1198s. Rode a friends ZX10 at the TT last year and found it totally alien. Couldn't get used to the not changing gear till it was screaming up high in the revs and the lack of power low down and engine braking totally freaked me out.

Opposite of you i suppose Gcon

 

What I would say is that what was previously a first gear corner is now a 2nd gear on the twin. 848 should be golden in terms of reliability. Mine was great.

 

Its better to take even slow corners under power with a light throttle rather than on a closed throttle. I'm sure you know that already but it matters more with torquey twins. If you go in power-off you'll probably run out of momentum before your exit point and need to power-on again by which time you'll be feathering the clutch in slow bends or sitting the bike up in faster ones. That can rattle you and get you in the habit of going in too slow and coasting round and running wide or wobbling round upright with a feathered clutch.
Ride positively and corner on a light throttle with power to the wheel. Ducatis are light and slender with centralised weight compared to wide, heavy fours. They'll swoop cleanly round even slow bends without feeling unwieldy if you give them a chance and don't let the revs drop too far. Have confidence in your bike's abilities, look through the bend and ride through under power.
Not trying to teach you to suck eggs but big soft fours let you get away with bad habits.

Of course if you do over-cook it or make a misjudgement and you have to brake or throttle off and back on again mid turn, having the suspension set up correctly makes a world of difference to the bike's composure. Having a pro set-up is always money well spent IMO especially getting the ride height correct.

 

Ignore this conservative stuff. In hard on brakes, use the rear locking up to slide in the rear, Lowes style, fire it out.

That's how you ride a V2

 

That's how it goes on my multi at the mo but that's more the lack of tread on the rear [emoji6]

 

Are they making Ducatis with rear brakes now then? Where can I get one for mine? :Wideyed:

 

That's why the rear brake doesn't work. Engine does it

 

I don't even pretend my rear brake works any more, don't touch it.
Taking an R1 out for a test ride Saturday which will be first time on il4 for years. Be interesting to see how it compares