New owner questions - Idle Speed and Lumpy Low Down

[Ian_H]

Hi there ...
Just had my 2017 950 for a few days and couple of questions to ask ...
Engine idle speed seems high ... although not easy to read that low down the rev range I'm guessing maybe 1300-1400 rpm ... does this seem right?

Pick up from low down the rev range can be jerky .. obviously feathering the clutch hides this.
I was using sport and switched to touring and it seems fairly similar in both.
I think this "a characteristic" of the big twin.

I'm also getting occasional false neutrals - but again I think this is "normal". (My first bike was a Ducati Scrambler a couple of years ago and this also had false neutrals)

[buzzardbilly]

Ian, Your idle does seem a  little high to me  - once warm I think it should be nearer to 1k
The big V's are a bit lumpy at the lower revs - 3k and below - by comparison to say a four cylinder bike and you do need to work the gearbox a bit at the slower speeds
The false neutrals should go away in time - it is a feature of the square cut gears and they need bedding in

Enjoy your 950 - it is a great bike . Occasionally I think about a change but can't think of anything that would match it and look so good as well (apart from a 950S maybe !)

[Ian_H]

Thanks for replying ... pretty much what I expected to hear....

The idle does seem to change when warmed up to being slightly lower.

I'm likely going to ask Ducati about this ... my first step with a bike new to me is to check if all recall work has been done and this is an easy way for me to ask them to check the idle at the same time.

[Conman]

Mine idles at around 1300 to 1350, it's not a problem. If you start the bike rolling above 5mph (out of gear) revs pick up to over 1600 automatically.

One thing I had to adjust to is the Ducati needs higher revs than just about any other bike I've owned. It's the only bike I've ever ridden where I have to drop in to first gear in slow traffic or tight turns. If the revs drop too low it does growl and become lumpy. My son had the same problem and really didn't like the bike until I explained if you're dropping below 3000 rpm you need to change down. It feels like you're riding it hard if you're coming from say a BMW but the bike thrives on it   

[20220727]

  Ian_H glad to see another 950 in my area

[Ian_H]

See you at On Yer Bike no doubt!
:-)

[Ian_H]

Originally Posted by Conman

Mine idles at around 1300 to 1350, it's not a problem. If you start the bike rolling above 5mph (out of gear) revs pick up to over 1600 automatically.

One thing I had to adjust to is the Ducati needs higher revs than just about any other bike I've owned. It's the only bike I've ever ridden where I have to drop in to first gear in slow traffic or tight turns. If the revs drop too low it does growl and become lumpy. My son had the same problem and really didn't like the bike until I explained if you're dropping below 3000 rpm you need to change down. It feels like you're riding it hard if you're coming from say a BMW but the bike thrives on it   

I've got an R9T 1200 as well ... which seems to happy to pull away in 1st, 2nd or 3rd.... but red lines at about 8000 or something - so Yes ,, adapting to giving the Ducati more beans.