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SunEye · 11-09-2012, 08:20 PM

What I Don't Like

• The Diavel style exhaust is ugly.

• There is no underseat storage because the space has been taken up by the traction control unit. That's where the tank bag comes in very handy.

• The wheels are lovely to look at, but a faff to clean, but at least they are black so you don't have to do it too often

• The fuel tank is only 13.5 litres because 1.5 litres of space is taken up by the ABS system (the non-ABS M1100 had a 15 litre tank). During normal riding this will give me a tank range of about 150 miles (110 miles when the reserve light comes on). Despite all of the changes/improvements to the engine in the Evo the fuel economy is very similar to the M1100 so I've lost a bit of tank range. As a result I do tend to overfill the tank by about 1 litre.

• Over long distances the riding position is not as comfortable as the M1100. You are sat slightly more upright which puts more weight on your backside. Even with the Ducati touring seat I start getting bum-ache after a bit more than an hour's riding. Another side effect of the higher bars (20mm higher) is that unless you are braking there is no weight on your hands so you find yourself having to consciously grip with your knees whenever you brake, which I know is technically the correct thing to do anyway. However with the lower bars on the M1100 there was always weight on my hands so the extra weight caused by braking didn't require any significant extra effort and didn't feel like such a movement of the weight of the rider.

• The 20mm higher bar riser than on the M1100 means that the silver bar clamp is reflected in the speedo which sometimes makes it difficult to read the speed. This could be resolved by angling the clocks slightly which need to be done anyway because they aren't correctly angled for where my head is when I'm riding.

• The engine is really rough below 4000 rpm in 1st and 2nd gears. Even with a 14 tooth front sprocket below 20mph really requires raising the revs and slipping the clutch to smooth things out. My M1100 had Termis and the DP ECU. It was smooth down to almost 3,000 rpm, so I assume that what I am experiencing is Ducati's stock tuning for the Evo which would be significantly improved by a DP ECU (with suitable exhaust) or by remapping.

• The sidestand on the Evo is slightly longer than the M1100 making the bike stand more upright and making you have to think a little bit more carefully about the angle of the ground you are parking on. The downside of the M1100 sidestand was that it dug a hole in soft tarmac due to so much of the bike's weight being on it.

• My right heel tends to rest on the exhaust heat shield when I have the ball of my foot on the pegs. It just means that I can't quite get my foot positioned how I want it.

• The headlight is pants - it was on the M1100. It does not have an even beam. There are brighter areas and darker areas. Adjusting it to throw slightly longer just means that even less light hits the road in-front of the bike. Even with a decent bulb it's not very good. The headlight I have for my bicycle has a more even beam and is almost as bright. Full beam is hilarious because it manages to have a 180 degree wide beam, so that you can see what is at the side of the road in line with the front axle. Even if I was walking I'm not sure I'd need a headlight beam that wide.

• Because Ducati have designed a lovely rear wheel with spokes that are offset from the centre it has enabled them to put the brake disc on the same side of the spokes as the chain. Whilst this does mean that from one side you see the wheel in its full glory (albeit partly obscured by the exhaust) it does mean that you do have to use a chain lube with absolutely no fling. Otherwise you'll find that your rear brake doesn't do anything as I found out after using the Michelin chain lube that I found in a French supermarket - at least they stock chain lube, when have you seen that in Tesco?

11-09-2012, 08:20 PM	#2
SunEye Registered User Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bognor Regis Bike: Other Ducati Posts: 589	What I Don't Like • The Diavel style exhaust is ugly. • There is no underseat storage because the space has been taken up by the traction control unit. That's where the tank bag comes in very handy. • The wheels are lovely to look at, but a faff to clean, but at least they are black so you don't have to do it too often • The fuel tank is only 13.5 litres because 1.5 litres of space is taken up by the ABS system (the non-ABS M1100 had a 15 litre tank). During normal riding this will give me a tank range of about 150 miles (110 miles when the reserve light comes on). Despite all of the changes/improvements to the engine in the Evo the fuel economy is very similar to the M1100 so I've lost a bit of tank range. As a result I do tend to overfill the tank by about 1 litre. • Over long distances the riding position is not as comfortable as the M1100. You are sat slightly more upright which puts more weight on your backside. Even with the Ducati touring seat I start getting bum-ache after a bit more than an hour's riding. Another side effect of the higher bars (20mm higher) is that unless you are braking there is no weight on your hands so you find yourself having to consciously grip with your knees whenever you brake, which I know is technically the correct thing to do anyway. However with the lower bars on the M1100 there was always weight on my hands so the extra weight caused by braking didn't require any significant extra effort and didn't feel like such a movement of the weight of the rider. • The 20mm higher bar riser than on the M1100 means that the silver bar clamp is reflected in the speedo which sometimes makes it difficult to read the speed. This could be resolved by angling the clocks slightly which need to be done anyway because they aren't correctly angled for where my head is when I'm riding. • The engine is really rough below 4000 rpm in 1st and 2nd gears. Even with a 14 tooth front sprocket below 20mph really requires raising the revs and slipping the clutch to smooth things out. My M1100 had Termis and the DP ECU. It was smooth down to almost 3,000 rpm, so I assume that what I am experiencing is Ducati's stock tuning for the Evo which would be significantly improved by a DP ECU (with suitable exhaust) or by remapping. • The sidestand on the Evo is slightly longer than the M1100 making the bike stand more upright and making you have to think a little bit more carefully about the angle of the ground you are parking on. The downside of the M1100 sidestand was that it dug a hole in soft tarmac due to so much of the bike's weight being on it. • My right heel tends to rest on the exhaust heat shield when I have the ball of my foot on the pegs. It just means that I can't quite get my foot positioned how I want it. • The headlight is pants - it was on the M1100. It does not have an even beam. There are brighter areas and darker areas. Adjusting it to throw slightly longer just means that even less light hits the road in-front of the bike. Even with a decent bulb it's not very good. The headlight I have for my bicycle has a more even beam and is almost as bright. Full beam is hilarious because it manages to have a 180 degree wide beam, so that you can see what is at the side of the road in line with the front axle. Even if I was walking I'm not sure I'd need a headlight beam that wide. • Because Ducati have designed a lovely rear wheel with spokes that are offset from the centre it has enabled them to put the brake disc on the same side of the spokes as the chain. Whilst this does mean that from one side you see the wheel in its full glory (albeit partly obscured by the exhaust) it does mean that you do have to use a chain lube with absolutely no fling. Otherwise you'll find that your rear brake doesn't do anything as I found out after using the Michelin chain lube that I found in a French supermarket - at least they stock chain lube, when have you seen that in Tesco?