Looking for advice on my first big V

Hi,

I've just got my first monster (S2R800) having upgraded from a DT125 and am slowly getting to grips with a bike that actually accelerates, but I have a small (possibly very stupid) question to ask...

When changing gear, and pulling away - especially round tight corners, mini-roundabouts and the like - I feel a heavy thumping from the engine, until I get up to speed, when things even out a little. I've experimented cornering in different gears, but no matter what I do, I always get that thumping sensation.

My problem is that it's the same feeling I used to get on my DT moments before it chuntered to a stop and stalled. However, on my monster it seems to have a general 'thump' to it anyway, even when gassing it. So I'm not sure if it's a natural aesthetic of the V-twin engine that it makes a deep pop-pop-popping as you accelerate at low speed, or if I'm just in the wrong gear and the engine's labouring!!

Anyone who can hold in their laughter at my total lack of experience would be helping me a great deal if they could offer some insight into the idiosyncrasies of the V-twin riding experience...

Thanks,

Alex

hi, i am also relatively new to ducati and havent ridden much in the last 20 years, but having ridden my s2r for the last year i would say you are in the wrong gear, these bikes like to rev.

[Yorkie]

Welcome!

Put it in the right gear, better to low than high! If you stall midcorner you might regret it a little!

Youll get used to it!!

Yorkie.

I had a very similar feeling on mine for the first 600 miles. There was a lot of vibyness, felt like a Harley and I thought this was normal. At the 600 mile service the technician said it was not right. After much playing around I ended up with an engine rebuild - new pistons and barrels as they had not run in properly. The problem was lack of compression. Try revving it a bit more and if that doesn't do it get it looked at by the dealer.

[Pedro]

A smaller front sprocket, by 1 tooth, will make thiings smoother on slower corners

Personally I rather like the vibes around the corners. I have been known to spend an afternoon on the same roundabout.

Seriously though twins do thump but the right gear choice can sort the thump into a growl that flings you round bends happily without fears of stalling - and as Pedro said, a smaller front sprockety doodah might also make you happier....Ride it for a few weeks and then see what's happening...

i can give it a test ride if your concerned, i promise not to abuse it.

hey did we not have a halo type smilie ~:? or was it just to open to abuse ?

Thanks everybody for the feedback

I'm not too concerned about it - I just wanted to know what 'normal' felt like. Now that I know it's probably me, I can adjust my riding to suit. Like I said, I've tried a lot of different methods and am yet to find one that feels comfortable - it'll just take a bit of time to get used to it. Next time I'm out I'll try revving it a bit more in a lower gear and see if it likes that!

This might sound ludicrously over-simple, but I found that riding the bike whilst wearing earplugs changed my riding style instantly. The reason for this seems to be that you still hear the lower registers of the engine well, but the higher frequencies are cut out. Consequently the higher revs don't seem so high, and my monster seems to prefer being ridden in this way. When I first started riding the bike (even though it was mostly around town) I found myself keeping the revs below 4k because the engine sounded more natural that way, but, as funtington says, these engines really do like to be revved.

Perhaps this is a silly suggestion, but earplugs sorted a lot of confidence issues out for me (fewer distracting noises, eg wind and clutch, mean you can concentrate on the engine more clearly), as well as convincing me that my bike is more at home between 4000 and 9000 rpm.

Crotchless shifting doesn't seem so nasty when you can't hear the clunks so well either!

Benjy

Originally Posted by abbeyalto

This might sound ludicrously over-simple, but I found that riding the bike whilst wearing earplugs changed my riding style instantly.

I noticed this too, way back when I first started riding... earplugs difuse any mechanical sympathies you may have, and allow you to rev the engine more

Miles

Originally Posted by abbeyalto

Crotchless shifting doesn't seem so nasty when you can't hear the clunks so well either!

Crotchless shifting? Now I am intrigued about that......

Crotchless shifting? Now I am intrigued about that......

I found myself keeping the revs below 4k because the engine sounded more natural that way

It's funny you should mention that. I was talking to my girlfriend about it last night and she had suggested that with my old bike being so quiet, it might just be that I felt like I was over-revving it because it was making more noise than I'm used to.

Hey Aelius. I really can't add anything as i'm a newbie myself, but just want to ask, do you have a tachometer?

I think i'm suffering the same problems as some others here (Not really got used to the volume of the engine when the revs are up), but it never used to bother me on my old bike. Basically, I have been questioning myself over why i'm so bothered and come to the conclusion that it may be that I can't see how many revs i'm doing, so i'm too cautious of holding te revs high over longer periods of time (They may not even be that high you see, I just might *think* they are because of the noise, and no tachometer). So err, just wondering

I really can't add anything as i'm a newbie myself, but just want to ask, do you have a tachometer?

Yes, I have a tacho - but to reinforce your point, I've never had one before so I have no frame of reference - it's difficult to know what's 'too high' and 'too low'. All I have to go off are my ears, and they're used to the anaemic wailing of a restricted DT125!!

Thanks for the replies from everyone - I felt a bit stupid asking at first, but I'm glad I did now. Why struggle along on your own when you can ask people who've been riding these beasts for years?

After riding in a lower gear and revving harder, the bike seems a lot happier, though it still feels alien to me. Like Robot says, I've never used first gear so much - it seems somehow unnatural to be changing down to first gear to negotiate a tight mini-roundabout after quite happily zipping round in 3rd on my DT for so long.

Thanks again for the help and advice