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Old 15-05-2017, 11:57 AM   #19
utopia
No turn left unstoned
 
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: leicester
Bike: M750
Posts: 4,545
Generally speaking, all Ducatis are said to be a little "clunky at low revs".
Its true to a certain extent, but while it bothers some folk, others accept it as a necessary feature of the kind of motor they prefer.
Its probably also true to say as a generalisation that the bigger the motor and the cruder the fuelling, the more clunky it will be.
So your carby 900 is probably one of the more "clunky".
My carby 750 probably comes fairly close behind, but the smaller "bangs" reduce the effect .. and that's one of the reasons I chose it.

In my opinion, and from experience of my 750, a Ducati needs a good clutch and you need to use it, particularly for slow turns at road junctions etc.
My technique is to throttle off as I slow into the turn but if the turn is slow enough to be getting into "clunky" territory, I never open the throttle again without first momentarily dipping the clutch, for just an instant, and then immediately taking up the drive via throttle and clutch combined. .. if that makes any sense.
This significantly reduces the chain snatch and clunkiness.

I reckon you do need a silky clutch though.
Your bike has a dry clutch and I notice that it still has the std closed cover.
That's fine, but I wonder if there is a bit of a build up of dust in there, causing a less than silky operation.
Just a thought.

Other things which can exacerbate the clunky tendency are badly adjusted or imbalanced carbs, badly adjusted or worn chain and even poorly positioned controls.

But I wouldn't rush to do anything to the bike because you'll get to know its character and how best to deal with it much better after a few more miles, and you might find that the problem goes away.

I suppose I should also mention the popular "smaller gearbox sprocket" mod, which many claim to be helpful in avoiding low speed clunkiness.
It seems to work for some folk but for me its not the solution .. in fact it can add to the problem. I've actually gone the other way and have slightly raised rather than lowered the overall gearing.
But I mention it for the sake of completeness.

If it was my bike, I think I'd just check that the chain was adjusted ok and had no tight spots .. and lube it.
Then I'd ride it some more while pondering the clutch action and considering removing the clutch cover and blowing the dust out at some later stage.
When that time came, I would also check the clutch over completely, so it might be a bit more than just a quick blow over.

But basically "they're all like that, sir" .. and you'll get used to it massively in the first thousand miles or two.
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