TBH given the condition of the roads I am already wondering about what I'm about to type... If the suspension is set right for your weight then you should be maximising the time that the tyres remain in contact with the road, even at the expense of comfort. Poor suspension would be (objectively) suspension that allows the tyres to break contact with the road, inhibiting acceleration, braking and cornering competency. Your comfort is your problem... ;-) There's a bit of consideration to give as to how you ride, as has been mentioned. A blade will let you sit full in the seat and with the pegs in your arches and just chunter about, the Pani' might reward you being on the balls of your feet and riding a bit more like a jockey and using your legs to absorb some of the undulations, it's not just about lean angle and hanging off but also about stopping yourself getting bounced about.
Ducati would say that the optimum settings are the default values that come with each mode In practice optimum settings are the highest values that don't make you notice the systems intervening. This will depend on your riding style. Just tun them down a little at a time until you forget to turn them down any more.
So heres a question can u retrofit the S's suspension onto a base model? rear shocks are going for 500 on flebay
Dont know. You can certainly have the electronics removed from the Ohlins rear shock and then fit it to a base model. Before you go down any route that involves big money, take the bike and yourself to a suspension setup person and see what they can do with the standard equipment. Somebody on here will know an expert in Kent...
Give it a few more miles and get out on a warm sunny day it will make all the difference. One thing I remember somebody telling me when I bought my first 748 was that somedays it’s just not happening. At the time I wrote that off as a little bit of weird fishwives stuff but it turned out to be true. I could take exactly the same bike out and believe it to be the best bike I’d ever ridden and that there was nothing better to be found anywhere on the planet, another day and take it out and it would be an absolute pig. The only variable was me and usually how blue the sky was. If it was cold or grey or I wasn’t feeling hundred percent tiptop then 748 stayed in the garage. So keeping your blade to ride on those days is probably a good strategy.
I also had a recent Blade and its a very good and compliant road bike but there's nothing like a bit of a fight to explore and try to master, it will make you feel great when you do.
I guess this leads to the question... while were all busy mastering the 1299, does it make us faster... compared to our mates on these sensible jap bikes or are we just in it for the love.... lol
In on the road conditions, theres a gnats chuff difference between litre sportsbikes. Even as far back as 2007 bikes and older. On the track, the differences would appear I guess, but on the road? Its all much of a muchness, unless one is a talented and experienced rider and the other a complete numpty like me. Or if one has a death wish, whereas I tend to back off when things get too foolish.
New question... front tyre has a one inch chicken strip and rear a quarter of an inch... is that me riding funny? On my blade that meant a flat front tyre... and why does the ducati run such low pressures... like 6 to 8 psi down on the blade...
Depends on the tyre brand but generally rear tyres are a lower profile than the front (55% on the rear for a 1299, 70% on the front). Thus you reach the edge on the rear long before you do on the front. I would turn the second question around; why does the Blade run such high pressures? I have always found that for solo riding (I am a light-weight) the Ducati pressures suit most bikes (of any make) better than the Honda pressures. I used to run my Fireblades at Ducati pressures and found the ride much better as a result.
So traction on medium ... Wheelie control on max tonight. Traction kicked in on cold wet tyres... great!!! And the old orange light... Despite what I tired no orange light for anti wheelie !! Does it even have a light... when does it kick in... spent many year perfecting my wrist with the blade ;-) am I being a girl... how does it work??
DTC On 3, WC on 1, ABS 2, EBC 2 good for me. Grip the bars like toothpaste, no death grip and no pinning the throttle, just feed it on, bloody love this bike.
I run mine in race mode now, with EBC=2, DWC=4, DES=harder, DTC=4, ABS=2 that way I can use the toggle switch to toggle EBC up/down. Engine mode as high is just much snappier for me. I have road mode the same but engine mode is medium for plodding. I'm still experimenting with DWC and DTC but expect to knock that back a bit too. Throttle spacers are a must. I want to toggle EBC as Im off to alps soon, so set it higher for hairpin alley up the moontins and low for the fast sweepers in valleys and esp over the Juras which may be the death of me one day.
