749 Handeling

Before doing anything with the suspension have you checked tyre pressures?
A few pounds under on the front turns mine into a right pig.

 

Wise words. Tyre pressures all to cock can make it want to straight-line. Simple things first eh?

 

exactly.. theres a lot of smoke mirrors and bollocks out there...especially for a road going bike

 

Check tyre pressures first then get the suspension and ride height set up before you start making serious adjustments and don't start faffing with the headstock - it does not need it. The balance between front and rear at a correct ride height and suspension set up is what gives the best turn in, also the front end needs to be quite soft IMHO which means it sits down at the front. The bike needs careful and precise setting up and is easy to upset the balance with ill informed minor adjustments. You can tell by just looking at the bike whether it has been faffed with as it affects the way it sits. Often people faff with things that don't want to be faffed with and convince themselves it is better, lots of preload on the front is an indication of that. An error of 2psi down from the Ducati recommended setting (not the tyre manufacturer's) on the front tyre will cause a slow front end also the type of tyre is important. If you have a 190 rear that won't help either

 

I still have the tyres on that came with the bike and there are many more qualified folks
on this forum that can advise on tyre choice.
For what its worth mine are Michelin pilot power 3,s and I run 30f 32r.
Less than 28f and it wont turn and feels like Im riding on chewing gum.
When they wear out (not long now) Ill be consulting the forum for suggestions.
@Denzil the Ducati whats the issue with 190 rears please. (wich mine is)

 

PS
Im not sure it will ever turn like a R1
I have a Blade and I think youll have to accept **9s are just different to jap I4s.
Seems to me you have to work a bit harder to get the best from a **9

 

If you get the suspension right on a **9, with the ride height sorted via forks and tie-rod adjustments, and get your tyre pressures correct, it will turn very acceptably ... even if it isn't flickable in the same way as a UJM. However, hustling a sorted **9 is a joy - physical, visceral, satisfying.

The 180/190 rear tyre controversy has rumbled on since the bikes were first introduced. People will swear up & down that their choice is the best choice, for *reasons*. Perhaps it's simply a matter of preference.
When I was doing regular track days, I was glad for a 190 as I felt I kept running out of rear tyre with a 180. A 180 will possibly make you steer quicker but that was not a trade-off I enjoyed. Another rider might tell you the opposite.

The best advice I, or anyone, can give is to try both sizes and see which you prefer.

 

Visceral, perfect choice of word. It is what I enjoy most about Ducatis and the lack of is what stops me enjoying most other brands . Regardless of the bikes ability to perform.

 

Not sure they are like women, I have 4 Dukes at the moment and always looking at more, none of them get upset. Not sure Mrs Dukesox would adopt the same generous attitude. In fact I`m so sure she wouldnt I`m not even going to ask her.

 

Thought this was going to be about the composer..

 

or tubular bells.....

 

Postmaster, there are no issues with 190s. For me, having tried both on my 999 I found the 180 works better with the 120 front as the lean rates (or maybe the tyre profiles) feel matched which aids the balance of feel between front and rear. With a 190 it always felt the back was slower than the front and it needed more counter steer which made it feel like it was drawing the bike into the corner from the back, it is not to my taste and I can see why the 180 is specified for the 749. Also I found the pressures on the 999 for road riding work better at the upper end of the Ducati recommended range (30.5 to 33 front and 32-35 rear) and prefer them at 33f 35r. I drive a 748 as my daily run around which requires very much more input but is a more precise and a more finely balanced bike, it may make me overly sensitive to the anomalies of the 999 chassis.

 

Plenty of talk about widths of the rears but no mention of profiles available for both the 180 and 190.

 

50 is my preference as there can be problems making a 55 fit.

Just an opinion, neither right nor wrong : o )

Edit: Doh. Mine is a 999, so findings/opinions not terribly relevant for 749 tyres. Sorry.

 

My comparison is for the Ducati recommended stock tyres which are 190 50 on the 999 and 180 55 on the 749, for me other options are/were not easily available and the bike is not used on a track

 

It certainly should do.
28 is seriously low