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Collected the bike today, in torrential rain. enjoyed the 135 km ride back though. Write up at www.facebook.com/dordognebikers/
Collected today, write up.
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Nor me! Ordered the bike then had over 6 weeks of hot weather with temperatures in the mid to high 30s then two days of lashing rain to collect the bike! Probably another two days of rain before it starts getting hot again. Thats life.
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That is not nice, wait for bike and then it is ready but you are away.
That would not happen to me as I retired at 45 with the sole aim of spending the rest of my life riding bikes. As a time millionaire I can wait as long as I want for the call then shoot off like a scolded rabbit to collect the bike. :laugh:
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Even if you are not on facebook I thought that the page would show if you click the link. Not sure.
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So that was 139 kms in pouring rain last Thursday.
The rain has gone now so we got the bikes out, SS for me and trusty ST2 for the wife, And set off on a route that goes nowhere. We ended up back here after another 150 kms.
The Supersport is still being held to less than 4500 rpm till I get to 300 kms on the clock and then I'll let it go to 5000 rpm. The thing is that it does not matter on the twisty country roads where we never go above 115 kmh anyway. It corners like it is on rails and feels easier to corner fast than the 848 SBK did, and the 848 has Metzeler M7RR tyres fitted. The mirrors do not really vibrate much and I can't understand what all the fuss is about. We have bike to bike comms, but I also like to see where the wife is behind me and had no problems, perhaps the mirror vibration is a thing that varies from bike to bike.
As the kms pile on the bike seems to be changing and feeling different, at constant speed through villages (50 kmh) the exhaust seems to change note at times, but I think that this is possibly the exhaust valve operating.
Neutral was mostly easy to find, but I can see why people do have problems, it is certainly no worse than other bikes i have owned, most being BMWs or Ducatis, but could be different to Jap bikes, I am not sure.
I did feel the heat through the seat, but it is nowhere near as bad as the 848, and as today was a cool 22c it was not a problem.
I managed to get an average fuel consumption of 4.5 litres per 100 kms, about 62 mpg (UK gallon) but expect that to improve as the engine becomes looser.
The big question was always going to be would I enjoy the bike to ride as much as the more powerful 848? The answer is I think so. The 848 was very satisfying after a long fast ride, but the SS is capable of the same without the effort. The SS is also capable of carrying more than a wallet, I could not even fit a tank bag on the 848 due to the riding position. I get home after 150 kms on the SS and am ready to go out again, it was never like that on the 848 where a cup of tea was required along with a hour break before I could face more.
I have not let the wife ride it yet due to my very strict running in obsession, but I know that once she does I will be ordering the second one.
Pictures at ducatistbike.wordpress.com/2017/07/02/the-first-pictures/
The rain has gone now so we got the bikes out, SS for me and trusty ST2 for the wife, And set off on a route that goes nowhere. We ended up back here after another 150 kms.
The Supersport is still being held to less than 4500 rpm till I get to 300 kms on the clock and then I'll let it go to 5000 rpm. The thing is that it does not matter on the twisty country roads where we never go above 115 kmh anyway. It corners like it is on rails and feels easier to corner fast than the 848 SBK did, and the 848 has Metzeler M7RR tyres fitted. The mirrors do not really vibrate much and I can't understand what all the fuss is about. We have bike to bike comms, but I also like to see where the wife is behind me and had no problems, perhaps the mirror vibration is a thing that varies from bike to bike.
As the kms pile on the bike seems to be changing and feeling different, at constant speed through villages (50 kmh) the exhaust seems to change note at times, but I think that this is possibly the exhaust valve operating.
Neutral was mostly easy to find, but I can see why people do have problems, it is certainly no worse than other bikes i have owned, most being BMWs or Ducatis, but could be different to Jap bikes, I am not sure.
I did feel the heat through the seat, but it is nowhere near as bad as the 848, and as today was a cool 22c it was not a problem.
I managed to get an average fuel consumption of 4.5 litres per 100 kms, about 62 mpg (UK gallon) but expect that to improve as the engine becomes looser.
The big question was always going to be would I enjoy the bike to ride as much as the more powerful 848? The answer is I think so. The 848 was very satisfying after a long fast ride, but the SS is capable of the same without the effort. The SS is also capable of carrying more than a wallet, I could not even fit a tank bag on the 848 due to the riding position. I get home after 150 kms on the SS and am ready to go out again, it was never like that on the 848 where a cup of tea was required along with a hour break before I could face more.
I have not let the wife ride it yet due to my very strict running in obsession, but I know that once she does I will be ordering the second one.
Pictures at ducatistbike.wordpress.com/2017/07/02/the-first-pictures/
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4,475 Posts
Fred what's your theory behind 4500rpm and 5000rpm.
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First of all I am an engineer by trade, okay an aircraft engineer but it is still mechanics.
Manufacturers give a very simple view of 5500 rpm for the first 100 kms and 6000 rpm for the next 1000 kms. They put it like that because it is simple for people to understand. Rather than hard steps I prefer a gradual increase to the 5500 rpm at 1000 kms. When I rode it away from the showroom I treated it very gently for the first 50 kms and then built it up a little. Now at 300 kms I am holding between 4 and 4.5k rpm, at 600 km I will let let it get to 5000 rpm and then to the 5500 at around 1000kms.
I have done this with every new car and bike that I have owned and I have owned loads. Never had a bad one that did not run as smooth as silk after the running in period.
We all know that ex-demonstrator bikes will have been thrashed since the first start without apparent problems, but they never turn out to be the best of the bunch after a while.
Everyone does things their own way, but this is mine.
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Are you aware that they redline the engine at the factory and then tune it backwards while at redline for the euro 4 regs.
Run-in is one of those subjects where each has a view.
The SS needs to be loaded when run-in so hard gearing and throttle does the engine good. I am also an engineer having worked in aerospace and space, among other sectors too. The factory does the coarse run-in to remove the sharp edges and check all is working, then the customer should do the polishing for longevity. If you are loading the engine upto the maximum prescribed rpm then you should be doing some good, if not then you could be burning/caking the mechanical components.
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101 Posts
Good posting:smile2:
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You asked me why I do what I do and I told you. Are you telling me that I am wrong? I will carry on doing it my way because it works for me. Why are you telling me what the SS needs when two bits of metal rubbing together are the same in any engine, SS or Jeep, were you one of the designers of the SS?
Where did you get the information on what the factory does? Without evidence that is just fake news.
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101 Posts
Easy, easy. When you visit the factory, you can see it with your own eys. At least , I saw it at KTM factory visit and I am sure Ducati is the same. They rev the engines to the max!
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So you are telling us something that you think might happen then. The way that you put it made me think that you KNOW what they are doing. That is how rumours are started.
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