[UK Duke]

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Hi - managed to get on my SP today only the third time due to weather and work commitments and i am experiencing a few issues and i am looking fort some advice:
1/ Idle RPM is around 1500 - seems a little high compared to my Blade and other Ducatis i have owned-what should it be?

2/ Headlights steam up when i stop for a break when continuing on journey the steam goes but when i stop again they steam up again - is this normal or is there a way to prevent it ? It has not done this before as far as i can remember - i am sure i would of noticed.

3/ When downshifting the the engagement of the lower gear seems to snatch in to the lower gear un less you hold the clutch in for a couple of seconds before selecting the lower gear - when changing up either with the quickshifter or clutch it is as smooth as silk - any ideas ?

The SP is on around 600 miles now so is due to go back to the dealer for a service so i would like to be pre armed with some information before speaking to the dealer.

Any information would be a great help.

Thanks.

[Throbber]

1500 rpm sounds in the right ball-park. The manual for the 1198 (base model) says:
If the average reading is between 1500 and 1600 rpm (1550 ±50 rpm), the adjustment is correct

I get the misting up of the headlight after a ride. There are a few threads with suggestions about how to cure it but its never bothered me enough to do anything about it.

Can't help with your 3rd point as you have the slipper-clutch & quick-shifter which I'm sure will give a different feel to what I have.

[kllrbbt]

I just picked up my 1198sp yesterday, after my first ride today I noticed the headlight issue also. Oddly my fiance has an 848evo and went on the same ride with me and nothing on the 848 headlights.

I also noticed a very different "feel" to the downshift's in low gears, I actually never got above 3rd. I am coming from a ZX-10R, my first experience with a dry clutch so I can't say if it's unusual or not.

[steve_t]

On a hot sunny day, pull the headlight bulbs out and let the moist air escape and the inside of the light housing dry out. Hopefully, that'll sort your condensation problem

[bstar360]

All sounds about right to me.
Slipper clutch has a lot different feel.

[captain douchebag]

Welcome to Ducati all is normal.

If you want you can complain to the dealer and they might replace the headlight unit but the new one will do the same thing. The only long term solution that will work 100% of the time is to drill a small hole in the bottom of the cap to allow the moisture to escape.

Headlamps fogging up...

Cpt DB

[Proctologist]

all sounds normal to me

[Squid_Boy]

Originally Posted by UK Duke

3/ When downshifting the the engagement of the lower gear seems to snatch in to the lower gear un less you hold the clutch in for a couple of seconds before selecting the lower gear - when changing up either with the quickshifter or clutch it is as smooth as silk - any ideas ?

Thanks.

The "slipper" action of the clutch seemed to require a little "break-in" on mine. It was initially a bit grabby. It may require that you be a bit aggressive with the downshifts for a while; enough to make sure the plates do indeed "slip" on the downshift.

[MoDuc]

Originally Posted by Squid_Boy

The "slipper" action of the clutch seemed to require a little "break-in" on mine. It was initially a bit grabby. It may require that you be a bit aggressive with the downshifts for a while; enough to make sure the plates do indeed "slip" on the downshift.

Good to know, I just purchased my 1198SP a couple weeks ago and I too have that harsh downshift issue. Only have about 360 miles on it so hopefully it improves.

[TOP-DUC]

Yeah, the 1198SP is a BEAST that needs to be ridden hard several times to break in. I have a bit over 4k miles on mine now and it is very smooth and easy to ride hard or slow...

I've found that I like the DQS to remain OFF unless I intend to use it for max acceleration. I'm now in the habit of switching on the key, turning DQS off, then starting the bike.