848 Feels terrible

Yes I think this last post is good advice. Many have asked similar questions on here after first contact with a Ducati. The difference between the Ducati and the rest is greater than many realise. It is a very different animal.

I come from the other perspective, after 40 years of Ducatis. Anytime I have to test ride an IL4 I can't wait to get it back. If that was the only choice in motorcycles, I probably wouldn't even ride.

So give the Ducati some time, and learn to ride its 'differentness'. The engine characteristic is the primary point of difference.

Once you learn to ride the mid-range torque through corners, rather than revving it to buggery the way the IL4s taught you to ride, you might realise you are going faster than you think.

Ducatis can be deceptively fast once you know how. They feel like they're 'doing it easy' compared to most fours.

Setting up the suspension for your weight, and giving yourself time to accustomise to the Ducati's different nature, might yield a machine which you become as addicted to as the rest of us here.

But it occurs to me you may have a problem with the bike. Be sure to set the tyre pressures (start with 33 psi front and 35 rear) and have a close look at the tyres. Lack of pressure in the front, or wear in the rear, can give that problem you describe.

These are a fairly razor-sharp machine, and it doesn't take much of a problem (such as those above) to really change their feel.

Can't speak for Honda's but I came from every generation of GSXR up to my 2004 600 and the Ducati is far superior to them in all aspects. As some have already said, I paid $50.00 to have someone dial my stock suspension as close as could be. It made a huge difference. I also switched to Michelin Pilots as soon as my Pirelli's wore out and the difference in rear tire shape improved turn in.

Dialing in the front pre-load made a world of difference for feel. Yes the triples will help with steer but it felt more planted than my GSXR 600. I went ahead and spent another $1000 on parts and labour to revalve forks and shock and have both ends sprung properly for my weight. Best $1000 I've ever spent. Front end feel and steer improved greatly.

I found the 848 to be like riding a 10spd compared to the Japanese bikes in terms of width and agility. I also had to adjust to the power delivery of the engine from the I4's but once there, it's a hoot to rail around.

Give it a chance and do some small tweaks to it and you'll find it much better. It's going to find your riding weaknesses but once you come to grips with it, you'll be spanking all the middle weights out there.

fishrl said:

As far as buying a bike for looks, I bought a Ducati because I've always wanted one. That's why I was looking for other peoples experiences. If a bunch of people were to say that they had the same problem, but after a couple months they were turning faster lap times, then I would give it more of a chance.

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There is a HUGE difference, astronomical difference, between putt-putting around town, vs going to the track and churning in lap times. The CBR600RR was designed for stock class racing, that's its intention out of the factory. The Ducati's are not, in fact the 848 didn't even have a home in racing for a while until race series accepted it and changed the rules.

@ 215lb, the stock suspension is going to be under sprung in the front and most likely over sprung in the rear. Ducati assumes you're going to have a passenger, so the shock spring is VERY stiff. You can try to set sag with the shock and see what you get, but my guess is, it won't be close. So first step is spring's (as others above mentioned). I will also add, the stock tires feel very nervous with the wrong pressures. I know it may sound dumb, but try experimenting with alternative tire pressures. You may simply hate the Pirelli's… I loved them for 500 miles, but they were toast shortly there after.

In terms of track… yea, the bike is going to need work. It doesn't want to fall into the corner, it has understeer issues and it doesn't want to hook up on exit. These issues are related to trail AND location of the weight with in the frame (leverage point). The reason older Ducati's have these issues is simply because they have a long motor. From the tip of the horizontal head, to the pivot point, the engine is WAY longer then a CBR's. Thus, its nearly impossible to run a long enough swing arm, without having too much wheelbase. Longer wheel base is great for high speed stability, but not great for around town. So Ducati compromised, they tried to keep a short wheel base (short swing arm) to make the bike work OK in slow speed stuff. As a consequence, it ruins the bikes ability to run quick times on the track. Its very easy to fix these issues, add more trail to the front end and bring the rear wheel back in the eccentric. But most people opt for replacing the stock suspension at the same time with Öhlins, simply because the stock shock and forks, are so poorly setup from the factory.

Its unfortunate people assume Ducati's are the "ultimate racer" out of the box. I had no problem riding my 848 to quicker lap times when it was stock. Thats because, I wasn't quick enough to tell the difference at that particular time. Once you pickup speed and have a sense of what a bike should feel like, its very hard to get on a stock/production Ducati and expect those same results out of it. So unfortunately, your expectations aren't going to be met right away. However, if you truly wish to go down the path of making your EVO work, it can be done for not much money and the results are outstanding when done properly. My 848 race bike was absolutely stellar and something easily capable of breaking club-level lap records in the right hands.