surging/missing

Hey guys, I have over 6000 miles on my 821 Dark and its about 14 months since I bought it. It is my 1 and only form of transportation so I ride it daily. I have noticed this problem that you mentioned as well, and I have noticed this the whole time I have owned and operated it. I am 100% positive that I have the exact same behavior going on at 4000 RPM at roughly 40 MPH. Mess around at 6000 RPM and you might find another "sweetspot" like I have. It really seems to get in the way of a good cruising speed sometimes :kaioken:

From the lite research I have been doing I am blaming the Exhaust Flap and the ECU. You can unplug the Flap but the Stock ECU is not going to like it and it's not going make your engine run any better - and I believe there is a post on these forums about it running worse, but I don't know about that personally. I would be very interested to see if this problem is corrected by a set of Termi's and the associated ECU upgrade.

Link to that post is here... http://www.ducati.org/forums/ducati-monster-821/66264-who-disabled-exhaust-flap-talk-me.html

This bike really has a personality of its own in my opinion, and I don't think it likes to be babied one bit . I was upset for MONTHS about this very issue but after some time I started to understand the bike better and I naturally adjusted my riding style to figure out how to make it all smooth. Other manufacturers/bikes may operate just as you would expect right out the box, but this bike takes a little more time, experience and understanding. Once you have all of that I am pretty sure you will not be sitting at 4000 RPMS unless your stuck behind someone :yo: (Or unless you are breaking-it-in.. so sorry for you)

Also, the other half the puzzle... I just started riding the thing really damn hard. I am NOT saying fast and reckless, but you gotta get a bit rough with this M821, it really does not like to be babied one bit. You can cruise, but it wants you to be up in a higher RPM than I initially thought/wanted to be...

Anything less than 3000 RPMS and the bike will be grumbling at you.

Between 4000-5500 things start to get good, maybe a good slower cruising pace as long as you stay away from the 4,000RPM/42MPH combo.

Between 5500-7800 is the bikes absolute HAPPY PLACE and this is where everything comes together for me. The shifting feels smooth as butter, the engine braking is very steady, the brakes handle the speeds just fine, the bike is really in it's element while in this range. (I did mention another spot around 6,000 but it's not quite as noticeable or distracting),

Anything Over 8000 and the bike opens up the gates of hell underneath you. Coupled with the ridiculously loud stock exhaust its just raw/full power vibrating throughout the bikes frame, seat, footpegs and handlebars. It feels very wild during these heavy throttle situations and it's equally as fun as it is unnerving :ahhh:

This is just my own opinions and experiences with the bike and other people could have vastly different takes on everything that I have said here. I don't expect everyone to be riding the same as I do and Im sure there are other ways to ride this bike than how i have described here. This is just my own personal experience.

Lastly, I still expect there to be some kind of solution to this problem though and just because you can "ride around the inherent fault" does not excuse it for being there to begin with, I hope it can be fixed.

Have the same problem

I have the same problem, noticed it from the day I took it home. In urban, touring, and sport mode in 3rd-5th gears on a flat road holding a constant rpm or slowly accelerating, my bike surges. Makes for a really rough ride, it feels like I'm on a bumpy road when I'm not. The tech who did my 600 mile service said he felt it between 3-4000 rpms and told me to ride in touring mode.

When I took it back in, the lead service tech told me that he couldn't duplicate the problem when he rode it, though I doubt he rode it because the mileage hadn't changed. Then he said it was probably due to lean surging because Ducati makes the bike run lean to pass emissions. Then it was that I should avoid 5,000 rpms because that's where the flapper valve kicks in. He mentioned that termis come with a race map and that it might make a difference. I asked if he would re-flash the ECU but he said that the bike is not running in a dangerous condition and because he recently pissed off corporate he couldn't do it.

Does a re-flash from corporate cost individual dealers money?

This is my first Ducati though I've been riding for 25 years and I know when I bike feels off. I've tried riding with my wrist as stationary as possible and the surging is still happening.

From the time I noticed it and brought it up, the service guys have treated me like I'm crazy or like they know there's a problem but just want me to go away.

I've been researching trying to find a solution, like ECU updates, resetting adaptations, syncing throttle bodies, degreeing the cams, re-springing the throttle, and booster plugs. But what good is a solution if the guys working on the bike don't acknowledge the problem?

I traded in my R6 so the wife enjoys riding and will let me ride into the future, but I'm getting closer and closer to selling the M821 and going back to a Japanese bike.

Sorry for the diatribe but I welcome any and all thoughts or advice.