So here is the story. I make a long drive to pick up my first Ducati. Get 2002 S4 and return home. Take it out today and am delighted, yet slightly confused. It didn't seem to have to torque that I thought the bike was bound to have. It just seemed like it didn't have anything in the lower RPM range. It really picked up once I would hit 6K but dogged a bit anytime lower than that. The other big thing that I noticed is that I stayed mostly in 2nd and 3rd throughout the entire day. Cruising around town would keep me in 2nd and it wasn't until the open road that I even needed to go any higher than that. 3rd was nice and I rarely needed to go into 4th. I think I went into 5th once and couldn't stay in it unless I was really rolling. I guess that I am confused because I thought that the gears would be shorter, I would be going through the gears quicker, and the gears would be more universal or usable. Any ideas or advice??
Does it have stock gearing?
Lazy,
Congrats on your new bike! You'll get a world of help here (literally) but you need to be specific.
Count the teeth on front and back sprockets. How many miles on the bike. Any previous service info? Air filter change date / mileage. Spark pug change date / mileage. Any mods that could affect performance (air box, exhaust, ECU). Specific definition of running conditions at specific RPM ranges.
If you do this you'll get good responses with valuable suggestions.
Is the bike standard if it is thats the problem ..my S4 is now awesome but it needed modified gearing, termis ,PC3 and many other mods ,also lean fuel filter is a must and te valves,balnce and TPS must be spoit on.
Welcome to the forum, Lazy.
Ok, the S4s are renowned for their tall gearing - 2nd and 3rd is standard for around town. And no way are you getting into 6th unless you are in need of serious speed... I had mine at 6000 revs in 6th... and was doing 190km/h at that stage (and still pulling strong).
If you change to a 14T front sprocket, you will find it improves matters dramatically.. and it is a fairly cheap mod to boot.
Congratulations on your bike! [thumbsup]
OEM gearing is 15/37.
I've got mine at 15/39, and really like it.
What other bike(s) have you been riding recently?
I am pretty sure that the bike has the stock gears. Sprockets are at 15/37. It's got Termi pipes, ECU and air box upgrades. Mileage is around 9300. Not sure about the spark plugs but if it isn't too tough, I wouldn't mind replacing them. The only other major thing that I've noticed (as well as the people riding behind me) is that it is running very rich. It smells like straight up fuel! I adjusted the idle today as it was really low.
I also talked to a guy at the local shop about the bike for a bit although I was at work, so my conversation was limited. Basically, what I got out of it was that since I am familiar with Japanese 600's, I just need to get used to world of difference between the two. Perhaps I will look into a smaller sprocket for the front although I am still slightly concerned about the bike running rich. Any ideas what about what might be causing this? Thanks everybody for the suggestions. I am new to Ducatis and look forward to learning a lot more about this amazing machine
For the gearing change it's cheap to go to 14/37 because the chain will stay the same ad the 14t front is only $35. This will increase chain wear and some complain about the chain "buzzing" as it wraps around the smaller gear. Going to 15/39 is more expensive but generally considered better due to increased chain life but you will need to install a new chain along with the larger rear sprocket.
Let your current chain decide which way to go. If it's in great shape go 14/37 until you need a new chain. If it's time for a new chain anyway go 15/39.
Ok so here is the scoop. Took the bike out two times since I bought it. Both times as I mentioned earlier in the post, the bike seemed to be lacking power and especially torque which was disturbing. Sometimes, in 2nd gear and low in 3rd, the bike would sputter and I would have really strong power surges but then it would go back to how it was..... Today I brave it and take the bike out in 37 degrees just to run it for a bit. As I am going about 1 mile down the road, it starts to sputter and have these power surges.... Come up to the stop sign and turn right.... All of a sudden, this thing has massive amounts of torque and much MUCH more power! It rode like this for the rest of the ride and I returned with a huge smile on my face.
Now, the big question is why? Why was it running like it was and what caused it to run like it is now? This is my first time owning a Ducati and I am certain that the bike should always be running like it ran today. I had to be careful in 2nd and 3rd for fear of the front end coming up and off the ground. I didn't even give it full throttle at all today. Any ideas on what happened or what wasn't happening before?
What service records do you have on the bike? If the bike has been sitting or is due for service your problem might be stale/contaminated fuel and/or a dirty fuel filter. While you are in there check the condition of the hoses. if you need hose, replace with 30R10 hose. If your bike has not had the timing belts changed in the last 12K/24 months, time for that and a valve clearance check too.
Quote from: lazylightnin717 on December 12, 2009, 10:24:10 AM
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Now, the big question is why? Why was it running like it was and what caused it to run like it is now? This is my first time owning a Ducati and I am certain that the bike should always be running like it ran today. I had to be careful in 2nd and 3rd for fear of the front end coming up and off the ground. I didn't even give it full throttle at all today. Any ideas on what happened or what wasn't happening before?
I really don't know what might have happened, but you have your dream bike now? [thumbsup]
My humble uneducated guess is that something obstructed fuel flow (water somewhere, dirty fuel, filter) or a bad spark plug connection - out of nowhere it fixed itself, but that might be temporary. It's a Ducati [clap]
Quote from: stopintime on December 12, 2009, 03:03:28 PM
I really don't know what might have happened, but you have your dream bike now? [thumbsup]
My humble uneducated guess is that something obstructed fuel flow (water somewhere, dirty fuel, filter) or a bad spark plug connection - out of nowhere it fixed itself, but that might be temporary. It's a Ducati [clap]
I was havin similar issues with my S4 and i swapped out my plugs and she ran beautifully.
I would say your bike needs fuel and airfilters cleaned /changed, TPS setup and balance at least if not a full service and gearing changed .
Valves were adjusted 1000 miles ago and belts were replaced at the same time. Oil has been changed numerous times in the past few months. The bike was brought to the dealership that I purchased it from in June and sat there until I acquired it 3 at the end of November. I talked to the owner of the dealership and he said that he took it home one night and that the motor ran strong. I will look into replacing the plugs. I am also curious if this problem had anything to do with the STRONG smell of fuel the past few times that it was ridden...