Ducati Monster Forum

First let me say, I LOVE my m1100. Ive riden sport bikes for th last 13 years and when I finally decided to to purchase the monster... it was a rocky start.

1. The ducati is just gorgeous to look at.
2. Phenomenal to listen to.
3. gets looks by everyone!

The negative? The low speed, low rpms lurching is almost unbearable to live with!!! Its soo bad, it made me miss my R1. So i did alot of research, read reviews and tried a few products.

The end result is something I MUST SHARE with my Fellow MONSTER lovers!
The below combination, has literally made my m1100 "almost" feel like an inline 4 in terms of low end smoothness.

1. 14t sprocket
2. Throttle tamer by G2
3. new gel handgrips
4. Bar end weights.

Guys this is no exaggeration. With just the throttle tamer and gel grips.. the BIKE was INSTANTLY transformed!!! It was like night and day. the sprocket change and the bar end weights were almost unnecessary.

In short, I personally believe that the issue may not be as much about fueling issues.. as much as its about the throttle cam. I believe the throttle cam, is designed intentionallly large by ducati. This large cam has the affect of making the throttle response seems immediate, like a high horsepower motorcycle. However, the adverse affect of that.. is that the low rpms will seem grabbly/snatchy.. lurching as the smallest twist of the wrist has a huge affect.

the G2 throttle tamer has a much smaller lobe, this inturn allows you a wider range of motion as your twisting the throttle, which in turns allows for more precise, SMOOTH throttle inputs.

I cant recommend this device enough. Stop living with the problem like i did for months.. and trying to rationalize it "all vtwins are like this". Mine is now 90% percent better,,, and im as happy as can be with the bike.

Hope this helps someone else. Preston

It's so gratifying to go from totally bummed out and thinking it's always going to be the way it is ....to finding the " cure " and living happy ever after.

Dolph     :)

this the one? http://g2ergo.com/shop/catalog/G2-Tamer-Throttle-Tube-for-Ducati-267.html (http://g2ergo.com/shop/catalog/G2-Tamer-Throttle-Tube-for-Ducati-267.html)
also, what gel grips.  I can't get comfortable on the stock so I have the foam dirtbike grips over them.

No pix; doesn't exist.   [evil]

gel grip: http://www.monsterparts.com/pc/177933/Controls/177933.html (http://www.monsterparts.com/pc/177933/Controls/177933.html)

throttle tamer: http://g2ergo.com/shop/catalog/Street-4-1.html (http://g2ergo.com/shop/catalog/Street-4-1.html)

The gel grips are only 13 bucks.. what a massive difference. I think its becuase theyre fatter (so your not squeezing muscles in your forearm as mush as the thin duc grips) and the fact the gel definetly dampens the vibrations in the tubes. Feels great.. such a cheap and effective mod.

thanks for posting your findings! [thumbsup]

wonder if it works on an S4R as well.

Funny, after I saw the video, I went and looked at my throttle, there was no play at all!!! I wonder if that contributes to the uncontrollable surge? I did order the tamer we will have to wait and see. I wasn't keen on the gearing thing, atleast not going down one on the front, I would have gone up one or even two on the back. According to the Gear Commander, the RPM and top speed wouldn't be as affected with two on the rear vice dropping one on the front, two teeth just seems about right.

Duc.. im no mechanic, so i risk getting flamed for this one. I do think that NO cable play would contribute some to the lurchy response. However, the throttle tamer is going to feel like night and day. In short, the intial reaction kinda feels like a smaller bike, but then once your up and going, its right back to normal.

All good Polivo, feedback is good, that is why we all come to the Ducati Forum.  [coffee]

When someone else tries this, let me know how it works, I'd be quite interested to do this mod if it works as well as advertised.

I thought I'd read somewhere that -1 in the front was the same as +2 in the back?

I've been considering that G2 unit as well.  with the good report I just might spring for it.

 :o  :o  :o

Err let's be careful what are we talking about here  [evil]

Actually with a 15/42 ratio it is more like 1 to 3

One tooth off the front is slightly lower gearing than 2 teeth on the back, "smidge," but affects the RPM more at 50MPH. I know everyone has there favourite gearing combo, personally, one tooth on the back would have done me good as my riding is not too city comprised but i want two so 15/41.

 http://www.gearingcommander.com/ (http://www.gearingcommander.com/)

anyone else have feedback on this?  Im curious about your thoughts? seems to me like a pretty cheap add on, that helps tame this beat a little.

I put on the D3 grips and was thinking of doing this but I don't want a bunch of empty space inboard/outboard of the grip.

If it's not too much trouble, is it possible to get a picture of what everything looks like installed?
And could you measure the length of the tube where the grip installs?


thanks.

Thanks for the FHE

I'm concerned that the minimal power of the 696 + throttle tamer would make it too.....tame but ordered one for my M696 ABSs; we'll see how it goes.

You shouldnt be concerned. The throttle tamer doesnt actually take away any horsepower.  ALL it seems to do is give you a little more range in the rotation of the throttle. This effect makes your power delivery smoother since you can make small gradual increments.. which you could not make before.

I guess the best way to describe it is. If your total rotation from 0-100 percent is 2 inches. The throttle tamer seems to make it 2.5 inches.

Ill post a pic of the clutch side. but to answer your question, the throttle tube is the exact same lenght as the stock tube. The grips i installed from monster parts.com.. appeaar to be theexact same length. as you can see from the pic.. there is no space.

a cheaper alternative that fixes this problem is not to chug about on a Ducati below 3k rpms. That's not where the power is, and trying to ride there will give you a very unresponsive chassis. If you are interested in sub 3k riding, perhaps a diesel engine is your cup of tea.


The 14t front sprocket does nothing to change "sub-3000 rpm" running. Essentially it moves the range at which your motor would be turning at a given speed "up" some.

But that's just my riding experience.

That's dandy and all but it's jerky while I'm making my way to and past 3000 rpm... unless you launch your bike in the 4k rpm+ powerband from a dead-start everytime.  Not really plausible when you're city riding in traffic.

 ;D  So true! 

Mine hates 4K RPM.  What to do?  What to do? 

 [popcorn]

whack open the throttle and go by the traffic. a tuned up big twin doesn't like really low rpms.

There are a number of things going on.  The throttle tamer will not fix your Monster crappy in-town slow power band.  (Valve clearances, cam timing, throttle sych, TPS synch, PCIII map changes, airbox mods, ignition mods may help with that).  

The G2 will give you more sensitive throttle control in the 25% or less throttle range.  It comes with something called a 500 cam, which is a slower opening cam than the one G2 sells with their throttle tuning kits, which includes 100, 200, 400 cams.  I found it too slow, forcing me to make awkward wrist/throttle changes around town to shift the throttle turn range.  You can change to a 400 or a 300 cam for around $20 each or use JB Weld, Marine Tex, or your favorite reinforced epoxy to steepen up the opening to suit your riding style.

I found it a good addition to the 14 tooth front sprocket for in town riding.

The 14 is the biggest dif maker by changing at what rpm you'd be at a given speed.

so what is the verdict on others using the throttle tamer? what are your experiences so far?

1 front = 3 rear (about 7% lower RPMs at any time, any gear)

Unless the throttle tamer is the opposite when wide open, I'm out. It will require more arm movement between closed and wide open, which I think is kind of bad for steering control/input. I went the other way, an Electraeon fast cam, and handle the city lugging by using the clutch. Bad for the clutch, but good for smoothness.

just ordered the tamer and grips for my m1100s

i already have termi's and 14t so i hope everything is golden after this! :)

I did this a while ago in excel sorted by ratio - gives you an idea of 15 v 14 in the front and the relationship with the rear sprocket

Front   Rear   Ratio
15   38   2.533
15   39   2.600
15   40   2.667
14   38   2.714
15   41   2.733
14   39   2.786
15   42   2.800
14   40   2.857
15   43   2.867
14   41   2.929
15   44   2.933
15   45   3.000
14   42   3.000
15   46   3.067
14   43   3.071
15   47   3.133
14   44   3.143
15   48   3.200
14   45   3.214
15   49   3.267
14   46   3.286
15   50   3.333
14   47   3.357
14   48   3.429
14   49   3.500
14   50   3.571

I like my 15/41 gearing, just right! [thumbsup]

Check this out. Very interesting. I have bought a lot of gear based on their reviews and never have been let down.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/g2-throttle-tamer/ (http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/g2-throttle-tamer/)

just installed my throttle tamer and domino grips.  throttle response is much better than before, but still not near as my friends S2R1k/full termi/open airbox/ dpecu.

i wish ducati would have got this right from the get-go. :-\

i think they did, and there's no need for a different throttle tube, but hey that's me. i don't ride a ducati in the basement rpms where it wasn't meant to be ridden. i also don't go mudding in a family sedan.

This is probably a stupid question, but is it possible to use the G2 throttle tamer with metal grips like Rizoma?  From the pictures it looks like only a rubber grip that slips over the throttle tamer will work.