Dumb question--but does your Monster have the dry or wet clutch? I believe you're not supposed to feather a dry clutch as much.
Not a dumb question at all, in fact it's a great one for this topic. She has a wet clutch. Dry clutches are "grippier" than wet clutches. The oil circulating through the wet clutch allow the plates in the clutch pack to slip more. It just takes more clutch control with a dry clutch and the friction zone is generally shorter. Dry clutches are also notoriously stiffer, particularly if the person has the clutch vented and has swapped the springs for stainless. With Ducati, the dry clutches are in the following motors: air-cooled 900, Superbikes, Monsters, and Sport Touring (748, 749, 916, 996, 998, 999, 1098), dual spark 1000, and the new 1100 motor. The wet clutches are in everything else: 600, 620, 695, 696, 750, 800, 848, etc. Please correct me if I've left out any motors. I believe that for every bike with a wet clutch, there is a dry clutch conversion kit out there.
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Is there any mechanical advantage to having a wet clutch other than rideability? There are very distinct mechanical advantages to dry clutches, notably ease of replacement and their being less susceptible to slipping due to the motor's overheating.
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I found that as a newbie, I was feathering the clutch more. Then I discovered the solution to speed modulation issues in lower gears: right hand control. So much of riding skill comes down to throttle control. At very low speeds in first gear I will feather the clutch a little, and if I need to adjust speed with even more fine increments, I drag the rear brake. It is important to get clutch control down, especially for launches and shifting between gears from first through third. However, I am convinced slower speeds are made smooth with throttle control. With Ducatis, our bikes come stock with a 1/4 turn throttle. That means that from closed to WFO, you only have to turn the throttle 90 degrees. This makes right hand control even more important. I actually want to take my track bike (SV) down to a 1/5 turn by putting an R6 throttle tube on it.
However, now I'm going to disagree with myself. If you have few miles under your belt, feathering the clutch will be your friend. However, you will find that as your brain and coordination catch up with your bike, you should depend on feathering the clutch less.
Another thing that will definitely help is keeping your elbows unlocked. Every time your bike lurches, if on the deceleration part of the lurch, you transfer your bodyweight into your locked arms and ultimately front suspension. Your bike will handle poorly if you're upsetting the suspension. Your hands are for throttle, brake, clutch, and steering input--generally not for support.
This is what has worked for me, but there are many people on this forum more skilled and experienced than I am.
