2002 monster 900 ie lumpy and snatchy at low speeds

[davebarkshire]

Ok. Before I start, please refrain from telling me to buy a Honda....

The 2002 900 ie is lumpy and snatchy at low speeds. I may be riding through a village in a 30mph zone in second gear and it is quite unpleasant. Valve gaps are good and it has had a recent service.

I know that this is a fairly short stroke engine and that I should not expect modern bikes to behave like the vintage clunkers that I'm used to. I have read on some forums that this is normal but am still under the illusion that with fuel injection and electronic ignition that engines should be easy to pacify at low revs.

In a perfect world Ducati would make for me a long stoke version of the monster which pulls right off the flywheel and it would probably become the perfect bike for me.

Anyway, does anyone know of a cheap magic bullet?

[koko64]

Gearing, mapping/jetting, drive train condition and overall tune all play a part in how smooth a bike runs within it's design parameters.
Don't buy a Honda.

[brad black]

the 2002 have the 5.9m ecu and they were a bit doggy down low from memory, particularly compared the the 00 - 01 models with the 1.5m ecu which ran nicely.

there wasn't really a fix without remapping or an add on unit, neither of which were really around back then.  but we only sold a few and never really got into trying to fix them.

[koko64]

So you reckon a PCIII or reflash would help Dave. What was the gearing like on them?

[ducpainter]

So you reckon a PCIII or reflash would help Dave. What was the gearing like on them?

Gearing was too tall...

like every Duc.

[koko64]

Well that would be half of it ay? That, and a remap by whichever means would have to help heaps.
One tooth down on the front or three on the rear as usual kind of thing?

[ducpainter]

That works for most of them.

[davebarkshire]

Thanks you all for your responses and comments. I have also read some other comments about these monsters on the web and it does seem to be the consensus that this is the way Ducati made them.

I will not argue with the Ducati gods. The bike is so brilliant in so many ways that I just need to use it in ways for which it was intended. Ultimately I will sell it and this leads to a new question….

What are the newer monsters like? Do they pull off the flywheel? Has the rattly clutch been sorted? I like the look of the old monsters with the twin dials and the headlamp out front but have just about got used to the ninja insect styling of the new ones although the pilot's view is not so good in my opinion. If I am asking too much then the search will continue for the perfect bike and so far I can't find anything that I like so much as Monsters.

http://www.barkshire.co.uk/bikes/Images/DucatiMonster900_2002/index.htm

[ducpainter]

Dave...

the only reason Ducati geared the bikes the way they did was to pass emissions requirements.

Don't let that stop you from changing the gearing to make the bike better.

With regard to the new bikes, they undoubtedly are faster and have more features, but they don't look as good as the original design IMO, and you really can't use all the power of the larger engines without getting ticket disease, which is all too easy on your 900.

[brad black]

m900ie has the close ratio gearbox, so to get the same top gear ratio as the wide ratio box would have with 15/43 you have to run 15/38.  which makes 1 - 3 much taller.

i don't know of any remapping options for the 5.9m.  rexxer have a map, but it is leaner than the original it seems, which doesn't make a lot of sense.

[SpikeC]

 This may not apply, butt my bike has an 1100ds motor, and was running as you described, I discovered a hole melted into the crankcase vent plemun chamber, allowing free air into the air box. When I closed the hole the running was much improved!
Now it idles better and runs much smoother between 3 and 4k in second to third gear.

[brad black]

check the voltage at the horizontal coil. (voltage drop between it and the battery +ve).  i'd just had a 2002 here that had issues there.  only seen it previously as an issue with m400ie, but maybe it's a more common problem coming out.