New Owner in Arizona!

[WhiskeyFox]

Hello!  I just picked up my first Ducati this weekend!  I've always wanted one, it only took me about 8 years to get one!

Been riding for {drumroll} about 8 years!  I've owned a plethora of different bikes, mostly Suzukis and mostly around 500ccs.

1986 GS550L (never ran, was a $500 project that turned out to be FUBAR)
1982 GS650GL (not comfortable at all)
1996 GS500E (loved it, sold it for $$ when I lost my job)
1997 GS500E (loved it, replacement for the 1996, I ended up crashing it)
2013 Honda CB500F (awesome bike, but I was moving across the country and it was more convenient to sell it than bring it)
2006 Buell XB12SS Lightning Long (1203cc V-twin, the oddball of the bunch)
and now...
2000 Monster 750!


I actually traded the Buell for it.  The Buell had about 30k miles on it, had been on the ground from the PO, and to be honest I wasn't particularly satisfied on it.  I wanted something smaller.  So I listed it for sale/trade and got an offer for a 2000 M750.
I was skeptical at first, expecting it to need work or something, but I humored him and asked for pictures.
My jaw about hit the floor!  Asked about condition.
3800 original miles, new belts, new tires, new fluids, had been kept in the LIVING ROOM of all places!  Didn't get used enough by him, he wants something bigger!
What kind of deal?  Straight across.  Eh... maybe not the best deal financially (my Buell KBB's for about $1500 more, but the market value is much less), but I figured the market being what it was and the condition difference being what it was that they're close enough in value.

It's not perfect, but it's as close as a 17 year old motorcycle can be!  I did the proper used vehicle inspection and test ride, but from the second I saw it in person my heart was screaming "Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  Take it!"  So I did!

Here's the Buell I let go:



And here's the Ducati I picked up:




And just so there's no doubts:







I am the one who rolled it over 4000 miles!  This bike is immaculate, and literally the best condition and lowest mileage vehicle I've ever owned, including cars.


It's a dream come true!

I'm hoping to install a high exhaust (maybe a GPR) and get a Corbin seat, and then other than minor stuff like mirrors, bars, grips, levers, etc I'll be keeping it mostly stock.
I ride full time, I live where I can ride all year long and I don't own cars, not anymore.  This bike will be for both business and pleasure, and I hope it does not disappoint.
So far, to me, it feels like a 3/4 scale version of my Buell Lightning!  Not only is it volumetrically and physically a little smaller, but it feels like it weighs about 100 pounds less.  It so maneuverable!  I'm seriously impressed!
The Buell was easy to go fast on, but I think the Monster is the bike that'll get me into trouble...

[GK]

Outstanding condition!
Congrats and enjoy. 👍🏻👍🏻

[WhiskeyFox]

Thanks!


I tell you, I'm having a hard time finding basic mechanical information about these.
For example, jetting.

I'd like to do an exhaust and air-filter, and my prior experience with carbs says I'll have to rejet.  Rather than go at this with a kit, I was hoping for a Wiki or some other forum posts suggesting what sizes to go with so I can just buy individual jets in the proper size.
It seems like it's a tad rich on whatever is in there now, it might be fine on factory jets, but I just don't know for sure and there doesn't seem to be anything to reference.

It's also hard to find any recommended suspension setups other than doing it the hard way by getting an assistant, measuring sag, and doing math...

[GK]

There are a number here who will be able to give good jetting advice. I'm often surprised how knowledgable people here are about suspension setups also.

Having said that, suspension 'feel' and 'preference' is quite subjective, so setting sag is the first place to start.

[WhiskeyFox]

I'll definitely make posts here when the time comes, but as a major forum user I tend to be peeved by people who just ask questions before searching.  Often the answer is available but the user is too lazy to actually look for it, and it adds clutter and stresses out the knowledgeable users.
In this case I looked and looked but wasn't really able to surface much.

Maybe I'm spoiled by my prior experiences.
The GS500 was made with minimal changes from 1989 until, IIRC, 2013 (in some countries) so there's a wealth of information about these online including a great community.  There's a rejetting chart you can just look up that was compiled from multiple users' experiences.  I referenced the chart for both of my GSs and had great results each time.

My Buell's manual had suspension setups based on rider weight (I think in 20 pound increments) and tunes for "comfort," "balanced," and "sporty" setups.
So you could look up "comfort" for a rider 200lbs and it would tell you "Rear: Preload 5, Damping 2.5, rebound 3.5, front: preload 3, damping 2.5, rebound 3.5" or something and it would get you REALLY close to optimum.  From there you could adjust from feel.

I set the damping on my Monster to factory and that feels good, and honestly the preload feels comfortable but I think it might be a little soft for my type of riding.
There doesn't seem to be a default preload, though, and since it's not stepped like is typical I guess it would be hard to simply chart out preload based on weight...
Either way I was hoping for something to steer me in the right direction, but I seemed to have unearthed nothing.  It's actually quite surprising.