Thank you for watching! 🙂 If you're interested in any of the parts seen on my bike, click the link and support the channel. www.motovationusa.com/?ldid=clutch1st

Great video. 02' Monster rider here. One thing I tell people before riding my bike is to remember to actively brake in when around traffic. Older Ducati's especially give you a lot of power early on and the engine braking is pretty substantial, so it's easy to develop a habit of using engine braking as your primary way of reducing speed. When you're in the city at low speeds, engine braking can catch drivers behind you off guard, because they aren't seeing your brake lights turn on.

It's choppy because it's a V Twin - nothing to do with Ducati specifically.

2014 Ducati Monster 1200 is my first bike. I've had it for more than 2 and a half years. I love it. I just down shift when it's choppy and of course I use the clutch a lot. I learned to ride on a 250 Kawasaki cruiser, because that's the bike that the rider safety course I attended provided. So I rode a 250 just to learn the basics of motorcycles, all the controls. Then I didn't ride anything for a couple years until my buddy bought a 2009 Yamaha R1. lol. That's what I really learned on. Yup. I'm still alive.... It's all about throttle control and knowing your limits. I'm not a small guy so anything smaller than a 600 feels just too small for me. In 2015 I bought my 1200 Monster. I love it!

Usually stay above 4000 in the lower gears 👌 best way to avoid the Ducati chug

So I was out for a ride after watching this and realized you are going to get people and yourself hurt with this advice. Keep your hands on the grip, not covering clutch. You control a powerful bike with small controled throttle inputs. If you need to slip the clutch like that then the bike is too powerful for your skills. Yes Ducati's are on and off, that is called throttle response. We like it that way... If you only want 40% for a particular maneuver then select it by turning your wrist to the correct position. You shouldn't be giving it full blast and the trying to smooth it out with clutch. Feathering a clutch is for slow speed. Sorry dude, I like your channel, but that is really just bad and dangerous advice. High throttle and clutch means you are out of control, and when things start to go wrong it will only get worse. Let's say you find yourself going too fast through a curve... Grab the bar to push through a curve and you drop the clutch... Oops you go down. Try to control throttle with clutch, and you can't properly apply bar pressure... Oops you go down. Stay up eyes up, hands on the grips. End PSA

Any day on a Ducati is a good day for sure! :)

Feathering the clutch at slow speeds sometimes is definitely your best friend! Especially with Monsters, I have to do it all the time with my s2r.

I got the 797+ as my first bike last September. 3600 miles in as of today. The light switch character of the throttle was very challenging at first, but it's awesome for taking off. Your videos have helped me become pretty smooth for a noob, especially in stop and go traffic.

my first bike is a mosnter 821 and i absoluteley love it. yeah its coppy but thats what gives it character. love the way it pully, sounds and looks, just an absolute beauty. if you pay attention to actually riding its ok for a beginner

First bike as a female . My good friend rode and taught me (he has an 04 I have an 09) and definitely tough to learn how to turn but within 3 days I feel I mastered the bike. I love this bike! It rides beautifully and I love that twitchy throttle.

Have one of these and I can understand why you would feather clutch when you first start riding it, the throttle is soo responsive that holding the throttle still while going over bumps in the road takes a bit of mastering. Had mine 3 months now and hardly ever feather the clutch. No need. You also do need to hold on the the handgrips properly because she can easily get away from you if she wants! Have to say this is the best bike I have ever owned and nothing comes close

I'm 54 years young and I just bought my first Ducati Monster 797 (2020) Absolutely no sport bike experience and I'm "IN LOVE" with it !! It's been smooth from take off out of dealership.

This rough choppy engine is what I love on my machine! It is pure and shows a lot of character ❤

Everything you said in this video is so true, when I hopped on to a 821 last week it was like a stallion on heat, guess working the clutch to control speed would be the answer. Thank you.

I was the 100th like! Awesome music! The bike sounds great!

So, since Ducati uses short stroke twin engine formation, it tends to have a lot of torque and a lot of engine breaking. Clutch is definitely necessary at lower speeds, in order to control the jumpiness of the bike. One thing that I like and I don't is the engine break, it makes life so much easier on your break pads, but you can't let go the throttle for one second, because speed instantly drops. Riding on higher gears might lower that engine breaking, but that's only good to certain point.

2013 696 with exhaust and NO flash. What you're experiencing is a lean condition, how I solved it is just put the choke on a little bit, just enough till it is smooth and linear. My bike never does any of that nonsense. And the only time I clutch is to wheelie and start off. Never for upshifts very seldom for downshifts.

I had a '96 '750. If you had a double shot espresso before riding, you were all over the road and fighting the bike. It was extremely sensitive to inputs of steering, throttle, braking, etc. However... Perfect technique gives you a rewarding ride and response. Be smooth and subtle, with everything except the gear shift lever. Shift it like you mean business. Maybe things have changed since then, but this was the Ducati experience and I, for one, loved it.

My 1st bike is a 2018 821. The only other time was on a ninja 600 back in 1993 I only rode it for 3 minutes!! It was my girlfriend's bike. I watched tons of videos and learned that way. I'm very happy with my decision 😁

'14 796. Love my bike. The low-end chug is real. But, like a stubborn mule it will bitch and moan for a bit and then smooth out after the computer finally complies. This seems to take a few minutes. Longer on cooler days. My Duc does demand to be ridden throttle on and smooth.

Hey Mike, As always... a super fun video! All twins have nice big gaps between power pulses. the Inherent benefit is there is time for the tires to hook back up between these power pulses. So in other words, the power delivery has a characteristic of a passive traction control, making it so that the rear of the bike will not get away from you under power as quickly as with other engine types. Your idle/low rmp jerkiness can be mitigated by synchronizing your throttle bodies so that they are each more closely pulling the same amount of air. The snatchy throttle that you are describing occurs in the transition between fully closed throttle and first cracking it open(1%-2% throttle). It is also a symptom of throttle bodies that are not sync'd closely enough. You're clutch work you describe for going into a turn is kind of a band-aid to mask something that needs attention with your engine. Try approaching your turns setting your entry speed a little slower. This lets you get onto the throttle sooner, which stabilizes the whole bike sooner and allows for the entire turn to be handled with a smooth and continuous opening of the throttle, including the drive out of the corner, as you describe. Have fun out there Mike! I am so jealous. its in the 20's for the next couple of days, and single digits at night. Hope to get together with you and the guys this spring!

I bought the 796 as my first bike 7000km ago, and I've grown to love it more and more each ride.

I had some issues at low speed. Abnormal issues. Thought it was ecu. Changed the fuel filter (not easy to get to) and the machine is just amazing. Now it’s not that bad at low speeds. So if anyone is having an abnormally hard time at low speeds. Laggy throttle response, check your fuel filter.

this is my second bike and i do love it exept at high speed. my first bike was a katana 750 2003 and was more stable at high speed but the ducati is really more aggresssiv riding

how are the vibrations in the highway between 90-110km/h? the wind of course is a lot, its a naked, but if i wanna use it everyday i would need to take highway 3 times a month. very usefull video, thank you verymuch

It’s called feathering the clutch.

Choppy in deed I had a harley v twin and the L twin Its where it's at! I love my monster i got the factory racing options and yes when ur turning never let go and get on it again ! Too much torque at a seconds notice once I was too fast for a turn that's what I though and the duc took it like a champ miss the high reving sound my Japanese bikes had honda rr or yamaha r6 susuki but those bikes everybody got them if You want a machine with caracter and that talks to You get a Duc The following , the compliments you get are extra points Ride safe✌

I just bought my first Ducati...2006 S2R 1000 OMG what a difference to anything Iv ridden before , everything you said Is true but double that . The gearing Is so tall forget 6th gear unless your doing 80+ mph ,I though there was something wrong with the bike until I started reading the forums Im slowly getting the hang of It now but your dead right get the right gear before hitting that bend to high a gear and the thing will bog down ,but I love the bike Its a lot of fun Its a beast I have to tame...I just ordered a 14t (one down ) front sprocket hopefully that might tame It a bit In lower gears . Great video thanks .

Just bought a 2006 Ducati Monster 620. It is my first bike! Thanks for the good video.

I just got a 2014 696 and this helps a lot. weird as it is I actually like the choppiness for some reason and it has a lot of personality

I came to this video to make sure I’m riding properly and maybe grab a few tricks so I feel good knowing we share the same ride style

Thank you! This video was very helpful, and gave me a much better understading of how my monster works. And how it acts 😊

Started out on an 07 monster 695 in March and I fuckin love it. Was nice hearing all this cause it confirms my thoughts about the bike. Took some getting used to especially coming from the 250 shadow at the riding course, but I fell in love during the first test drive. Not even Miami traffic takes the smile off my face.

Excellent tips! Smooth throttle control is always the best way to ride! Love the beastly sounds of the Duc!

796 was my first bike and I got so good with it that when I ride other bikes I feel like I'm cheating. I didn't know the difference between a Ducati and the rest (smoother Japanese bikes) I just liked the bike and decided to get my license. I don't think I'm any better than anyone else I just feel like it's easier for me to ride other bikes after I've (Still) been riding my Monster. Great video!!!

if it's choppy you are lugging it! go to the next lower gear! lugging is very hard on the engine!

Its called feathering the clutch over this side of the pond, I did my training and test on a monster so know what you mean about smoothing out the Vtwin chug. I have a Hyosung now which whilst not as bad as the Duc it is still very choppy and suffers from early model EFI on off switch throttle.

I had an S4R and I don't remember slipping the clutch much in a corner, if I needed a shave a little speed off mid-corner I'd use the back brake. Ducati's aren't like Harleys, they're not meant to chug along at low RPM, keep it above 3.5k and they're much smoother and with practice you can do slow in, fast out very smoothly.

Love the monsters. My girl has a Monster however it's not starting right now. Because of bad maintenance from previous owners the carbs are done and not working right. In winter it also has the phenomenon ice carbing. So it wasn't idling and stalls when riding slowly which ended slowely in just not working. I hope it is fixed when the carbs are revised. Still love the sound.

i have the same bike. it's my baby. love it to the core. cheers from Nepal.

Thank you. I've been waiting for this video. My biggest concerning was that the bike had fuel injection problems. It takes a few turns to cold start. And when the engine isn't around 3 bars on temp taking off if extremely challenging. Just kinda puttering off unless I rev and take off from around 4K. But I get it now. This is a speed bike from start to stop. Thanks again for the videos from Memphis TN on an 11 M796 J

My local school uses these as training bikes because of the low seat hight so I get a whole week of riding it before I decide to buy one, second hand they're are cheaper than the MT-07's iv seen and already have all the aftermarket parts fitted , plus pretty much everyone i know has an MT-07, SV650 ,XJ6 or ER6 so it would stand out a little from everyone else and they look super pretty.

I got the 797+ as my very first bike, and I am working HARD on throttle smoothness. I've seen some improvement after just a week.

Thank you! Just bought Ducati Monster 797 and your video help me alot...

my 03 Ducati Monster 620 is my first sport bike and that throttle is no frigging joke haha learned quick

Great tips I definitely work my clutch a lot as well. Clutch is your best friend on a monster for sure. Rexxer ecu flash helps the choppy a lot but is pricey It did almost completely get rid of my low rpm 1st and 2nd gear shimmy though. Keep up the good work man definitively would love a part 2 just to see what else you got to say on the subject.

Get a throttle tamer , it helps eliminate the jerking and choppiness you feel. It smoothes everything out and it won't break the bank

Really awesome video! I’m buying a 796 likely tomorrow, and I noticed this on the test ride. However, it’s one of those things I really enjoyed about the bike. My previous bike was an FZ07 and it feels like a sportier spicier fz07 with A LOT more character. The perfect upgrade.

thats pretty cool i didn't know ducati's took so much finesse to ride. you make it look effortless. if you wouldn't have made this video i would have thought they rode just like any other bike. you learn something new everyday. ride safe man

Been enjoying your vids. You actually inspired me to pull the trigger on a '13 796 with 1500 miles on it.. (black). Have a '13 1100 Diesel edition but don't want to use it as my daily ride. Looking forward to making it my own.

Great video! I'm looking at getting the 2018 Monster 821 performance package. I'm a completely new driver as well.

On my Ducati 821 all gears are very torque on low to mid revs, but remember to change gear faster then you would on 4 cylinder. High revs feels awkward weak

Not sure what you are advising on new sprocket. Most Duc's are 15 in the front. If you go up to 16, you will have higher speed in each gear but lower torque taking away a little of the on/off you were talking about. If you go down to a 14, you get even MORE torque and so more on/off, but lower speed in each gear. Lift even easier, launch like a rocket, and need more /better throttle control. Personally I am want to drop a front tooth, for better city speed in g1-g3. The ST3 with a 996 water cooled already has so much highway power that my Goldwing and Harley friends tend to fall behind. ;-) I tend to believe more in learn solid throttle control, vs. feather clutch while riding. But glad to see you say "don't go back on the throttle in a corner!" because that's how people die!

I love the monster - feels like an angry beast, makes the name so appropriate.

Great tips man, your vids are always great. I got nearly the same set up as you on the M796 in terms of performance (RapidBike Evo, Sprint filter, etc). Whenever I quickly open the throttle after shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear I feel like my power flattens out. I thought maybe the RapidBike would've smooth that out. There is absolutely no problems with any other gears when I shift, just from 2nd to 3rd. Is it because of my throttle control or could it be something else? Do I need to gradually open the throttle at a smoother rate than just opening it from 0% to 100% instantly? It seems like in your vids you don't have this problem considering the smooth increase of power and speed. Sorry for asking, I tried looking all over forums but its hard to find anything about this specific topic.

Which exhaust system is that? Love the sound!

My 696 2009 always need add gas on first gear in order not to stall, is it all 696 does that

I own a Ducati 696.. Good bike..i agree wth yu, takes a bit o gettin used to, especially wth th jerkin n stuff..but overall, awsome bike

i just started on a 2006 monster 800 and was like why is it so choppy is this normal? and i was thinking maybye something wrong with the throttle cable almost shit my self when i was in 2gear 8000rpm downhill and let the throttle full off the back tyre blocked not for long but i did not expected this and leaning is weird with the bike better upright position for corners in all its more fun to work on the bike like replace chlutch plates stuff then driving it but now that i know the bike is like this i go drive more often i was thinking something broke maybe not its safe

Very cool intro submission idea. I love seeing motovloggers do different approaches to vlogging. MP

How do you feel the rizoma handlebar? is it really less comfortable? Is it a gamechanger for the shape?

thats so true im ride ducmon 795 for 5 months now and untill now still working to handle it smoothly...but in the other hand it's a very fun bike i mean untill now i never getting bored with it... and im riding it as daily bike in Denpasar-Bali-Indonesia so you can imagine ride this little monster on heavy busy traffic in asian country :))

I agree with poncoolride you are lugging it. I sold my Ninja 1000 it was too tall. But I learned how to stay in the power band

BRO Is that half Hollow Hills West???? im from Dix Hills!! Crazy.

Thanks, I just got a Hypermotard 950. I feared something was wrong with the engine, I'm coming off a BMW GS1200.

All Ducati's have abundant torque...no need to rev them to the moon as on Japanese 4 cylinder bikes. You can 'short shift' and if it's not fast enough, downshift. EASY.

i just bought a mint 97 monster 750 with a few things done to it. super excited to get to know the bike but im doing plenty of research first.

She don’t like to go slow faster the smoother it is. I have the clear reservoirs on the bars and it’s like a James Bond drink. Shaken not stirred, lol.

Switched to 14 teeth final drive and a throttle tamer. Great for city riding and modulation.

Thank you so much for the advise about getting a Ducati as a first bike.

using the clutch like that might make the ride a little smoother but itll wear out your clutch hella

All that vibration's and sound, so unique Ducati. That must be and I love it on my M796! Cheers Clutch1st

it's an italian thing... I have a new monster 821, but also a Alfa Romeo Brera. And even my car is pretty choppy in lower gears. I teached myself to play with the clutch alot and also not be too rough with the throttle. and that goes for my monster and for my Alfa.

My Suzuki sfv650 gladius does the same thing. It’s my first bike and I’ve been riding since June of 2020.

Hey,, good job 👍👍 Good video 👍👍 5 thumbs up 😎👍

i have the same bike too like everybody said thats the torque of the bike which i love. when i hit that throttle i want the bike to repond which is actually better compared to a japanese bike where its so smooth and i hate it coz there is no bike feedback. for smooth turns u just need to handle the clutch.

Look, i know you are trying to be helpful and entertaining but, .... i have had the pleasure of riding Monsters since 1995 , i have 4 in my stable, 2 for occasional track riding/racing the clock , 2 that i ride to work and for pleasure on weekends,.. first ,.. keep your bloody hands on the bars, second. a Ducati does not perform in low revs, it is not designed for low revs , if riding in heavy bumper to bumper traffic alternate between first and second , very rarely should you slip the clutch ... V twins always are a tad choppy, learn to ride around that with gearing and throttle control ,it adds to the character of the aptly named MONSTER. .Like the song says, find a long and winding road , and open her up, when you stay between 6000 and 9000 revs, thats when you understand the monster. Ironically you are actually riding this bike like a Japanese bike, you were constantly in the wrong gear and wrong rev range , as for telling people if they go in a corner too hot they can pull in the clutch and ride it out !???? bad call ,very bad call, that's the best way to understeer right out of your lane into oncoming traffic or in the trees. The proper way is to downshift before corner entry with a throttle rev to keep it smooth ,take your corner and accelerate on the apex and out the exit ,upshift... if you are in too hot , push the handlebar down in the direction of your corner (left hand for left corner, right for right ) your engine revs are up from your downshift before entry so that keeps you steady , that is how to ride , elbows and shoulders relaxed,helmet and chin pointed to toward the exit, push left push right in the es bends ,keep your revs medium to high.

Keep them revs up!

I've been riding this bike couple days ago. Before rent it, I thought Mt-07 is a best best bike for me. Same man's characteristics but monster 796... stole my heart like a slut!!!! And I want it back, both of them

I thought my Monster was broken 😂 I wasn’t used to the choppiness. I was concern the engine mount was loose too lol Thanks for explaining it

No offense man, but there is some really bad advice in this. I have onlyowned ducatis for the past 10 years. And currently ride a 05 s2r as a daily.The chug you talk about is just simply not enough rpms on a vtwin. The only time chug is an issue is really on the dry clutch ducatis. This is only because the clutch pull is harder and people do not usually feather them out. The on off does not exist. Ducati is known for their linear power delivery and torque. Throttle disciplin is needed for all bikes not just ducatis. Holding your fingers over the clutch or brake is a very bad habit and can 100 percent cause you to lose control if you grab either one in an emergency or pothole situation. Ducatis are not great first bikes, but a smaller monster makes a great beginner bike once you outgrow your first bike. I do not mean to tear you down, but i just do not want people to get hurt using some of the tips you state.

Starting is week wiring to battery I start by running ignition 2xs on 4rd time 2_4rds way through hit starter

If a duc is chugging, would it shut off like in the middle of a turn?

That “Duc chug” is a result of the engine design and firing timing. Revs and proper gear selection eliminates 95% of the chug. Raising idle speed is another fix, if it’s a problem that you just can’t handle. Just my opinion.

Looks like your rolling on DPA!

I was watching to see your solution for finding neutral on a Ducati, but you never mentioned that.

Really nice video! What about a remap? They use to say the bike gets much easier in lower revs if you do a remap. The trottle gets smoother and etc. What can you tell me about it? Since is not a cheap thing....

I agree with you, I ride my monster the same way !

Totaly true men.. my monster 1100 it a really hard bike to feel smooth.. its need to work a lot with the clutch... good video men.. really helpfull

its all about rider preference. people buy a ducati for 2 reasons torque and rawness of the ride. its like buying a car if u want a smooth ride get a cadillac not a ferrari.

i like the ON and OFF throttle thing and the sound however a levera is very important if u have small hands

good stuff my man, ive been riding my 696 for a year now and its definately a bike that you need to get used to. only negatives about the bike is comfort and the cost of ownership. i mean who does valve interval checks at 7.5k miles :'(

I’m thinking on buying a 821 stealth 2020 First bike love the way it look and sound. I’m in the NYC area. I thought with their new easy gear box I would be able to handle it?

What phone holder are you using? it looks fantastic.

The chop is for two reasons. Gobs of torque and no ride modes to smooth out the throttle response. My Diavel in urban mode set to 100LOW is a pussycat. Perfect for lazy two-up riding. Bogging? 1. Don't ride under 3,000 RPM. 2. Get the bike tuned so the fuel injection isn't garbage at low RPM. I don't know of any big twins that don't have these issues. High torque means instant-on power. It's the main reason I don't like inline fours that have hardly any torque at low RPM. Too soft. Have to constantly shift to be in the powerband for passing power. On my Diavel I just stay in sixth and roll on if I want to pass someone. After Tuneboy I can putt down to 2500 RPM smoothly. It'll chug and shake if I try to go full throttle at 2500 RPM, but it's a beast at 3,000 to redline.

Thank you for the video! This is my first bike so I like to hear these heads up

I used to have a 2005 monster s4r, now my daily rider is a 2015 diavel(though I have 2 other bikes as well). Man, the ride by wire/programmable fuel mapping makes such a difference! I think it's a super easy bike to ride, which is good because I commute 85 miles a day, mostly lane splitting out here in California. I just leave it in touring mode for the commute, which is full 162 horsepower but slower throttle response, and it's been really great in heavy traffic.

So much good info in this! Def wanna see a part 2 :-) Totally agree with ya on the patience bit, takes a lot of time and effort to be comfortable at any speed on a bike. Not sure if you've seen the tamer throttle tubes but that's what I was planning on my FZ6 when I first was realizing it had that 0 or 1, on or off, throttle response. G2 makes em for loads of bikes and may be an easier solution than the sprocket change.

So you are saying at low rpms the Ducati does not have a smooth throttle response? Trying to understand what the short comings? So the on-off throttle response especially at low rpms like and MT-09 or Suzuki GSX-S1000 is choppy? Do you know which bikes have a smooth on off throttle response?