[Jedclampet]

First time out this year and with the 959, no complaints. NJMP Thunderbolt perfect conditions and zero issues I felt comfortable right away.

 

[Dingo]

Nice! got another 10 degrees of lean left in there, easy! Fun!!

 

[able duc]

Looks like a great day, nice mods enjoy.

 

[Jedclampet]

We hit that last 10 deg I'll post the tire but the photographer was very limited in his track access and as you can see was primarily shooting the chicane, this has been going on for years at Thunderbolt. Point being the bike was in complete balance allowing me to focus on the track and myself can't ask for better.
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[Jedclampet]

Clutch revisited

One area on the track that was easy to improve for me was down the front straight into turn one, if I downshifted 2 gears and accelerated hard up a slight hill I was in too tall a gear and too low an rpm to get good drive. Following laps I tried downshifting 3 gears and was able to accelerate much better out of the turn but the engine braking was upsetting the bike too much. I found later a better solution by setting the engine braking on level 3 which allowed for the most slipper clutch like feel and minimized the way the engine braking upset the bike when coming off a long straight and downshifting for the turn. I later found that the 959 has a very primitive slipper clutch yes there are ramps and it appears to behave like a slipper yet even on the max setting within the dashboard #3 it doesn't feel like any aftermarket STM or EVR that Iv'e used in the past. I paid a visit to Fred at Yoyodyne who provided a Yoyodyne slipper and life is now back to normal. Still left EBC level at #3 and I can now drop gears at will and the bike remains steady as a rock. Btw with the auto blipper ( thanks to Pard) I can swing up and down through the gears clutchless and smooth as silk. Imo a great mod.

 

[jbehnke]

Interesting post, when street riding I love a bunch of engine braking, I've only ever owned V twin bikes so it's what I know. That being said on the track I have noticed she gets pretty squirrely with engine braking. Have a track day this coming monday so I might back it down from 1 to 3 and see how that feels and then maybe a slipper clutch upgrade will be in the future for me. Certainly not the cheapest of upgrades but tough to beat a stability upgrade.

 

[Forewarned]

I run the engine braking at level 3 also, but I'm just as comfortable at level 1. I've found out that if you want to get comfortable with the bike moving around underneath you, get into supermoto.

 

[XCLR8TN]

One area on the track that was easy to improve for me was down the front straight into turn one, if I downshifted 2 gears and accelerated hard up a slight hill I was in too tall a gear and too low an rpm to get good drive. Following laps I tried downshifting 3 gears and was able to accelerate much better out of the turn but the engine braking was upsetting the bike too much. I found later a better solution by setting the engine braking on level 3 which allowed for the most slipper clutch like feel and minimized the way the engine braking upset the bike when coming off a long straight and downshifting for the turn. I later found that the 959 has a very primitive slipper clutch yes there are ramps and it appears to behave like a slipper yet even on the max setting within the dashboard #3 it doesn't feel like any aftermarket STM or EVR that Iv'e used in the past. I paid a visit to Fred at Yoyodyne who provided a Yoyodyne slipper and life is now back to normal. Still left EBC level at #3 and I can now drop gears at will and the bike remains steady as a rock. Btw with the auto blipper ( thanks to Pard) I can swing up and down through the gears clutchless and smooth as silk. Imo a great mod.

Hmmm, now I have questions. I thought the whole reason for manually rev-matching or using an auto blipper was to match rpms, so the rear wheel wouldn't lock up/skip around under hard braking and downshifting. Do explain, because I've only been on track twice and didn't push it hard enought to need either thing, lol.

 

[jbehnke]

Hmmm, now I have questions. I thought the whole reason for manually rev-matching or using an auto blipper was to match rpms, so the rear wheel wouldn't lock up/skip around under hard braking and downshifting. Do explain, because I've only been on track twice and didn't push it hard enought to need either thing, lol.

You are correct, however, the backend gets REALLY light/ may even lift slightly under very aggressive braking. Lowering the amount of engine braking, or lowering the reverse torque threshold with a different slipper clutch will allow the tire to rotate more freely and minimize the amount of difference between wheel speed and actual road speed giving a more stable feel. While the stock slipper will prevent complete lockup pretty well the reduced available traction under aggressive braking will still cause pretty gnarly wiggle from the rear on this bike in my experience.

I did not reduce engine braking for the track yesterday (track day post thread will be updated within the week with pics and video) and moving into 2nd gear on certain parts of the track in the braking zone in the morning was character building. Waiting just a smidge longer to release the clutch and having it engage at a lower rpm helped out, but I was still needing to make those adjustments manually vs just focusing on hitting the marks.

 

[jbehnke]

I run the engine braking at level 3 also, but I'm just as comfortable at level 1. I've found out that if you want to get comfortable with the bike moving around underneath you, get into supermoto.

We were having that exact conversation at the track yesterday between sessions.>
Maybe a hyper in the stable is just what the doctor ordered?

 

[Jedclampet]

The auto blipper is very subtle and can be adjusted although I haven't yet moving the EBC to # 3 was a big improvement and adding the yoyodyne slipper was just over the top in that its more noticeable at higher speeds and freewheels with minimal drag. Rev matching check stability check effort zero. Going from stock 3 springs to 5 did add some more tension at the lever but now it just feels more like a 900cc or better when you pull in the clutch lever vs the very light pull it has stock. I'm not big or very strong heck I'm almost 58 so really the lever isn't bad just a firmer pull.

 

[Jep863]

I have never been to a track yet with my Ducati it’s something I want to do. When you mentioned that the back gets a little wobbly during heavy braking is this in corners or straits? Yes the back should lift a little when breaking. Make sure your using front and rear brakes. Braking properly and making sure your suspension setup is right. As weight is transferred to the front to improve traction you need to make sure everything is balanced. Rev matching is key also braking at right spot and hitting the apex correctly. There are so many things in racing. Suspension set up tyre pressure and type.
Upgrading a slipper clutch. To me is like an lsd or clutch in a car. It can make it smoother and this is all for your riding style. I would like to know a little more about the blip mod you did to switch up and down.