my 848 review/vid

[DougS.]

well i've had an 848 at 3 track days which is also the total amount of riding i have on it. coming of a RC51 im just starting to get comfortable on it. the powerband is nice although narrow, 6k rpm is about the lowest i'll let it go. it has no problem keeping up with and passing 600's and can run with 1000's from a couple years ago. brakes are fantastic, easy 2 finger operation. think my biggest gripe is the front springs. im not sure what ducati was thinking but they are so soft. pretty much every session the the ziptie is on the bottom of the fork leg. right now theres 2.5 lines of preload and will probably have to crank it in all the way to try to help. initially i thought the rear was too stiff but i backed the preload to 3 threads showing and its working pretty good. course all my riding has been at NJMP that is super smooth, tire wear looks very even so i think the rebound and compression are pretty close. braking from redline in 5th bottoms the front. even pushing back in the seat trying to help its easily lifting the rear wheel. it still is a little slow flicking from side to side compared to the RC. next weekend will make some of these issues really show up at Loudon for the bikes first race weekend. the track has some real rough spots and a heavy braking bump area. that one is going to be the biggest problem if i get in a little hot. just installed a sato adj rear link so im hoping i can raise the rear a little and help quicken the steering some. will see but with only 2 practice sessions doesnt leave alot of room for testing. on to the videos..
YouTube - chasing 999

[duckracer]

I love track day video's!!!!! ....I race a 1098 in CCS and since the chassis is the same you will probably find that the bike tends to run wide on the throttle. You will need springs for sure. The rear is a progressive spring. The front will be 1.0 springs so just spring it for your weight and add some compession in the front to compensate for the insanely good brakes! You will notice on these bikes that the front needs to come up, total opp of the older bikes. The trail is really short stock so you need to go up in front to get it to finish the turn. Start looking for 30mm triples, they make a huge difference. Contact Dan Kyle or Jasson Etter at Department of susspension and they will get you sorted with springs and set up info.

[DougS.]

will probably get front springs shortly. have read about raising the front for corner exit and will probably have to do it once i raise the rear just even things back out. already talked to the guys at Kyle racing about the tripple, its on the short list of mods once i sell off some of the RC's goodies. talked to a few of the expert racers at the last couple rounds at loudon about setup and got some good tips. will see what happend

[mrgrn]

nice post

also, know of anybody looking for a spare swingarm for your bike?