It's not a Harley, it will never run well below 3k rpm... in 18 years of riding Ducs I've never found that to be a problem though. Besides, a lot of them won't keep the battery charged spinning that slowly anyway!
Indeed. If I need to ride below 3k RPM, I take a Guzzi.
They won't keep the batter charged with constant running below 4k either, but at least they are smooth down to 2k or so.
My 999R is much better than either my SS or ST2 at low revs, but I really try to avoid going under 4k with the Ducatis, and they all have lowered gearing (14/43 ST2, 15/43 SS, 14/39 999R)
Tom
P.S. Even though my ST2 has shorter gearing then my SS, it actually has a higher top end, as it revs 1k higher, and has three more HP (same dyno, same day), but it's better around town due to the shorter gearing.