[zr1000a1]

Have to say, the bike is amazing! Full Akra + Rapidbike Racing did make quite a difference - runs smoother, more responsive. Michelin Road 5 tires are great, especially on wet roads, and I don't have any rear tire-chain clearance issue.
The only huge disappointment is that there is still no Workshop Manual available .
Few minor things that I noticed and would like to know if anyone experience the same issues:
1. Hard cold start from time to time. Not always, maybe 30% of the time. But at the end, she always starts.
2. Grinding noise, rough engagement of a clutch. Only happens once first time the clutch is released on cold start. Sounds like clutch plates get dry. If I start the bike and pull the clutch for 10-15 seconds, then release - everything's fine.
3. Coming to a stop, pulling the clutch, RPM drops to the point when it seems like the bike gonna die. 99.9% of the time it manages to pick up, but 3 or 4 times it died.
4. 12,000 km on the bike, but shifting from 2nd to 1st is still very hard. Again, not always, but very often. Same finding neutral - sometimes very easy, the other times almost impossible. Blipping the throttle helps a lot to shift to N from 1st.
Are all these things normal? Were there any ECU updates those fix the problems (cold start and dies at stop)?
Last time my bike's software was updated was almost a year ago.
I'm using Maxima Extra4 15w50 full synthetic (triple ester) oil.

 

[AXSPwr]

Yes, mine struggles to both start, and stay running, on cold starts sometimes. This last weekend I had to re-start it four times before it would remain running. That was a first, but hard starting has been fairly common, and I've occasionally had to re-start it once to keep it running. Seems totally random, though I don't think it's been 30% of the time, more like 5-10%.

I've not experienced the clutch grinding issue at all.

Ducati believes the engine dying when you disengage the clutch at low RPM is normal operation. Not guessing, I have that in writing, straight from Italy. Suffice it to say I've been down this road with them already. The stalling issue is common on all the DVT bikes, including the XDiavel. Mine has gotten better since they applied a bunch of code upgrades and factory reset the ECU. I'm surprised to hear you are having this issue with an aftermarket exhaust/tune, did it do this before the exhaust work, too?

My transmission is the best shifting Ducati I've ever ridden, it even finds neutral easy. YMMV, Ducati transmissions have always been a luck of the draw sort of thing.

There are a number of code updates, and quite a few service bulletins, for these bikes if you haven't been to a dealer since your break-in service. They'll probably need to bike for a day or more to do all of it.

 

[HiFlite]

Consider this a bit of an out-of-the box reply especially since I've had no experience with wet clutch Ducatis, but I've had similar clutch/shifting problems with other vehicles. Some have been more sensitive than others, but you might consider using the owner's manual recommended oil type and weight. Especially when cold, a thicker oil may cause the clutch not to fully disengage. Not sure if it applies to typical M/C trannys, but I've also had a slicker oil wreak havoc in car manual transmissions. In particular, my RX-8 sychronizers basically quit working when I once tried some fancy-schmanzy synthetic; it reduced friction so much that the synchros couldn't spin up.

Also, IMO, the "thicker is better" legend came from the 1960's and has no relevance for modern machines and oils. Worse, especially when cold, it *reduces* oil flow at the higher rpms. Why? The oil pressure bypass opens earlier than it would with a lighter oil.

 

[zr1000a1]

Consider this a bit of an out-of-the box reply especially since I've had no experience with wet clutch Ducatis, but I've had similar clutch/shifting problems with other vehicles. Some have been more sensitive than others, but you might consider using the owner's manual recommended oil type and weight. Especially when cold, a thicker oil may cause the clutch not to fully disengage. Not sure if it applies to typical M/C trannys, but I've also had a slicker oil wreak havoc in car manual transmissions. In particular, my RX-8 sychronizers basically quit working when I once tried some fancy-schmanzy synthetic; it reduced friction so much that the synchros couldn't spin up.



Also, IMO, the "thicker is better" legend came from the 1960's and has no relevance for modern machines and oils. Worse, especially when cold, it *reduces* oil flow at the higher rpms. Why? The oil pressure bypass opens earlier than it would with a lighter oil.

15w50 is the weight that Ducati suggests. I always had a good experience with Maxima - it's real synthetic, not like Castrol, Rotella, etc.
I may try a different brand next time, but I want to stay with REAL synthetic oil. Any recommendations?