'08 Monster 695 at the 600 mile servicing...

[jsanford]

Before I brought my 695 in, I mentioned to the shop that it didn't seem to be running as smoothly as I thought it should, particularly between 3500-4100rpms. On that score, the mechanics reported that the bike is lean in that range to meet Euro 3 standards as that's where they test them.

It came back from diagnostics, though, as having high hydrocarbons (I think) on the back cyllinder. They suspect an ECU problem and have put in for a warranty replacement. Shop says it's okay to ride in the meantime but I'm wondering if I should be taking the bike up over a mountain pass Sunday as originally planned if the ECU isn't regulating a cyllinder properly.

Another 695 had just had the Termignoni exhaust and CPU upgrade. It's considerably louder (not a point in favor of that mod in my book) but they had taken the baffles out. I'm still hesistant to throw a lot of money at a problem I shouldn't have had out of the factory. The mechanics also mentioned that troublesome ECUs weren't uncommon (also echoing sentiments here).

I tried searching, but it doesn't appear to be working in the forum today. Anyone experience a wonky ECU in a 695 and have the replacement fix the problem?

[JonS]

Mine runs poorly below 4000 and if I persist in trying to run at low rpm, it doesn't like it at all. I've had the 6000 tuneup, but nothing is wrong with the ecu. Its well known the Multis should be run above 4 grand to be happy.
 I don't know if this helps, but they have similar motors.

[jsanford]

Ducati USA has approved the ECU exchange, but it has to come all the way from Italy.  

[ZED]

The Ducati engine prefers being above 4k in general.  Still, the new ECU swap is great.  That's the sign of a good dealer when they'll offer that up on Ducati's behalf for your benefit.  With the new ECU they can tune it better and smooth it out.  My ST3 had considerable surging below 5k at light throttle load.  With the new ECU, it's nice and smooth now.  

As an added bonus, now that you will have the warranty ECU (which just happens to be the performance ECU so they can tune it as needed to solve the problem) you have the option at a later date of putting on hi performance pipes and spending some Dyno time to really get it going.  I haven't done that with mine yet, but I expect to one day.

Enjoy.  It's worth the wait.

[ducsbill]

The Ducati engine prefers being above 4k in general.  Still, the new ECU swap is great.  That's the sign of a good dealer when they'll offer that up on Ducati's behalf for your benefit.  With the new ECU they can tune it better and smooth it out.  My ST3 had considerable surging below 5k at light throttle load.  With the new ECU, it's nice and smooth now.  

As an added bonus, now that you will have the warranty ECU (which just happens to be the performance ECU so they can tune it as needed to solve the problem) you have the option at a later date of putting on hi performance pipes and spending some Dyno time to really get it going.  I haven't done that with mine yet, but I expect to one day.

Enjoy.  It's worth the wait.

Now, did you actually get the DP ECU or did they just replace yours with a new stock ECU that just happens to work properly?  I can't imagine Ducati authorizing the DP ECU as a replacement if the factory ECU is bad.
Bill W.

[jsanford]

Now, did you actually get the DP ECU or did they just replace yours with a new stock ECU that just happens to work properly?  I can't imagine Ducati authorizing the DP ECU as a replacement if the factory ECU is bad.
Bill W.

I'm wondering about that now, too. I thought it might be another 695 stock ECU; but what shows up could be different...right?

Anyone know how long it might take? It's been three whole business days already since the approval.  

[ZED]

Now, did you actually get the DP ECU or did they just replace yours with a new stock ECU that just happens to work properly?  I can't imagine Ducati authorizing the DP ECU as a replacement if the factory ECU is bad.
Bill W.

I haven't physically looked at it.  I don't even know where it its.  However, I have actually found a dealer that I trust.  I'll take there word on it.  Your experiences may vary.

[jsanford]

Now, did you actually get the DP ECU or did they just replace yours with a new stock ECU that just happens to work properly?  I can't imagine Ducati authorizing the DP ECU as a replacement if the factory ECU is bad.
Bill W.

I swung by the shop Friday and asked--and they said that while they tried coaxing out a Ducati Performance ECU, it was a no-go.

I ended up buying the Termignoni exhaust set and DP ECU they had in stock. It won't be much louder if I leave the baffles in.  Rode the Monster yesterday, and it was an exercise in frustration--if I kept the RPMs up high, the engine temp rose to 270 degrees, if I dropped them the motor cooled and the bike would shudder.

So, we'll see.

[jsanford]

Now, did you actually get the DP ECU or did they just replace yours with a new stock ECU that just happens to work properly?  I can't imagine Ducati authorizing the DP ECU as a replacement if the factory ECU is bad.
Bill W.

[JonS]

I swung by the shop Friday and asked--and they said that while they tried coaxing out a Ducati Performance ECU, it was a no-go.

I ended up buying the Termignoni exhaust set and DP ECU they had in stock. It won't be much louder if I leave the baffles in.  Rode the Monster yesterday, and it was an exercise in frustration--if I kept the RPMs up high, the engine temp rose to 270 degrees, if I dropped them the motor cooled and the bike would shudder.

So, we'll see.

Do the people at the Monster forum suggest changing the front sprocket to one less tooth? That is something that changed my riding experience for the better and I learned about it at the Multi forum.

[jsanford]

Everyone and their grandmother suggest changing the front sprocket to one less tooth. Me; I kind of like that it's different off the line than my BMW and am getting pretty good with the clutch.

I'll re-evaluate that at the next oil change.

Anyway, picked up the bike Saturday evening and took it for a 150-mile romp Sunday. The shuddering is gone; the bike has a much stronger pickup with a roll on the throttle now. It puts bad thoughts into my head when there's a stretch of open, curvy road in front of me.   The highest temperature I observed was about 230 degrees which is MUCH better than the 280 I reached a week before.

It's a little louder, but mostly deeper with the Termonginis. The shop cut open the airbox so I now have this open space under the gas tank now, and I can hear it honk in air with heavy application of the throttle. I haven't decided if I find the sound effect menacingly raw or rat-bikey.

Also firmed up the rear shock which is a lot easier on my ankles and knees now.

[atadaskew]

Excellent!  Does the stock seat make you slide forward against the gas tank?  I found that to be the case on the 696.  
As for gearing, if you like to get out of town a lot, the taller gearing may be more relaxing on long rides.

[jsanford]

Excellent!  Does the stock seat make you slide forward against the gas tank?  I found that to be the case on the 696.  
As for gearing, if you like to get out of town a lot, the taller gearing may be more relaxing on long rides.

The stock seat was too short and dipped, period.  I took delivery with the touring seat, which is a bit on the squishy side, but doesn't cause sliding.

[jsanford]

So late yesterday afternoon around 5:30 I was reading, looking outside at the clearing weather, and decided it would be stupid not to ride since sunset is well after 9pm these days. They were predicting nasty sideways wind-rain for the week, anyway.

Anyway, I went out without a particular plan, other than to find some curvy roads in beautiful scenery.  Stumbled on a road alongside a mountain river with no LEOs.

For the first time, the pillion on another bike I encountered motioned for me to slow down--and I didn't feel I was going that fast, since I'm a little more conservative when I ride alone.

Stopped for dinner at Denny's and got on the freeway through a blind serpentine on-ramp, moved over to the HOV lane, rolled off a bit--and discovered I was still riding 85mph.  

At the end of the day, I'm still of two minds about my ECU-upgraded 695. It's a freakin' BLAST to ride, for me the embodiment of every "wanna ride a motorcycle" fantasy from my childhood: light, black, bare, big round headlight, rumbly, agile. It feels like a comfortable perch on two wheels and a motor and moves out of the way like nobody's business.

The other thing is that the only difference between 35mph and 85mph as far as motor sound and feel is the gear I'm in. The wind blast doesn't really change significantly in neutral weather.  The bike doesn't feel like it's working harder...or opened up; hard to explain, but I've never ridden anything that's so easy to lose a sense of real speed on the open freeway with cars on the road. Rear shock properly adjusted now, it feels stable and EASY at any speeds over 10mph.

It's not about displacement or horsepower, exactly. My BMW is larger in both, has get-up-and-go and I've never felt like I've opened that motor up either.  I think when I roll on with that bike, it has a bit of a crouch-before-leap feel. Or perhaps the Monster catches me because it's lighter and has much lower standover than any other bike I've ridden since the Nighthawk in the MSF.

Anyway, it inspires dangerous ideas.   The downside is I wonder if I'll lose sight of the limits of my abilities.

With the open airbox and new ECU, the motor just dumps power on demand. I can't believe people tout it as a learning bike.

[atadaskew]

it's great that you're having fun on it now.
I agree about the 'learing bike' statement.  It's not a learner's bike.  I think this misconception comes from ill advised people thinking that whatever bike is the 'base' level in a mfg's range, then that must be a beginner's bike.
Therefore, for MV Agusta the Brutale 750 is a good learner's bike!

[ZED]

Congratulations on feeling the real lure of the Ducati.
It's not really about speed, or power.  It's just about how good it feels.  
It's not really like other bikes.

[Orson]

purdy much embodies the whole V twin experience for me  

unlike Baz though, I wouldn't just limit to Ducati, my Guzzi and Aprilia and my old Ducati Darmah, all embody that wow factor  

and even though my Triumph Thruxton parallel twin only has sixty-some horsepower, it too has that grin factor that make you wanna keep cranking the throttle  

[JonS]

jsanford wrote: Anyway, it inspires dangerous ideas.   The downside is I wonder if I'll lose sight of the limits of my abilities.

To me, the bike is so capable that things take less effort than they used to. I feel like I'm further from the outer limits of my skill and going faster too.   Or something like that.

[jsanford]

To me, the bike is so capable that things take less effort than they used to. I feel like I'm further from the outer limits of my skill and going faster too.   Or something like that.

Oddly enough, I understand.  The pickup on the bike is amazing; it's so well-balanced over the wheels and low to the ground that one almost has to think about flicking over a lane or three and it happens.  Plus the brakes stop the bike really well.

In spite of the stock sprocket, I find it simple to do slow-speed maneuvers on the bike; turned it around in parking space last night.

All the "Welcome to Ducati" letters that keep showing up in my mailbox are amusing. BMW gave me a box full of goodies, including a DVD and hardback book.   Both of them are silly -- they already sold this buyer a bike.

[Oilhed]

Everytime I was unhappy with the performance of a European bike, Guzzi, BMW and Ducati, it was because I was riding at too low RPM.  Keep the revs up and the motor with be happy and so will you.