[Strider78rr]

So I was pretty disappointed and I wanted to run this past some of you. I have 3 issues with the bike. This was not my bike but a local racer/track guy that let me have a go on it as I'm thinking I may want one.


First: I have NEVER ridden a bike that vibrates so much. Even Ducati's don't vibrate that much. My throttle hand was falling asleep so bad I may have lost some feeling in it or something at the time. There are some other factors at play here because my CBR600RR was doing the same thing but not nearly as bad (like half as bad). I had a Daytona 675 and it was smooth as an I4. Are these things supposed to rattle themselves to bits???


Second: The quick shifter cut was terrible!!! It was so aggressive it was almost scary how hard it cut in. It always was very inconsistent. Now with this said My CBR is the first bike I have had with a quickshifter and I was still tickling the lever earlier in the day and getting some cut on that. But by the time I was on the F3 I had trained myself to keep my foot away from the lever. We aren't sure which ECU software version the bike has on it at the moment and it does not have a tune or Corse map.


Third: My CBR600RR (Full exhaust, HRC ecu, Power Commander, Anitori QS) felt as fast or faster then the F3. On Paper the 800 should have the CBR by 15-20 HP I believe. The gearing is stock still and like I said stock (maybe older) map on the ecu. I didn't look at the setting of the electronics but the owner told me he put in the mode he races in (No TC blah blah blah.....). When I cranked on the thing it totally felt like it was being held back until way up high in the revs then it would start to go, but not with too much gusto. It was suggested that I was in the wrong gears. Could have been, though I'm pretty good at gear selection and was using the same gear I would have used on my CBR. Granted I was riding a more point and shoot style but that shouldn't have hurt the bikes drive out of corners.


Any wise words? It seemed very strange.....


For those of you that don't know Road America here is chase footage of me from that weekend on my CBR.

 

[jdgun]

I bought my F3 800 without ever having ridden one... first few rides were a complete disappointment... crap fueling, bike felt weak powerwise everywhere, only strong point was the handling, and that needed attention also.. My expectations of a 130rwhp supersport from the get go, ended up being total disappointment.
Yes the stock fueling is a let down, the power is not there, the throttle response is not there and it is a bit buzzy.

Given i went with a full system, air filter and tune all at once, but afterwards the bike was the beast i was hoping for.. amazing throttle response, powerwheelies 1st and 2nd gear and just smiles all over.. but that was what i was expecting from the get go.
I have yet to get a trackday on her, but that is coming up quick. bike looks to excite and perform for sure. after spending some serious money..

sadly it is reminescent Ducati stuff, flawed from the factory but fixable, if your willing to spend the $

 

[Strider78rr]

Interesting comment. I was ready to ride this bike love it and go buy one. This was quite an eye opener. Ok so now I have to decide which bike I want to plow a fortune into, an 848 or an F3 hahahaha.

Anyone else have anything to add on my original observations?

 

[airjawed]

I've ridden both. I think there are a few threads on the comparisons so I won't go in depth. I love the F3 much more than the panigale. Maybe my bike is fueled well? Everyone who's ridden it says it has more torque than expected and fueled well. Not just myself. So maybe it has to do with modes or ECU revisions?

My bigger reason to like the F3 is actually about fit. I think most bikes will be faster than the rider especially in a sport bike sense of things. We have a variety of bikes on all our group rides. Low power to big power. In technical aspects of the ride there really isn't much a separation in distance from lack of power. Most of the distance is from rider differences. The F3 fits my body well. The panigale does not fit me so well. Sport bikes are like suits. Should fit like a tailored suit!

Sit on both of the bikes and see what feels right.

 

[Nephalem]

make sure you are not on RAIN mode and TC is off. if you are in rain mode TC will be set to 8 and can't be changed, also the power will be reduced.

check the manual if you are not sure.

You want to have the riding mode in N(ormal) or C(ustom) and TC set to not higher than 2 if you are on the track.
if you post a picture of your dash (with ignition on) that would help a lot

 

[airjawed]

Excellent point. Dealer I bought my MV from actually said R was Race and I corrected them that it was Rain on the MV. They are a Ducati/Triumph shop so them getting it wrong isn't a shock. I think Ducati or Aprilia actually has R as race on some models and R as rain on others. Everyone really needs to open up the owners manual and set these things correctly before going on a ride no matter the bike.

make sure you are not on RAIN mode and TC is off. if you are in rain mode TC will be set to 8 and can't be changed, also the power will be reduced.

check the manual if you are not sure.

You want to have the riding mode in N(ormal) or C(ustom) and TC set to not higher than 2 if you are on the track.
if you post a picture of your dash (with ignition on) that would help a lot

 

[Ducati23]

First: I have NEVER ridden a bike that vibrates so much.

Second: The quick shifter cut was terrible!!!

Third: My CBR600RR (Full exhaust, HRC ecu, Power Commander, Anitori QS) felt as fast or faster then the F3.

Any wise words? It seemed very strange.....

Your F3 should be very smooth. Something isn't as it should be. You need to check everything that could cause this problem. Even at top speed at RA my F3 is smooth and strong.

Stock QS pretty much sucks on track. Some folks have ok luck with them, but if they had a very good QS to compare it with they might change their opinion about that. I've posted a lot about this subject in the past. There are better options FlashTune, Translogic, HM, Cordona etc. I ended up using the Cordona system and wired it independently of the ECU. Works perfectly on track, wouldn't know how it works on the street. Cordona build the QS that some Moto2 teams use.

Have your bike tuned, get a good ECU flash or a performance ECU and this problem should disappear. You may consider getting someone who really knows the F3 ECU workings like Kyle Passerini or Bruce Myers to do one for you. Worth every penny at twice the price! LOL :grin2:

These things are Italian thus some intervention may be required to get the performance you are looking for. The F3 is 98% there, find that other 2% and you'll probably have the bike you've imagined it would be. Best of luck :wink2:

 

[Strider78rr]

Great info here thanks. This was NOT my bike but a friends. I took him for his word that it was in the raciest mode and didn't look at the dash. Another buddy of mine rented one in Spain and from everything he told me about that bike leads me to believe there is definitely something up with this one.

I'm working on the owner of this bike to bring it to the dealer to get the maps updated, hopefully I can get another shot at it!

 

[italia]

Wait. You rode somebody else's bike, didn't know whether the Map Selector and Traction Control were set properly, posted that there were three issues you have with the bike compared to your CBR, and posted a video of yourself on your CBR? Just want to make sure I understand this thread.

 

[Strider78rr]

Correct. I was told by the owner that he just leaves the bike in the settings that he races it in as it is not on the streets anymore. I maybe foolishly assumed he knew what he was doing haha. The video was for reference of Road America so people could see what kind of track it is. I thought I mentioned that the bike wasn't mine woops. I'll fix it for future reference.

 

[Strider78rr]

Ok so the plot thickens. The owner just told me that he had the bike in Normal mode not Sport mode when he gave it to me. FML that pretty much blows the whole point of trying the bike...

 

[Nephalem]

normal mode is still full power just at a less aggressive throttle. I think it's a traction control thing, as said before: anything above 2 is not useful on track and even then you still have cuts

 

[airjawed]

One way or the other the bike was not giving you full power. It sounds like traction control was on max from your description and it sounds like rain mode and old tune on it. Or the bike has some other issue.



I agree that there may be better running bikes with nicer quickshifter etc... but you comparing to a cbr600 would indicate that your test ride was flawed.

Ok so the plot thickens. The owner just told me that he had the bike in Normal mode not Sport mode when he gave it to me. FML that pretty much blows the whole point of trying the bike...

 

[jdgun]

This is my word of advice for anyone who rides one of the more recent bikes with all the electronic aids and doo dads on it.
Try and learn what you can about what each bike has, and ask before taking off on a ride..
Also if it is someone elses ride, and it might have mods, ask those ever important... your running a fuel system what tuning has been done?

If you were to get a test ride on say a panigale the difference in knowing what the settings are might save your life!..

Like you may have found out, bike with the aids set up wrong might make it a no sale, or horrible ride.. Glad i gave my F3 800 a chance and had it reflashed... Qs works great and the fueling made it into such a better bike, one i would expect from a 800 supersport.

 

[Spark]

Can anyone offer insight into how the F3 race ECU might compare to one by Passerini or Myers custom tuning?

 

[Strider78rr]

Well I’m case anyone cares, the battle continues. I still have major lust for an F3 but can not get a decent demo. I may be close to getting one next week. The local dealer said that their insurance doesn’t cover sport bike demos...:|. Seems odd but ok, well my insurance is extended to anything for 30 days so I told them that in an email. We will see how that goes. They also said everything that they had that was rideable had dead batteries. Normally I would call BS but we all know that it is possible hahaha. I refuse to buy a bike without trying it first and as we have determined something was weird with my last demo attempt.

I am pretty well narrowed down to an F3 (not sure if 675 or 800) and an 848. Sometimes the idea of a 1098 or 1198 is tempting as they are basically the same price as all the others.

I’m going to look at a sweet 848 on Wednesday and hoping to ride an F3 then as well. I’ve wanted that style of Ducati since it came out and have a friend with LOTS of experience riding and working on one. So it has lots of points on the score card for it already. But th lust factor for th F3 is higher. Gotta ride’em both and see how it goes....

 

[Strider78rr]

Ahh one more thing if I do get to demo an F3can anyone give me a good recommendation on what settings to put the bike in?

 

[Nephalem]

go for the F3 800! I had a demo ride of a stock 848, newer ever would I buy this bike after having ridden an F3!
The engine was designed as to be the 800cc, 675 was just "needed" for races.

ride the bike in normal or sports mode (=more aggressive throttle response), ABS race (= rear wheel takeoff allowed), traction control to 4-6, depending on tire and weather

 

[jdgun]

You sure you don't want to demo and buy mine? LOL

 

[Ducati23]

go for the F3 800! I had a demo ride of a stock 848, newer ever would I buy this bike after having ridden an F3!
The engine was designed as to be the 800cc, 675 was just "needed" for races.

ride the bike in normal or sports mode (=more aggressive throttle response), ABS race (= rear wheel takeoff allowed), traction control to 4-6, depending on tire and weather

The settings are very much subjective. My F3 is setup in "Corono" i.e. Custom with no ABS and TC at 0-1 if dry and 7-8 if wet. It all depends on what the rider likes. If you want smooth easy to control - try Normal with ABS Race and TC at 3 or 4. You should get use to the bike then decide how it should behave in your hands. Everyone is a little different so it makes adjusting subjective. There isn't really a best setting. Personalize it so you like it. Cheers :smile2: