I just passed the 1,550 miles mark on my 696, so I started bringing the engine to higher RPM's.

I noticed that if I rev up very quickly, sometimes (not always) it will go all the way to the limiter without the shift light ever coming on. If I rev up more gradually, it does come on at around 8,300 RPM.

Is this normal or there is something wrong?

Thanks
Giordy

Quote from: giordy on November 28, 2008, 12:04:41 PM
I just passed the 1,550 miles mark on my 696, so I started bringing the engine to higher RPM's.

I noticed that if I rev up very quickly, sometimes (not always) it will go all the way to the limiter without the shift light ever coming on. If I rev up more gradually, it does come on at around 8,300 RPM.

Is this normal or there is something wrong?

Thanks
Giordy

Never seen a "shift light" on mine...  Are you referring to the "shift before you blow up the engine", light?  In any case it should not act differently, anything else going on with the bike?

Quote from: zLoki on November 30, 2008, 09:06:40 PM
Never seen a "shift light" on mine...  Are you referring to the "shift before you blow up the engine", light?

According to the manual, the light is supposed to go on at 800 RPM before the rev limiter, and start blinking once you reach the rev limiter.

QuoteIn any case it should not act differently, anything else going on with the bike?

Everything else seems fine.

Thanks
Giordy

It may just be an electrical gremlin, keep an eye out for anything else that might seem strange and make sure to mention it to the dealer next time you go in.  Overall it does not seem like a problem.  Maybe someone else with a M696 has another suggestion?

Quote from: zLoki on December 01, 2008, 12:09:57 PM
It may just be an electrical gremlin, keep an eye out for anything else that might seem strange and make sure to mention it to the dealer next time you go in.  Overall it does not seem like a problem.  Maybe someone else with a M696 has another suggestion?

I am always so excited that I never notice exact rpms, but according to the numbers above seems kinda low for a red light?

Quote from: semyhr on December 01, 2008, 12:22:44 PM
according to the numbers above seems kinda low for a red light?

I don't know for sure when the limiter is supposed to engage; if the light is supposed to come on about 800 RPM before the limiter: 8,300 + 800 = 9,100; considering that max power is at 9,000 RPM, it would seem to make sense to put the limiter around there...

On the other hand, when I rev up really fast (full throttle in first gear) and the shift light doesn't come on, I do feel the rev limiter kicking in but it seems to engage at much higher revs... around 10,000 or so. Maybe the rev display is just not that accurate when things are moving so fast.

I guess I'll ask the dealer the next time I go there.

I've never seen a shift light that was useful for first gear.  I remember when I used to drive a Honda S2000 that supposedly had a shift light along with the digital tachometer.  By the time you could notice it, it was already too late and into the rev limiter.

I have a similar issue with my 888 due to the tachometer being a bit slow to respond.  The rev limiter is at 10,000 rpms on that engine, but the tachometer shows about 9500 when it kicks in, and even lower if I'm accelerating rapidly in first gear.  I still have to kind of guess on that bike because it pulls strongly all the way up.  For some reason the ST2 tach is a bit more accurate and can be used to shift right before it hits the rev limiter.

Other than being annoying, hitting the rev limiter doesn't really harm anything in a Ducati engine.  Watch some of the videos from the "best sound" competition at La Ducati Days and you'll see quite a few bikes bouncing off of the rev limiter.

On the 696 I feel the decrease in the power and when it's time to shift pretty well...

Quote from: ScottRNelson on December 03, 2008, 06:20:28 AM
I've never seen a shift light that was useful for first gear.  I remember when I used to drive a Honda S2000 that supposedly had a shift light along with the digital tachometer.  By the time you could notice it, it was already too late and into the rev limiter.

I have a similar issue with my 888 due to the tachometer being a bit slow to respond. 

That's probably what's going on with mine. Thanks for the input, everybody.