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A friend has a Ducati 1198. He bought it new, has not been crashed, and does not get ridden hard at all. I had a chance to take a ride on it and was shocked at how difficult it was to turn. It took a huge amount of input to get the thing to change direction, and it did not want to stay leaned over or hold a line. It was so bad that before another friend hopped on it I warned him and he came back thanking me profusely for not letting him get into a corner before he found out the thing wouldn't turn.
I suggested to the owner that something was wrong, possibly the damper. He was indifferent, likely because it's been this way since new and he doesn't know any better (limited bike experience). I remember on old bikes with adjustable dampers that if you cranked them up full stiff the bike would steer heavy, but this was much worse. Faulty damper? Is there any other issue that could cause this? As great as the engine was I don't ever want to ride it again unless the issue is fixed, and I'd like for my friend to have a bike that handles properly. Any advice appreciated!