We've had lots of questions on the DQS system the past couple of years, here are a few things to keep in mind that may or may not help in your specific situation:
1) On a brand new Ducati, the transmission tolerances are set very tight from the factory, and they will loosen up as the engine is broken in. Often times the bike will shift noticeably smoother after 1k miles or so. You'll get a little bit "clunky" shifting on the brand new bike and it will be like butter once things get settled in. We always see this with our demo fleet every year, since we put the first 50-100 miles on all of the bikes ourselves before letting customers ride them.
2) You have to make very certain that you are not touching the shift lever at all with your foot prior to making the shift. For those of us who spent years "preloading" the shift lever with our foot, and then using a quick throttle roll off to execute the shift for quick shifting on the track, this is a very difficult habit to break. Keep your foot completely away from the lever so you don't accidentally tough it early and cause a premature ignition cut.
3) The quicker you "hit" the shift lever with your foot the better the DQS system will work particularly at higher RPM's. Don't be lazy with your shifting foot, make sure you're being deliberate about the shift and moving the shifter through it's full range of motion as quickly as possible.
4) Make sure you have your shift lever adjusted for your foot position so that it's not too high. I've seen many people having shifting problems, then we've lowered their shift lever down a little bit and magically all of the problem disappear.
Hope that helps!
