[themightye]

Bought a 2013 Evo Corse SE brand new last August after being away from bikes for the past 3 years. Love the bike but last October the bike would not start. No crank, no display, nothing, a very expensive paperweight. Bike taken to dealer, battery replaced, everything good.

Took bike out on Sunday for 240 mile ride with several Ducati owners. Great day, really appreciate what the bike could do. Get up this morning, go to start the bike, nothing. Again giant paperweight. Not happy at all right now. Do not know what the problem is. 3600 miles on bike. Was not giving any problems before this. Reliability is now becoming an issue.

Has anyone had a similar problem? It has to go back to the dealer. They said if this happens again I would have to pay for the battery. I don't know why I would have to pay for a battery if the bike fails. Not impressed with the bike. My UJM never gave me any problems over 10 years. This is the 2nd major problem in 11 months!

 

[tye1138]

The 848/1098/1198's have a voltage regulator issue. The regulator is very close to the exhaust and the heat from use AND the exhaust, tends to fry them. Ducati did a few minor changes to the design, including adding a shield, but they didn't resolve everything for everyone.

The bike is a closed-loop system with the voltage regulator working properly. The engine charges the battery at the rate it drains from it. When the voltage regulator isn't working property, the battery simply drains. Sometimes its working enough so when the bike is running it won't shut off on you. The moment you get off the bike, the battery is below 10v, it simply won't turn on anymore.

So my guess is, your dealer didn't bother diagnosing the issue.

 

[pat1098]

If they replaced the battery, it shouldn't have given trouble so soon, obviously. Particularly with the long run to charge it. There must be a charging issue which (as Tye said) the repairer failed to resolve.

The problem could be the battery, the regulator, or several other things. Major connections at the battery, the earth, the solenoid (just in front of the battery) and the starter motor should be checked/tightened. Carefully.

If the bike is under warranty, they should be rectifying the problem FOC. If they don't, you need to notify your national distributor.

As to the regulators - many have had problems with them (but for the record, mine has never given the slightest problem in over 76,000 kms - many at high revs). Keeping a check on those primary terminals may have helped with this.

Good luck with your dealer. Let us know how it went.

 

[themightye]

Thanks for the quick replies. Called the dealer, said to call roadside assistance, did that, someone is going to pick the bike up. Will mention the regulator, see if that is the problem. Whatever it is, it should not be happening. Once they determine a cause, I will post the details. Funny thing is on Sunday I was riding with 8 other Ducati owners, on everything from Monsters to 1199s. I had an absolute blast. The good feeling of Sunday is gone now, left with some confusion as to what is going on.

 

[juny]

dude that's exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. 2013 Corse also. so fucking annoying... now i'm just keeping it on a trickle charger all the time i guess. I got a new battery through warranty but it took a while.

 

[pat1098]

Dealers are not obliged to replace a battery under warranty, as it is considered a 'consumable', like brake pads etc.

However, this is a problem outside of the battery which is failing to keep it charged. Hopefully they can repair the charging issue, and the almost-new battery should survive.

The batteries on these are a bit under-size for the job they do, and need charging if the bike is left to sit for more than a week or two, but these issues on NEW BIKES are just not good enough.

If your dealer isn't fixing these issues as a matter of priority your national distributor needs to know. Perhaps mentioning this as a possibility to the dealer might help move things along..

Sometimes dealerships need to be reminded that there is a higher authority, and that purchasers of new vehicles have a whole raft of legislation protecting them from poor service.

Politely of course.

 

[juny]

the warranty over the battery lasts 6 months.

 

[themightye]

I received a call from the dealership. Just been advised the bike is ready. The fan relay was the culprit. The bike has been fixed, battery replaced thanks to Ducati. Very happy with the quick response by the dealership. Should be able to take it to work tomorrow.

 

[Billyards]

Awesome!! youll be happy on your Duc in no time! Enjoy

 

[tye1138]

I received a call from the dealership. Just been advised the bike is ready. The fan relay was the culprit. The bike has been fixed, battery replaced thanks to Ducati. Very happy with the quick response by the dealership. Should be able to take it to work tomorrow.

Just an FYI, the fan relay has absolutely nothing to do with the bike not starting.

 

[themightye]

I was told the fan would not shut off due to the relay. The constant draw led to the battery going dead. I'm not a mechanic, just relaying what was told to me...

 

[tye1138]

I was told the fan would not shut off due to the relay. The constant draw led to the battery going dead. I'm not a mechanic, just relaying what was told to me...

Umm, the fan is SUPER loud, you'd hear it.

 

[Tchase]

It's possible that the relay was kicking the fans on at random, he shuts off the bike walks away the fans turn on and run the battery dead.

 

[tye1138]

It's possible that the relay was kicking the fans on at random, he shuts off the bike walks away the fans turn on and run the battery dead.

Maybe… But generally when relays fail, they don't want to switch at all, let alone switch on their own.

 

[themightye]

For clarity's sake, this is exactly what the dealership told me about the bike. The fan relay was stuck on, causing a drain on the battery.

 

[tye1138]

For clarity's sake, this is exactly what the dealership told me about the bike. The fan relay was stuck on, causing a drain on the battery.

Yep, I don't doubt it.