[DBerghaus]

Hey guys,

I'm relatively new as a Ducati owner which I am beginning to understand is both heaven and hell.

Went by the garage last week to start my bike, when pressing the starterbutton I thought the starterengine sounded kinda' tired.

The engine turned for a couple of revs but came to a halt.
I put this down to the battery being outa' juice so I charged it over night and filled the cells up.

Put the battery in and pushed the startbutton, the fuelpump primes and the solenoid kicks in( You hear a click ) but the engine doesn't turn.

I bought a multimeter and checked the battery, it says 12.55 volts, the battery is about 1,5 years. I got the bike started by running beside it and it sounds awsome. Just can't seem to get the startermotor running. Any suggestions?

I've searched the forum for similar problems so as not to post something that has allready been worked out, can't seem to find anything though.

Really thankful for any kind of help here.

/Daniel from Sweden

 

[Perazzimx14]

Two things to come to mind.

1. Get the battery "load tested". Any auto parts store should be able to do this for you to verify the condition of the battery.
2. Replace the batter earth/ground cable with a new larger diameter wire. I use 4 gauge weld lead with 4 gauge lugs.

 

[adduncan101]

a 12v battery should be measuring 13v - 14v at full charge.

 

[DBerghaus]

Thanks to the both of you!

I'll be visiting my local Ducati dealer for a "load test".
Hopefully it's just the battery

/Daniel

 

[DBerghaus]

Update!

Load test done, the equipment indicated 10,9v under heavy strain.
This should mean that the battery is working ok.
I'll be trying putting jumpercables from a car directly to the terminals( to make sure it's not a problem with the battery ). I will also be replacing the earth/ground with a larger gauge.

Any more ideas?

 

[Perazzimx14]

Update!

Load test done, the equipment indicated 10,9v under heavy strain.
This should mean that the battery is working ok.
I'll be trying putting jumpercables from a car directly to the terminals( to make sure it's not a problem with the battery ). I will also be replacing the earth/ground with a larger gauge.

Any more ideas?

10.9 under load is weak. You have a 12 volt system anything less that 12v is not enough.

You need a new battery! Jumper cables are not going to make your battery better and can cause damage to your electrical system if used improperly. What ever you do if you must use jumper cables DO NOT have the vehicle running when tryin to start your motorcycle.

 

[pat1098]

All good advice. I agree that you probably need a new battery.
You also need to have a close inspection of the white connector with the three yellow wires behind the battery housing - the main connector between the alternator and the regulator - as these are not actually rated up to the loads/current they sometimes carry, and may show signs of overheating. An auto electrician can replace them with something better.
In days gone by Ducati used to fit silver wiring and connectors to the alternator wiring to minimise this problem (all copper now), but many Ducatis suffer from an indirect earth wiring, that goes from the battery to the frame, with another wire from the frame to the engine. With a painted frame, and a potentially oxidised engine case, there is real potential for resistance to develop, and when these bikes are ten years old, this needs to be serviced.
So if you haven't already got a direct earth lead between the battery and the engine, you should add one. Earth and high-load terminals develop resistance over time, and may benefit from a clean-up. Think solenoid, starter motor etc.
Remember that some of these terminals affect charging as well as starting. It is a CIRCUIT - that is, it needs to have minimal resistance throughout to function correctly.
You don't want your new battery to fail prematurely..

 

[DBerghaus]

Thanks to you both!

Now that you mention it pat1098 I did smell something "electrical" when the starter first "gave out". I will definately check the connectors you mentioned! I will also check all the grounding surfaces for oxidisation.

Is there some way I can check the "total resistance" with a multimeter?
/Daniel

 

[Perazzimx14]

Thanks to you both!

Now that you mention it pat1098 I did smell something "electrical" when the starter first "gave out". I will definately check the connectors you mentioned! I will also check all the grounding surfaces for oxidisation.

Is there some way I can check the "total resistance" with a multimeter?
/Daniel

Don't check the ground cable, replace it. Don't clean the connectors on the ground cable, replace it. Don't resistance test the ground cable, replace it. Don't inspect the ground cable for damage, replace it. When you replace the cable as suggested go from the negative battery terminal to a clean place on the engine block.

Now replace you old battery with a good fully charged battery and hit the starter. I'll bet all your starting problems are fixed at this point.

Don't over complicate this. A new 20" +/- piece of 4 gauge stranded weld lead wire w/ connectors on each end and a good battery should be all you need. Or if you are not comfortable making a ground cable most auto parts stores (not your local Ducati shop) have pre made battery leads in various lengths. You need only go pick one of proper length and install it.

 

[DBerghaus]

Hey guys, here comes an update!

Went through the cables! The + cable from the battery connects to the solenoid which is placed directly under the batterybox. From the solenoid there's another cable that goes to the starterengine. This cable had burned on the connector on the solenoid. I also found a high resistance between the negative cable and the frame on the bike.

I'm gonna replace the groundcable with a larger gage, I will also change the cable from the solenoid to the starterengine. The solenoid doesn't seem to be working either so I'll probably replace that as well. This and a new battery will hopefully solve the problem.

any thoughts?

/Daniel

 

[DBerghaus]

Forgot to update!

Made all new cables and replaced the solenoid+battery.
Started on first try!
The starter is still kind of "slow".
My guess is that it's the groundcable giving resistance.
The groundcable is currently mounted to the frame.
I will follow Perazzimx14 advice and find a new mountingplace on the engine block.
Thanks again for the advices!

 

[pat1098]

Leave the earth leads from battery to frame and frame to engine in place, with a good clean and tighten of their terminals.
Add a direct cable from the battery negative to the earth bolt on the rear RHS of the engine.
If your bike still has the black finned non-fusible connector on the battery positive lead (just behind the battery) eliminate this. An auto-electrician can help with this. There is usually just enough length in the heavy red cables to fit a new end to fit directly to the battery. You will need to extract the wire from the black housing without losing any length.
There may also be issues with your starter motor and sprag engagement, and these models also benefit from stronger ignition coils, but I'm sure the above advice will get it starting for you.
Make sure the low-tension wiring connector on the starter solenoid (the thin wiring from the starter button) is clean and properly engaged, as these are inclined to get pulled in their situation under the airbox. (When they re-located the solenoid on this model they didn't lengthen these wires).

 

[DBerghaus]

Thanks!

I'll start by adding the cable from the negative terminal to the groundbolt!
Checked the wiring from the starterbutton to the solenoid, looks good.

 

[DBerghaus]

Added a cable between the negative terminal on the battery and the earth bolt.
Worked like charm!
Thanks again!

/Daniel