Good afternoon, I've recently acquired a 1995 916SP, 23K miles and in really nice condition.............. except for the electrics! Several of the connectors were very frail on the crimp and I've so far replaced around a half dozen. Main problem as you'll probably guess is the two yellow wires from stator to reg/rec, which are part fried. When I first looked at the bike I didn't think they were but closer examination revealed that the final six inches of wire to the reg/rec had been replaced and the original wires upstream from there are not great. I've obtained some #10 gauge yellow, silicone coated cable to replace the whole run but am finding that original stuff is soundly trapped somewhere in the centre of the bike and is refusing to budge. I'll reroute the replacement away from the hot bits and I have some heat resistant sheathing to keep the new stuff as cool as possible. All connections will be soldered. OK I could just chop off the old stuff as much as possible and leave it there for now, but I'd prefer not to operate that way and get it out if at all possible. So, any ideas please where the old cable might be trapped and what do I need to remove to free it? The other inevitable problem is that the charge light doesn't work. I believe that most after-market reg/recs won't operate the light but are there any which do? Many thanks for any help available.
If you are new to Ducatis, starting by recommissioning a 30 year old 916 with problems is very brave indeed. Good luck with that.
Thank you. I've fully restored several (mainly) BMWs of various types and still have four, plus a 1290 KTM. So the 916 will never be a daily-user but is a welcome and refreshing change of scenery, which I'm enjoying so far. It's the tricks I need to learn to achieve what I need, without over-dismantling every time. I've done the cam belts and that went OK. But lots to learn.
Personally I like working on my 916, I comes apart in seconds and was designed to be worked on, unlike most other Ducatis which can take hours just to remove the fairings!
The wires shouldn't be trapped anywhere. They just run between the cylinders. The best way would be to start fresh, whip off the stator cover and replace the wires at the stator, eliminate the connector between the stator and the regulator and change the regulator for a better one. Our own, @nelly, has some new, European made, Series type regulators at a decent price or you can buy one from pretty much any modern bike. You might as well as the old regulator is sure to fail sooner rather than later.
That's great, many thanks. The wires seem to be trapped between the overflow (as opposed to expansion) tank and the horizontal cylinder. There looks to be just two fasteners holding the tank in place but difficult to reach without disassembly. If I can't release the wires I'll chop them off and remove them next time the tank and airbox are off. But yes, I'll do exactly as you suggest and replace the wires with gauge #10 silicone coated. The rec/reg on there actually looks to be new so I'll take it off and see if there are any names or numbers to research. Thanks again.
Hi Dave and welcome. I had an ST4 with a charge light error displayed. The ST4 is basically an ugly 916 , many similarities. I replaced a few melted connectors and it was fine afterwards. The bike is a beauty mate.
Many thanks Dez. Stator wires replaced and I'm gradually getting there with the 916. Found a solution for the generator light. I'm told that most early 916s lost their generator lights with uprated reg/recs. A site called Improve your Classic Motorcycle (or something like that) sells a LED which fits into the charge light socket. Wired to the ignition switch and earth, it'll light up on switching on the ignition and turns off when it senses charge from the generator. It'll also flash when the battery's low. Generator light reinstated for less than 15 quid.
A man with a plan ! Sounds a good solution. You mentioned working on BMW motorbikes, how was that for you ? I'm retiring this year and fancy a project or a tart up , just can't make up my mind.
BMWs are a great restoration project in that every element of the bike is modular, e.g. engine, clutch, gearbox driveshaft and final drive. Concentrate on one module then move on to the next. If you're looking to sell on a restored bike, air-cooled g/s, GS, 90S and 69S are the ones to go for - if you can find one at a sensible price! A perfect first restoration would be a R80GS/R100GS. R80g/s (1980 to 1987) are getting to be expensive in any condition, the Paris Dakar, in particular. There are several dedicated parts suppliers in the UK and pretty much everything for a GS will be available. Avoid the later bikes with painted engine cases. The 4-cylinder K-series bikes aren't popular. Go for it! There's no better way to spend retirement!
Generator charge light. Sorry, got the name a bit wrong! Source of the LEDs to reinstate the dead generator light is "Improving Classic Motorcycles.com".
