Hi Guys, Two week old Multi won't start. Never missed a beat the first week I had her but have been away for a week and just got back today. Bike switched on as usual and tried to start. Bike is turning over ok but nothing. Pissed off now i have changed from a perfectly reliable bike. Any ideas Paul
If the battery is low because of an alarm or whatever, even though it turns over there may not be enough juice left over for the ignition system to give a decent spark. Is it turning over vigorously or sluggishly?
I would describe it as lazy, but it didn't sound that much different to last week. I am going to give the battery a charge and see if that makes a difference Thanks
Also, if it's anything like my bike, it's important to leave the throttle alone. Just thumb the starter and let the ecu sort it out.
+1 Ok probably not related to OP's problem, but I've found a couple of times if I've so much as cracked the throttle during starting when bike is cold, I get much turning over and no firing, necessitating a pause before restarting successfully.
My bike at 3000 miles just would not start ,despite fully charged battery , after standing for 3 weeks. Got it started on jump leads. Then OK. Into dealer soon for warranty work....... Since new it has always struggled to turn over which I have rationalised as big cylinder compression needing some oomph.
Mine would not start at all 300miles. presently en route to dealership. hopefully something simple to resolve and i can get it back quickly
The fact that it started ok with jump leads attached would suggest that the battery wasn't able to provide enough oomph on its own. Before I fitted high capacity cables, iridium plugs and a new Yuasa to my bike, I used to leave the charger attached when starting up after not using the bike for a few days. It seemed to provide just enough extra to allow it to start up. I have no need to do anything of the kind now The problem appears to be that if these bikes have a less than optimal starting system, there just isn't enough power available to both turn the engine over and provide a decent spark as well. On older bikes, high capacity starting-circuit cables, when teamed up with a decent battery, definitely provide a cure. It would be an interesting exercise to try a set on a newish bike to see what difference they make. How about it, @Exige??
Already looking in to a 1200 DVT with a Forum member :smile: but as you say if the battery isn't up to spec, especially on the older bikes, even though the cables will show an improvement they won't give a 1 second start. Battery quality (cranking power) and good quality cables that are properly sealed for life with well executed fitment (cleanliness) all work to give a satisfactory result.
Same issue here. Dealer checked the battery which was reading low under load. Will be getting it replaced (the battery that is!).
New Yuasas come with an acid kit that you use to activate the battery. If you do just this, the battery will work. However, you are supposed to immediately give the battery a good charge as well. The instructions that come with it make this clear. The guy who supplied my battery told me to plug into an intelligent charger and just let it do its thing. He said if you fail to do this, the battery will never work as it should. I can't help wondering if dealers are failing to do this and this is why people are having these problems with new bikes...
It's amazing how many people are having trouble with new batteries. Is it that new batteries can be killed by using them on a starting circuit with too much resistance or is that the battery never received its initial full charge after being activated? Both maybe...
Initially I think your 'throw it on and leave it' theory maybe the main cause. I haven't seen pictures or sizes of what cables this model uses yet but from new you would think they would be fine. But looking at the UK automotive industry I wouldn't be surprised that batches are stored outside unprotected from the eliments prior to fitting - especially if the company is in major growth. I've seen this a lot lately in the UK.
I have had a chat with a Ducati tech and his judgement is that the battery is not large enough. This makes sense as when new it hardle cranked the engine. He did say that the Panigale, when first launched, had a battery 3 times bigger but now is so small that if the engine does not catch within three start attempts it needs re charging.......sounds like Ducati designers do not ride bikes!
Wouldn't surprise me if it was to keep the headline overall weight nice and low compared to its rivals... If the battery compartment has been reduced in size as well, could be a very strong case for going lithium.
