evening all. stopped at a shop today and when it left I started the bike but it didn't fire first time ( it usually does) and kept turning over despite my thumb not being on the starter button. turned ignition off, hit kill switch but it kept on going. madly removed the fairing and used a key to disconnect the battery. WTF? Tried tapping the starter and rocking back and forth in gear in the hope that this may have disengaged the starter? But no dice. in the end I removed the starter cable, push started and rode approx 2 miles home. what is going on and what if any damage may I have done by riding it?
The starter solenoid has stuck with the points closed, possibly welded together. A low battery is said to be cause this. The cure is a new solenoid. You won't have done any harm to the bike by riding it home with the starter disconnected.
I'm liking this.... But my battery is only 2 years old, starts the bike instantly 99% of the time and judging buy the way it kept on turning the bike over for a good 4 mins ( even when I clicked it in gear and let clutch out trying to halt the spinning it just chugged the bike forward! Only a foot befor I put back in neutral and removed battery cable) it seems far from low charged!
I'd still replace the starter solenoid whether the battery was at fault or not it sounds like it got well and truly stuck in the engage starter position . You could always whip the battery off and get it checked while your at it . Might be worth having a check to make sure the wiring leading to the solenoid is ok and not another wiring/switch or relay issue keeping the solenoid engaged (ie the switch contacts are stuck together ) easy enough to check for with a multimeter
nice one chaps... Anyone know best place to get a new solenoid? As in, just go with standard ducati or is there a better option? Can't imagine it would be an expensive item so I'm not trying to penny pinch...
Not sure myself , I'd have a nose at fleabay to start with . @900streetfighter he will probably point you in the right direction , very knowledgeable with part's place's
I generally just go to rapido for ome stuff as they are great and a few times I've nearly bought off eBay thinking it a good price, only to find genuine stuff to be cheaper! But if there is a better product out there id be keen for sure... Or is a solenoid a solenoid?
Sounds like you need a new one of these. It is a bit alarming when they stick...:Woot: Ducati Spare Parts Starter Solenoid, Relay, Monster 748 888 916 996, 39740011A | eBay
I have had it happen on my 998, quite alarming as it was causing the wiring to get hot and only by quickly disconnecting the battery did I save the wiring from burning out. Mine turned out to be a rogue battery which was damaged inside. A replacement cured the problem.
I'm pretty sure the solenoids in the newer Dukes are the same as they've always been e.g. round pot-type. In this case I did a bit of internet research and found that the ones from an Aprilia RSV series are basically the same and suffer the same Ducati issues of them failing. The answer in the Aprilia forums was to fit upgraded aftermarket items from Ebay which are advertised as being rated to 50 amps and cost about £18 from memory. The connect it that came with was the wrong fitting but this was easily swapped with a bit of soldering and a new connector. The result was more instantaneous starting and to date (about 2 years), has been utterly reliable. It was also significantly cheaper than the OEM part!
The original solenoids have a socket built into them that the cable plugs into. This often causes problems with the cable dropping out. The solenoids fitted to later bike (from around 1999/2000) have a short flying lead with the socket at the end of it. The plug and socket lock together obviating the problem of the earlier solenoids.
hmmm... Well thanks all. Have yet to test battery but have gone ahead and ordered a new solenoid from rapido,at £30.00 incl vat and delivery... Yet again proving themselves cheaper than alot of eBay sellers!
