Just been to Normandy on my 2009 M1100S. Bike has just clocked up 7000 miles. I have a very annoying and unpredictable starting issue with it. For instance: - Friday morning (engine cold): bike would not start despite being on the trickle charger - Friday afternoon trip to local fuel station then travel to Portsmouth (engine hot or cold): starts beautifully. - Friday evening at ferry queue (engine hot) : wouldn't start. My mate put his hands over the pipe outlets to "create back pressure" and it started fine. - Saturday morning depart from ferry (engine cold): wouldn't start - same as above. - Sat and Sun: variously started beautifully or not with engine hot or cold. Symptom when it doesn't start: Press starter and it just turns over and over without catching. Get bored, try again and the starter sort of goes "bzing-aaah" and and error code comes up. Haven't written it down but it has "SW" in it. L/H exhaust is more sooty than the R/H. Any ideas? R
I would start by replacing all your relays. Relays are small solenoids and have moving parts, so can get sticky with time and corrosion. Secondly, do you have stick coils? Check the front cylinder plug and or coil as this is prone to weather and corrosion. Thirdly, you can't go far wrong by fitting one of @Exige 's cable kits. Even if it doesn't cure this particular problem, your engine will start better long term and your sprag clutch will last longer as a result.
Could be the starter sprag bearing. had very similar symptoms and that's what it turned out to be after trying everybleedingthingelse!
Had a 796 with this. The battery terminals were loose. The retaining strap hadn't been fitted at PDI and the battery can rock back and forth, undoing the terminals...
I had something not dissimilar, turned out that the starter solenoid terminals were not screwed in tight. Sometimes it's the little things.
Problem with these big twins is that the engine can be turning over and sounding normal but it's turning over slightly-too-slowly for the bugger to catch reliably.
That's very often because there's so much resistance in the starting circuit cables that there's just not enough juice left over for the ignition circuit. That's largely why starting circuit cable kits like @Exige 's make such a difference.
Honestly - it could be because of a bunch of reasons - many of which have been stated in this thread. Am sure he appreciates the plug though
My available kits... ExactUK HiCap Starter Cables for Ducati Motorcycles - Available Kits But I will work with any Forum member who knows his / her way around a bike to develop for models not yet covered - kit will be FOC in return for measurements and fitment photo's
Any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Of course the battery has to be strong, the plugs and coils in good nick etc etc but the starting circuit is very much a link in that chain and if it's highly resistive, the motor will never crank and start as it should.
mentiond this one a few times my old fugly 1100 had very similar issues but minus the sw message wind over no problem but no start intermittently, noticed it the first day i picked it up, it got progressively worse over two years until one day that was it. deffo no go but winding nicely. it would start with a bump but not of the starter. turned out to be a faulty starter motor. i guess it was drawing to much currant
