I had 03 multi with starting issues once then few years later idle issues The earth was my problem It's very exposed and was corroded and grudy. Worked a treat cleaned up. I replaced just the points in starter motor cheap as chips worked a treat for my starting issues
You mention that the neutral light sometimes doesn't show. If the ECU doesn't recognise the the gearbox is in neutral then it won't fire IIRC. A riding mate had that problem once in France. I fiddled with the neutral wire where it comes out of the top of the gearbox and the light came on and the bike started. So worth checking that the connector there is clean. It's a push on job as I remember. It may fire up if you pull in the clutch if it thinks it is in gear. On second thoughts I think the starter didn't turn over at all in that scenario, so maybe not your problem. Good advice from the Forum members here, particularly about a dirty earth connector on the front of the frame and a battery that appears well charged but is actually weak, and faulty relays. The standard relays aren't weatherproof but you can get ones that are easily and cheaply - worth doing anyway. If you continue to have problems try multistrada.net as they specialise in aircooled multis on there and have encyclopedic knowledge of its quirks and failings.
I agree that the dedicated Multistrada Forum is worth a visit, but if your problem is ECU related then it almost seems like a taboo to discuss the finer points of this on there and instead everyone is referred to one expert who will refurbish replace parts to a good standard but won't be quizzed - maybe partly because of "the language barrier". On the neutral light/sender playing up, you can do an easy test/override for this as starter will still churn if you pull clutch lever in (providing clutch switch working ok of course).
Thanks Chris - the starter motor runs fine, there's just no sparks at the plugs. I think it's going to be a tank off session (again !) and pull all the coils etc checking for corrosion, all connectors etc etc - should keep me busy until Christmas. The bike has been temporarily stored in a damp shed and the problem has reared it's head since then. It's now back in a dry garage ! I wonder if the damp has caused some oxidation to some of the connections or earths.
quickly recheck the spark with the plugs removed, rear jacked up, in gear and spin the rear wheel, also the rpm sensor gap after you have carried out this test
Hi Finm, Thank again for the message. No spark when in gear and turning the rear wheel with the plugs out and grounded. Need a bit more time to get the tank off and do a good clean up, but am getting 12.7v across the battery terminals at rest and then 11.7v when cranking it over on the starter. Is this enough to get a spark ?
should be, they are prone to starters drawing excess current and droping battery voltage at the ECU. do you know the resistance reading of the CRANK SENSOR?
I did a Search for 'no spark' on Multistrada.net and the main culprits are: low battery voltage, but as finm says yours should be OK; crank sensor gap or other fault (ref finm again), poor earth contact, and faulty starter solenoid. None of them give an obvious signal that they are the fault but it seems it doesn't take much to make them fail. http://www.multistrada.net/forum/search.php I'd recommend a 1200 if you can afford it as they are better designed with better components. It's what I did eventually after my 1100 dash got water inside (it needs covering with a bath hat when it's parked in the rain).
i have more expieriance with the 1100, but expect its the same as 1000, left hand crancase you will see a sensor, follow the wire up to the plug and disconnect, cant mind which two pins you wanna check but its only three terminals, and one of those is a shield cant mind the ohms figure you looking for either. probably about 1.2k ohms between two pins. i have one kicking about, if i can find it i will check for yah,
Hi finm, just been doing a bit of searching on other Ducati forums and apparently you can use a Fiat CPS as a direct swap for the Ducati one - same part for about £20 in the UK ! Might just be worth doing a swap in any case at that price
it can't do much harm at that price to try but I have a feeling you need to follow up your thoughts on the damp storage as it's far more likely that this is the culprit.
the Magnetti Marelli chip might be the same and therefore can be re-flashed with the right info, but i doubt its plug and play from the fiat
I had the same issue with mine a few years back. The starting issue had also been an intermittent fault, but it decided on that day to go full-time because we were in mid-Wales, on a Sunday, 120 miles from home! I phoned a good pal of mine who is factory trained and he told me that the starter/ignition relay had packed in, but that it was identical to the relay for the headlight. The very quick test is simply to swap them over and the bike should then fire and run perfectly normally. As a get-you-home, it simply means that whichever of the high or low headlight beams is fed by the blown circuit in what used to be the starter relay, won't work, but you should be able to ride home and thereafter ride around until you get a new relay. At the time, I read that these particular relays were a real weakness but that there was a much better relay available, however, you could only get them from USA. I bought a few of them and fitted one, but never needed to fit another. They're still in a drawer in the garage somewhere! p.s. finster Private Message me if you do need a new relay and I'll send you one of the upgrades as a 'Welcome to the Forum' and Christmas present combined!
