This will be the second winter of Ducati ownership and I am ready to lay her up,last winter I was advised by dealer I got her from just to leave her with the optimate on and not start her until I was ready to use her again as it may cause condensation to form Since then having spoken to other owners,some of whom have supposedly spoken to guys during factory tours there is a school of thought to starting them once in a while to stop the belts from drying out and getting flat spots on What do you guys do If you do start them how long for and how often Any advice appreciated
thanks for the quick reply,sorry if its a stupid question but how do I stop it actually trying to start once I have hit the button and let go
Or.....stick it on a rear paddock stand and remove the spark plugs. Then every so often, turn the engine over via the rear wheel, to reposition the belts. I do this virtually every time I go into the shed....well its easy enough. If you're particularly fussy, a squirt of oil down the plug holes won't do any harm either.
Watch out for the salt though...it eats Ducati's alive,i usually start mine up roughly every couple of weeks and leave it idling until it reaches operating temp, and keep it on a trickle charger.
I do run mine every now and then but I make sure I run it long enough to get it good and hot so that any condensation 'burns' off. The other thing I do is to brim the tank, so there's little or no room in the tank for condensation to form and make the tank rust. Petrol floats on top of water, so the tank can rust at the bottom, under the fuel. You might think that the lack of oxygen would inhibit any corrosion but apparently not...
I do what Utopia does, only takes a second, all you need to do is move the rear wheel a few inches and the belts will be in a different position. You could turn on the ignition, hit the start button, and a second later turn off the ignition to stop the engine starting which would move the belts to a new position too.
Engine wear is mainly from cold starts - don't do it. You can turn the engine over using the back wheel without taking the plugs out in 3rd or 4th gear. If taking the plugs out a little squirt of ACF50, plugs back in, ACF50 down the pipe and plug them. Long term storage I do the above but a little oil down the plugs first with a squirt of ACF50 too.
Surely there no real load on the engine if you turn it over with the starter without it firing - what's the difference between doing this and turning it over with the back wheel? Agreed about the engine wear being mainly from cold starts though, which is why I stick with the recommended multi-grade fully synthetic oil but that's a whole new thread that will have been done to death already.
Turning over by the back wheel doesn't give you cold start wear as turning over with the starter will - you are only moving the internals a few mm not a few cycles. Also keeps the oil / ACF 50 in the bores and not out of the exhaust valves.
I usually, before winter, wash it then ride it to get it dry. Attach the battery tender and cover it up till spring .Never done any harm in the past . No chance of a winter ride in the north of england .
It must be the end of the biking season for this old chestnut to come up again like it does every year! Turn it over if you must, but if you can't be arsed and you just leave the bike over winter it will be fine. It takes more than a few months of standing to knacker the belts.
Last Winter, I covered mine with fleece blankets from that cheap fashion store (red ones to match the bike of course!). I don't know if it did any good but it did make me feel I was trying to combat condensation a little. I have wondered about creating some sort of tent over the bike and running a small dehumidifier inside it...
My 999R Fila had 1500 miles on it when purchased last year - all but a 100 miles were in the first year. It had then been mot'd from 3 years old every and every year since with about 5 to 10 miles added each year. Original belts at 10 years old and all that standing. I made sure I didn't attempt to re start it after I had done the deal though - only prior to it being in my ownership...
Most cheap fleece blankets are not breathable so you may get condensation forming on the bike under the fleece. Cotton is better as it is breathable so maybe use large towels or similar.
The Bikebubble is amazing. I live in Abu Dhabi where the summer temperature reaches 50°C and the humidity is terrible. It's impossible to ride. It's so hot garages here don't usually have a door. So, I keep my bike in the bubble during summer and in winter it looks as good as new. The bubble stops all condensation, it is a great thing for your bike.
