Let me tell you a story ( stick with it) Left for work this morning on the Superlight, stopped at the local petrol station, not for fuel, Key in, turn on, nothing, no dash lights power nadda !!! BOLLOX !!! Turned off turned on and all good everything as it should be, was a bit brave next and turned it off again then turned it on again, nothing !!! Sat there for 20 mins turning it off and on until eventually it came to life, got it home and checked the fuses wiring and then the barrel itself. The wiring and fuses all seem good but the barrel I took apart and cleaned, put back together and all seemed good, power lights etc, turned on and off about ten times then turned on and nothing. Anything else I need to check before I invest in a new ignition barrel ? Anything helpful would be good, getting a tad frustrated now, some times it works sometimes it don't....gotta love Ducatis, especially a 23 year old one !!!! Cheers Si
I used to have terrible trouble with the top fuse on my SS. It didn't blow but it tended to make bad contact. The cure was to pack out the contacts in the fuseholder so they made firmer contact with the fuse.
My first(stupid) thought was to twist the fuse blades to make firmer contact with the fuseholder. This was a huge mistake because that reduced the contact area and made things worse... :/ It's essential to keep the fuse-blades flat and pack out the fuseholder contacts. The other prime suspect is your battery terminals. It's worth giving them a good clean and vaseline/grease once replaced. Usual symptoms for that though are lights, fuel pump etc until you thumb the starter, then the solenoid clicks and the extra load overcomes the connection at the terminal/s and all is dead.
@Old rider, out of interest what did you pack it with ? Just tried squeezing the contacts together so the fit is firmer, tried it and it seemed to work, turned it off and on and nothing, getting confused now, don't want to shell out for a new ignition if it's something else, buggered if I know what it is apart from the barrel :Banghead:
To be honest, I'm not sure - whatever was to hand... It was probably a sliver or two of plastic between adjacent contacts, just to push the contact more firmly against the fuse blade. I've already mentioned the battery terminals but another strong possibility is the relevant relay. It's well worth replacing it as they are only a few quid from Halfords
I think I'm right in saying that all 12v automotive relays are pretty much the same. If it has the same number of contacts it will replace the one you have. Just unplug the old one, plug in a new one and you're good to go. At least one person on here replaces his regularly and considers them to be consumables. They are essentially a small solenoid and are subject to corrosion on a motorbike.
@Old rider, tried that and thought it solved it, turned it on off four times and fine, nothing on the fifth. Where is the Relay located ?
Is there a relay thingy under or around where the light switch is That was the problem on my other SS which was doing exactly what you are saying
Just looked up the Haynes manual: The relay is mounted on the inside of the right-hand side of the main fairing. It acts as a switch for all circuits via the fusebox. If all these circuits fail at the same time,the relay should be inspected first. When the ignition is switched on, the relay should be heard to click. If it doesn't,check the 30 amp fuse (the one you've checked) Make a note of which colour wires go to which number terminal. It's a cheap item which will benefit from being replaced anyway...
Just in case this is of any use I found this Not sure if same on super light Intermitant Ignition - 600ss | Ducati Forum
The fusebox contains what are simply female spade connectors..........you can remove each one by pushing a small watchmaker's type screwdriver down the slot in the plastic by the metal (closed) side of the connector.....that depresses a tab and you can pull the connector out from below..........pair of pliers used as you do to close the connector up a bit, raise the tab back a bit and shove it back in until it clicks. Check the white connector which goes into the end of the starter solenoid/relay (you can see it from the left side of the bike, below the battery carrier) Also check the Off/Run/Off switch.....they can play up too. Main relay hangs off the headlight subframe on the right hand side IIRC....PS, mine doesn't click when swiched on. NB.....The main (big one by the battery box) 30Amp fuse shouldn't affect anything other than the reg/rec.........(When an RR51 reg/rec is fitted, it is defunct)
@Old rider @Ducbird @Arquebus hey guys thanks so much for the advice, didn't even think to check the Relay !!! All sorted, until the next time that is:Kiss:
