One of the things that has been hardest to get used to with the Multi has been the constant " oh God it sounds like it not gonna start" as it slowly cranks over and finally bursts into life my bikes are always on an optimate at home but even with that its still soooo ssslllooowww to crank over so...as my bike is up on stands atm whilst the rear shock is being serviced I took the plunge and ordered a cable kit from Exige here on the forum. the kit arrived very promptly and initial impressions were very good, for those who dont know the kit has everything in it you need to carry out the swap, the instructions supplied are clear, accurate and complete with pictures to show you whats what. its a fiddly job, nothing to do with the kit at all its Ducati and the wiring loom snake they have built, but it took me just over a couple of hours (my bodywork is already off for the shock works) and its all neatly tie wrapped back into place and ready for testing this eve. whilst it still doesnt spin over like a Jap IL4, it IS noticable faster and best of all it now fires after only a half turn or so no matter how cold/warm or inbetween so as far as I'm concerned its a success Comparing the std Ducati cables with the ExactStart ones really is chalk and cheese, rather like cheap £9.99 jump cables vs £50 heavy duty ones, a vast improvement. those of you who have done this already know they make a difference, those who are considering it, I can only recommend the kit
I fitted one to mine as my bike was not starting well but it didn't help as much as I was hoping. I put a LiFePo batt in and that made a bigger difference. The cable kit was top quality tho, that is for sure.
Some way back in @Exige 's thread is a comparison video I did on my MTs1200 before and after. It made me much more confident that it would start. Agree with you about that "will it/won't it" feeling as it churns.
Strange, it should always have the same affect on speeding up the starter with a good battery - other underlying issues could prevent it firing of course such as fuelling but you should still notice far faster turning over. I would never recommend a LiFePo battery on a Ducati not designed for one (and Ducati say the same). In fact Andy B recently put a link up to an American Reg / Rec manufacturer who make Mofset Type Reg /Recs and even they say do not use them - they now make an entirely different model Reg / Rec for use with LiFePo batteries.
Yeah, so no doubt too, my 3yr old batt was starting to show it's age, but I didn't want to replace it and have the same problem. Whereas I could get a significantly higher cranking amps batt to fit in the same place. I did research it a lot and didn't find and bad reviews from people who had fitted them, in fact kinda the opposite. I am aware that they can be problematic in certain uses/areas. As for Ducati not recommending them, well they don't recommend anything unless they get paid for doing it. Chain tension etc, "take it to the dealer"
The only reason why that would be an improvement is that your original battery had poor capacity, either old or had been allowed to let the volts to drop too low. If you put a new standard battery on the performance at "start up" should be identical to the LiFePo. Sort of.... bearings worn / tight under load.... may be... unlikely?
But I asked if I took it to a Ducati Dealer and bought their new Lithium Battery and had them fit it would it be OK and would they guarantee it so your point is futile
Yep I did acknowledge that my original batt was prob weak, however now I have done both the cables and put a more powerful battery in, I no longer have cranking issues (I have other issues now!) and have done 5000km without anything bursting into flames. So has been a good improvement for me.
Hi all, if I may chip in... I've just replaced the battery on my 2013 MST 1200s GT as it became very 'hit or miss' on first start of the day, on reflection it was probably well overdue replacement. I got in the habit of starting the bike before putting all my kit on just in case I wasn't going anywhere after all!! So I did a bit of battery research first and went for the same spec lead-acid type as previous for the reasons Exige has pointed out here and it's been fine since. But from following this thread I'm now wondering whether I'd be wise and prudent to fit one of these cable kits to my pride & joy...? Exige, are you still offering a discount to forum member purchases?
Yes of course - see link below. You will need to subscribe to the forum for the discount but that is only £5 per year - and you get 15% off belts too. But check out the £15 subscription which also gives you a Halfords Trade Card too https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threa...-belt-2v-coil-kit-link-forum-discounts.36761/
The short cable from the battery +ve to the solenoid doesn't conflict with anything. The cables leading from the solenoid to the electric starter and from battery -ve to earth are a very tight fit in the channel leading from the underseat area down the left side of the rear cylinder. You have to remove the old cables to leave room, and the new ones are larger in diameter so a bit of a squeeze. Even so, bodywork is not a problem. By the way, the layout of 2010-14 Mark I Multis is different from 2015-20 Mark II DVT Multis. The cables are different.
