My poor sensitive 749 was left in the rain the other night and now it won't start. I would normally just let it dry out hub the weather is not on my side. It turns on, fuel pump primes and headlight is on but nothing on the button, it's like the kill switch is flicked. Any ideas or obvious areas that I should check?
Sit on the bike, stand up, check not in gear and if its still the same its prob the kill switch as they are known to corrode. Check your fuses also.
Dangerous stuff, WD40.....for years I have used it for cleaning bikes etc....squirt it on, wipe it off etc etc.....(no latex gloves....tw*t) .........you should see the mess it has made of the skin on my fingers and fingernails......moisture all sucked out, so I get 'bricklayers splits' as quick as anything now.....have to use superglue to close and heal them, otherwise I permanently have plasters wrapped around them. Brake and carb cleaner almost as bad. AL
Blimey! A mate of mine who's a sparky hates WD40, says it does more harm than good, but is a big fan of GT85 (silicon). I'm not entirely sure if GT85 is a better product but it does smell better! Go figure.
just read this shazam post where he says to the WD40 has no place in an electrical connector as its conatins solvents, better to use a contact clener that does not leave any residue that said i often have used wd40 on the oli pressuse sensor swicth as it easil gets full of water if bike left in the rain which results in a dim oil warning lamp on the dash gt85 is def a bit cleaner than wd40
If the 20Amp fuse on the starter solenoid circuit is blowing at odd times, you may have the same issue I had on my 999. Code 19.2. After much head-scratching, I discovered that when I applied the front brake for more than a fraction of a second, that fuse would let go. Turned out it was down to a faulty microswitch on the front-brake lever, all on the same circuit as the starter solenoid (and a few other items). Maddening until I worked it out. Edit: Yes, the fuse box in the headlight fairing
+1 to what Loz said. Start at the headlight fairing fuse cluster then check the two on the battery box and the big fuse below the battery box too. These are checks you should do periodically really and if you can see any slight discolouration in the fuse, change it. My dash fuse wouldnt blow but would just create enough resistance to cause gremlins. Changed it, problem solved! If your fuel pump is priming when you turn the key you can rule out the relay so that makes things easier. I know you have had battery charge issues in the past - are you sure the batt is topped up? What is the dash showing volts wise? There are only a few things left to check so here is a list of what I would be looking for... 1)Check, check & check again that the thing isnt in gear and hit the stop switch a few times with the ignition off. Dont trust the neutral light - move the bike and put it into & out of gear. We have all done this more than once before & thought we had a problem. 2) Do an error check. If you dont know how: With the engine off, hold down the left dash button. Keeping it pressed, turn the ignition on and keep it held down. If you have any errors it will post a code on the dash. 3) Check the battery terminal connections are good and solid - its one of those daft things. 4) Take apart & check for corrosion the stop/ run switch as it is a common issue if it has got wet. 5) Side stand switch. Im not sure how to check this one but I know it can be a problem. 6) Could be the immobiliser but im assuming that an error check would throw this up. 7) Has it got an alarm on? Could be that? 8) If she still wont go and it has a full battery with no error codes and it isnt the shut-off switch I would think its time to start checking that the plugs are getting a spark. I am assuming it will crank but not fire up? The front coil gets the worst of the elements and they can go but this doesnt sound like your problem to be honest. The only problem I have had with my bike was with a poor earth connection (very common issue). It would flatten a battery in 3 or 4 days if not ridden and the only symptom was similar to yours. The fuel pump would prime, the lights would be on and it would show whatever on the dash (not much lower volts but enough to cause gremlins). When I pressed the start button it just would go "click" and thats it. Was solved by charging the battery and having an additional earth strap fitted. It reared its ugly head after I washed it and yours has got wet... could be..... You could try starting the bike connected to an optimate but I understand that this MAY NOT BE TOO GOOD FOR YOUR ECU so be warned and dont blame me. Hope you get her going, let us know how it goes. JC
There's a cheeky 3 amp fuse that protects the ECU down by the battery box, don't forget to check that.
Classic, it wasnt in Neutral! I'm so used to having the bike covered that I never have a problem but it would seem that having uncovered for 1 night was too tempting for someone to play with the gear pedal. All's well that ends well and it was such a nice day today i rode the bicycle to work again anyway. Cheers for the help fellas
I hate to say "i told you so" but....:biggrin: The first time i did it i was like "oh no, whats wrong". Its just because its a ducati, you get scared as soon as something comes up. Glad its sorted. Jc
As an ex 749er I always read the 749 threads with interest as one day I might return. Glad you got it sorted but there's an awful lot of good advice above to bear in mind for the future. One to print out and keep under your seat for a rainly day - litterally.
I've ammended JC's list for your underseat print out for future use.... Obviously this has NEVER happened to me, so I'll just be keeping a copy of this list for the record. :wink: Great to hear that your up and running again tho....
I would be embarrased i'd left it in gear myself but i have the great pleasure of keeping my bike out on the street and i think Da Kidz on Da Estate got to it. Regardless i've printed off the list and i'll keep it under my pillion if i can find room, i do have a wafer thin mint under there already so i'm pushed for room.
