Hi Guys just picked up a 02/03 999, it stopped starting at first it would turnover and start fine then it would turn over and when I take my finger of the button it would continue to try starting, now it clicks once and again about 10 sec later please help and thank you in advance?? Si
Is fuel pump priming when you turn key and flick kill switch on. If battery is charged and you getting just a click then check solenoid. 2nd click might be lights going on off cos motor not running. Ps Bike wont start if in gear with stand down.
Simon The starter motor continuing to turn the engine over is normal when you press the starter button once, and then take your finger off the button! Sounds like your battery is not sufficiently charged from your symptoms. On the l.h.s handle bar there is a 'cold start lever'. This is not a choke. It opens the throttle butterfly's a tiny amount to aid starting when cold. Each bike is different, and experimentation will determine what's best for your bike. Don't touch the throttle until the engine has fired and is running.
You are not alone 749S - Won't start !!! | Ducati Forum Make sure your battery is fully charged and holding charge (replace if required) Replace the coil/injector/pump relay Do the secondary earth mod
Cheers guys Just to point out the bike has stopped turning over now all i get is a click, the battery is on a optimate 111 trickle charger which is showing it to be healthy , Chrisw what is the secondary earth mod??? Si
+1 Change to starter solenoid if your just getting a click with the battery fully charged and check all the earth connections for corrosion/tightness including the starter motor. The latter is prone to getting crap thrown at it if the rubber boot is not on properly and water can work it's way under it even if it is. As previously posted, check that the fuel pump relay is clicking on and is priming - check the fuses. Also note that I've had a couple of batteries that even though the charger/multi-meter says they're fully charged, they wouldn't actually hold it for any length of time and didn't have enough power to actually turn the motor over. A new battery immediately cured the problem. Hope this helps.
Simon If you haven't already done so, the very first , and easiest thing to check is the condition and tightness of the nuts and bolts that connect the battery. Remove them, clean them, and fasten tightly.
Poor earthing on the 749/999 is an issue as they get older. The mod involves running an additional earth lead from the battery -ve to the starter motor bolt towards the middle of the engine (as in picture in post). The leads can be bought from a motor factors (Halfords etc).
I had a similar issue with mine a couple of months back, battery 'showed' fully charged on optimate but in fact battery was knackered and one of the cells had packed in. Best way to check, take it off the optimate, hook it up to a multimeter and with the bike off see if the voltage drops. Mine started around 13.10 and just counted down steadily. At 12.56v I stopped watching it and replaced the battery. Never had an issue since replacing the battery
If you've got a decent hill nearby, try bump starting it. Always works for mine when the battery is a bit flat.
My bet would be a knackered battery . Tender or not if its just clicking and it was turning over OK then it is sure to be the battery . Try it with jump leads from a car . As long as the car is not running it will do no harm . If it turns over OK then you will be sure its the battery .
My son's battery showed full charge on the optimate and 12.6 with a multimeter but would not turn his honda over at all, I held the multimeter on the battery while pushing the starter and it dropped to 4.5v. It shouldn't drop below 9.5 if the battery is good using the test I have described. Steve
This is true. It's a bit all or nothing and you have to make sure that your hill is long enough for a couple of goes at least. I think on the one time I failed I got the car out and drove down to it and jump started it.
It seems that if the starting system is less than 100%, there's not enough juice left to run the ignition system properly as well as the starter. I've fitted a motoelectric kit that piggy backs on top of the battery cables and replaces the solenoid to starter cable. it now spins and starts beautifully. According to the makers, the oem wires are only just adequate when new and once they've deteriorated a bit, resistance builds up until the bike becomes really reluctant to start. The new cables have many more strands, are much thicker but still more flexible. The terminals are made of solid, thick copper. The kit is a faff to fit on a 999 and isn't cheap but IMHO well worth it to hear the motor spin rather than struggle and I don't need to worry about my sprag clutch quite so much!
The price is high, especially when you have to pay duty etc as well but there are some rather convincing pics on the site, demonstrating the differences between their product, oem and cheaper solutions. Sadly, there is no one producing a cheaper alternative on this side of the pond, so lacking the expertise to come up with something comparable myself, I coughed up. The main point is though, that this does appear to be a weak point on all electric start Ducatis and there is a solution but it is expensive unless you have the knowledge, skill and resources to make your own.
I just got a set of leads from Halfrauds and replaced the oem... starts first time very time... and yeah it is a faff to do them (749 here). Total cost was less than £20.
