I've had my '96 900SS for three weeks now and had a few concerns about smoke coming from underneath the tank after a few (unsuccessful) attempts to start the beast. As many have noted, turning the motor over on the starter seemed to be a laborious affair and it seemed as if the battery was on its last legs (not the case). Lifting the tank showed the battery terminal insulators to be in an advanced state of melting/burning, with the cabling following suit. Heeding advice from experienced Ducatisti about the size of cabling and the need for good earths, I replaced the cabling from battery to solenoid to starter motor with 6mm copper, as well as the earth cable, soldering the terminals and cleaning all surfaces thoroughly. Voila! The motor now starts instantaneously and cabling remains close to ambient temp. But the Ducati had the last laugh - the brake light activation from the front brake lever has stopped working. Oh well - fairing off again and replace some connectors...
However, it's not a complete surprise. I've had 6 Fiats, 2 Alfas and 1 Lancia in my motoring life. One thing I learned early on was never to do up your seat belt until the motor had started... Saved wear and tear on the seat belt buckles!
