Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Monsters > My bike's broken down! Help please.

[eccles291]

Finished work early today... woohoo!! Left London at 4:30pm but due to the sodding bike breaking down, I didn't get home til gone 8pm!!!

Immediately prior to the breakdown the bike had been running fine. I was sitting at about 80mph in the outside lane of the A1 and suddenly the engine died. It wouldn't fire up again on the button and bump-starting was unsuccesful. Fortunately there was a gap in the traffic and I managed to dive to the inside lane, where I managed to coast to a stop on a slip road. Thank god it was there and was just reachable with the momentum I had as there was no hard shoulder. Trundling along those last few yards at only a couple of mph wasn't exactly my idea of fun with lorries bearing down on me at a rate of knots!!

It's deffo got petrol as there's at least another 30 miles to go before the reserve light's due on. Also, it didn't cough and splutter like running out of fuel, it just died in an instant - literally like hitting the kill switch (and before anyone asks, yes I DID check that! )

The first thing I did when I got off the road was check the fuse box but all the fuses seemed to be in perfect order. All the electrics seem fine as the headlight, horn, indicators and idiot lights all work but there's absolutely squat diddly when I hit the starter button.

When I got the bike, the previous owner said that sometimes the bike is a little problematic in starting and went on to explain that there's some relay(?) or other just under the fuel tank - accessible through the frame on the RHS - which needs a wire wiggling and the bike then starts. I farted about with this wire for a while at the side of the road but it made absolutely no difference at all.

I got the bike home in the back of a van but haven't had time to even look at the bike tonight. Any suggestions as to where to start looking for the cause/problem would be much appreciated though. i.e. - has anyone had this happen to them? BTW - it's a '51 plate 600 Monster with 6000 miles on the clock, if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance.

[clockwork orange]

When you turn on the ignition, does the fuel pump run ??? If not, it may be the fuel pump relay. Hubby's packed up when he had the S4, same symptoms.

[Jon]

Eccles was it wet on the way home? Do you have a alarm fitted?

The reason I ask this is because some time back coming back from WSB in the rain. My bike failed to start the next day. It was found that water ingress in to the alarm had blown the circuit board and sent the bike into an immobolised state. Fuel pump would start, lights would work also.

[eccles291]

Clockwork orange - Dunno about the fuel pump as I've never actually heard it. Unlike on my 996... I could always hear that priming itself with a little whistling-type noise. I've never heard the Monster make that noise when turning the ignition on though.

Jon - It was a little wet on the way home but it was MUCH wetter on Monday and it gave no problems then. The bike doesn't have an alarm though.

[nelly]

Will the bike turn over on the starter? Could be the infamous alternator connectors?
LHS frame rail. There's a cable that runs from the alternator that connects to a lead from the regulator. The connectors corrode, then melt. The battery doesn't charge and once flat, the bike dies.
If it has failed, usually results in a melted block connector, cut it out to good wire, bullet connectors and wrap them in tape to keep the dirt out.

[Iconic944ss]

try listening for the fuel pump with your ear against the tank - could be the pump has died....

Frank

[clockwork orange]

No other ideas - do let us know what it turns out to be tho

CO

[eccles291]

The bike doesn't turn over at all. Doesn't do a thing when the button is pressed... no humming, rattling, clicking, whirring, graunching, buzzing, ticking... absolutely nowt! It's almost like the starter button isn't connected, which is exactly what it's like when that 'relay'(?) needs it's wire wiggling!

I don't have a workshop manual for it yet (only had the bike a week and a half) so have no idea what the 'relay' thing is on the RHS.

[skidlids]

As its a 600 Monster I think it has a vac operated fuel pump so there will be no whirring etc as you would get with a electric one.
Are the battery leads tight, not only at the battery end but also where they feed to, I suspect the negative runs from the battery straight to the frame the positive may run to a small splitter box and then onto the Ignition switch and the other leg to the starter solinoid which is usually on the RHS on the underside of the battery box, it has two thick leads on it one from the battery the other to the starter motor, in between these to leads sits a 2-pin connector that connects to the starter button circuit and is prone to coming loose. This can stop you starting the bike but it will not cause it to die while running along the road although the lead on the solinoid from the battery shorting to the cylinder head will cause cutting out problems.
Also see phsyclists recent post about his non starting monster that problem was tracked to a faulty diode across a relay coil under the seat.

[KeefyB]

Originally posted by eccles291
The bike doesn't turn over at all. Doesn't do a thing when the button is pressed... no humming, rattling, clicking, whirring, graunching, buzzing, ticking... absolutely nowt! It's almost like the starter button isn't connected, which is exactly what it's like when that 'relay'(?) needs it's wire wiggling!

I don't have a workshop manual for it yet (only had the bike a week and a half) so have no idea what the 'relay' thing is on the RHS.

It sounds like the sidestand relay has packed up.They are absolute *****e.I have replaced two of the things on the missus bike.
Lift the tank up and you should see a couple of little black Siemens relays next to the battery.They cost about a fiver from a Ducati dealer.Keep a spare under the seat.