Ducati Sporting Club > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Shazaams! Posts > Shazaam! on Electrical systems

[david.hicks]

My SPS turns over but the battery dies before the engine fires. I bought the bike just before Xmas and it is the first Ducati I've had so I'm not sure if it just needs a new battery or if there is a more efficient starting procedure that I should be using or (hope not) there is something else more fundamental wrong.

I bought the bike just before Christmas and have garaged it since then on an Optimate. I rode it once or twice in the new year and it started fine (though it needed turning over for quite a long time before it fired). It went away for servicing to Moto Louigi in Jan and when it came back Rich mentioned that the battery was low so they had topped it up and charged it. Back it went into my garage and onto the Optimate again. Since then I have ridden it only a couple of times and each time I have had to jump start it from my car. It has been 2 - 4 weeks between rides and the light on the Optimate has indicated that the battery is 'good' but when I go to start it the bike turns over OK for 30 seconds or so but dies before the engine fires. I have also noticed that the noises from the alarm (Datatool Veto) are much quieter than they were.

I went to start it this morning and it has just done it again. Unfortunately my wife is out in the car so I am stuck. I know sweet FA about bike electrics so I have been meaning to ring Rich at Moto Louigi but haven't got round to it and now of course it is Sunday so I can't raise him!

Any advice much appreciated!

Cheers

[nelly]

Sounds like the battery has seen beter days. Drop a new, quality, one on her. Yuasa, Varta etc.
The SPS can be notoriously heavy on the battery, so trying to get away with a cheap one wouldn't be a wise move.
You could look at a high performance type like the Oddysey but they are big bucks.

[david.hicks]

Originally posted by nelly
Sounds like the battery has seen beter days. Drop a new, quality, one on her. Yuasa, Varta etc.
The SPS can be notoriously heavy on the battery, so trying to get away with a cheap one wouldn't be a wise move.
You could look at a high performance type like the Oddysey but they are big bucks.

Thanks very much Nelly. Anyone have recommendations on the cheapest place to buy these?

[rockhopper]

Don't you have to modify the battery tray to get the Oddysey battery to fit?

[david.hicks]

Originally posted by rockhopper
Don't you have to modify the battery tray to get the Oddysey battery to fit?

I found this http://www.batteryweb.com/motorcyclebattlist.cfm?ID=53&motorbrand=Ducati&cc= 996 which suggests that an Odyssey PC680 is the one so I had a look for UK suppliers and came up with two different batteries - similar specifications but quite different prices ....

http://www.ekmpowershop3.com/ekmps/s...&productid=303

and

http://www.priracing.co.uk/product.p...od=104&xSec=41

Does anyone know if it is either of these that should be used?

[david.hicks]

Originally posted by rockhopper
Don't you have to modify the battery tray to get the Oddysey battery to fit?

According to Varta spec on the web the YB16AL-A2 which I have in the bike at the moment measures:

207mm x 71.5mm x 164mm

and the Odyssey PC680 measures:

185mm x 79 mm x 170 (narrower, taller, deeper)

Anyone modified the battery tray to get an Odyssey in?

[TP]

On a standard 996 I had one cable tied into the battery tray and raised with some cardboard cut to fit the tray. I was going to do something more permanent but I sold the bike and bought the 998R. The R needed a battery recently but the tray is even smaller than the 996 so I just bought a Varta direct replacement instead of going the Odyssey route.

If Odyssey made a battery small enough to fit the tray in the R and had twice the cranking amps I'd have one in a shot - they are great.

[david.hicks]

Any idea if it was this one?

http://www.ekmpowershop3.com/ekmps/s...&productid=303

or this one?

http://www.priracing.co.uk/product.p...od=104&xSec=41

and being fatter than the standard battery, how much did it distort the fairing panel by?

[AndyW]

Check out Shazam he knows a thing or two about these things.
http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/xm...2350#pid103903
I'm in the market a new battery for my 748r which has been on a optimate all winter, five days off charge at servicing and now its died?

[Edited on 20-3-2006 by AndyW]

[antonye]

If you guys can get to Cadwell this weekend, we've got a load of A1 condition OEM Ducati Yuasa batteries that will be going for £20 a piece.

They're the smaller YT12B-BS ones, but should be a fine replacement for the bigger YB16AL-A2.