Restart after a lay up

[Wulfie]

Hi Folks, not been here in a while but I could do with a bit of advice, due to what is best described as a crap set of personal circumstances the 748 hasn't been started since last August and I haven't had the opportunity, apart from loading it in and out of a van to do anything with it at all, so basically it has sat on it's paddock stands for 6 months, I have had a look at it and of course the battery has had it , but I managed to turn it over slowly on the button before it died, but all it did was backfire a couple of times, so clearly a new battery is in order.
Secondly the belts are due for renewal, which I had lined Kev up to do for me, but due to the lack of funds right now I am not sure that it isn't going to sit around for a lot longer than expected.
The oil in it is virtually as new as the day it went in I only managed a few hundred miles after the change, and all the other fluids were changed at the same time, so is it a case of leaving it on the stands, getting a new battery, change the belts and hit the button, or should I check anything else out before I get to trying to get it started like dropping a bit of oil down the bores etc.
Any advice gratefully recieved, thanks

Chris

[Cobbett]

The oil in it is virtually as new as the day it went in I only managed a few hundred miles after the change, and all the other fluids were changed at the same time, so is it a case of leaving it on the stands, getting a new battery, change the belts and hit the button, or should I check anything else out before I get to trying to get it started like dropping a bit of oil down the bores etc.
Any advice gratefully recieved, thanks Chris

There are thousands of Ducatis all over the country which sit there for 6 months over the winter, so I wouldn't have any concerns beyond the ones you've identified - as you say, battery, belts, hit button. (People talk about fuel degradation but I'm a sceptic: I do drop some fuel stabiliser in mine at the start of winter but it seems to me that flushing tanks and refilling them just cos the fuel is a few months old is pointless, and what people sometimes think is a 'stale fuel' problem is invariably something else.)

[jacknash]

If you can turn it over to build up some oil pressure to feed the top end, wont harm the rockers

[skidlids]

I'm all in favour of either filling with cheapish oil or better still the oil I drained last time and I do mean filing so as to bring the oil level up so as to flood the mains and big ends and swamp the oil pump, let it soak for a few days, then Drain, replace filter fill with new quality oil. remove plugs and turn engine over a bit and make sure the oil light goes out