Ducati Sporting Club UK - 999R - Nice ornament or everyday tool?

Well yet again the R has let me down, 398 miles (100 of which have been done by the dealer, and another 100 riding it back from there, so 198 miles of actually road/personal riding to date).

The story goes Lily and I were off to Cadwell to see you guys on Sunday, we got up early, too early!!! to get over there, opened the curtains and we were greeted by rain so decided to think better of it (good job really if you read on...)

Anyway come lunchtime I get a call from a mate who's got tickets for Oulton courtesy of GSE so off we all go for a mooch round (in the car) have a quick chat with John, Rick and Ken at JHP, spot weeksy so say hello and watch several hours of qualifying action, by this point the weather has turned good, nice sunny day, time for a ride Lily and I decide.

So back home, get the bikes out the Bob Johnson starts immediately (as ever) the R dead as a door nail, they've both been on the optimate yet my R doesn't want to play. Not knowing much how the 749/999 ECU gets involved as you just push the start button and release and the engine normally turns until it starts well that isn't happening now, you press the button it attempts to start i.e. one turn the ECU light flickers then the whole thing dies, is it the starter motor not catching? battery goosed? I really don't know glad it wasn't good weather in the morning though as we'd of been up and ready to go to Cadwell and this would of happened. Anyway after much twiddling and tyre kicking/scratching heads I put the bike in gear and rotate the rear wheel backwards in a vain hope to get the cylinder onto the compression cycle, press the starter and voila she tries to start and does.... we assume it's one of those lovely Italian quirks get suited up and off we go for a 2 hour blast :D

So moving forward to Monday and BSB, bike out and low and behold exactly the same thing, press the button engine does one turn then nothing, I try the compression thing again, this time nothing... So it's bodywork off and instantly spot the battery has bulged quite a bit and is deformed quite badly, obviously caput. I'm sure a battery should last longer than 398 miles ???

Problem is we're back at Oulton today for our 3rd t/day of the year, so I need to get the R running whatever, Lily comes up with the idea of phoning our mate (the guy who has stripped/broke his Bayliss rep) and see if he still has his battery, he does so off she goes to get that while I sit there and think Japanese :rolleye: an hour or so passes and she returns, I fit the battery and it's still dead but he hasn't run the Bayliss or what's left of it for a while, so back on the optimate and then twiddle our thumbs for the rest of the day, no chance in going to Oulton now, not in the car so again the R spoils the day for both of us, Lily does the right thing and stays out of my way because I am like a bear with a sore head.

6 hours later I try to start the R..... exactly the same, caput, after me swearing and generally bad mouthing the bike we load everything up for Oulton, so probably by the time most people read this I'd of been to Oulton dropped Lily off and I'll be driving to Coventry with the bike, 3 track days so far this year and 3 missed, one through work and two through bike failure, and more track days booked which seem I'll be unlikely to attend going on current form (100% failure rate), all I want is a bike I can push the button a ride when I want, not cart back and too to Coventry every 2 to 3 weeks :mad:

It's just one of those things, I know it will get sorted John and the boys have never let me down yet, I'm just fed up, if it packs up again someone might get a bargain though because it's going next time

:rant over:

[Edited on 3-5-2005 by JPM]