[Gavroars]

Hi all from New Zealand,

I have a '96 Ducati Monster m900 which has issues with the starter motor not turning over sometimes. I originally suspected a faulty kill switch for a while but after reading up on here I suspect it may be either the starter motor or solenoid. I haven't got the money currently to get a mechanic look at it currently (not long brought a house) but figured you all might be able to help me with some sort of troubleshooting I can do to try and isolate the issue. Any help troubleshooting would be appreciated as it would be great to ride it again before winter hits. Thanks, Gavin

 

[QLDs4]

Good battery?
Checked leads and connector to the small wires to the solenoid?
I pulled the solenoid on my S4 (similar issue) and undid the nuts behind the leads and put a lot of WD40 and spent a few minutes triggering it with a battery using the small wires.
Let it drain out and try it again.
The grease in the solenoid can dry out especially if the bike sat for a while before you got it.
Fixed my issue, the rusted nut and corrosion on the starter end of the lead probably wasn't helping either.

 

[BauerPauer]

Had the same issue with my M750. I ended up finding three different issues during the course of ownership. The first issue was wiring getting pinched near the steering head. When the forks were turned a certain way the bike wouldn’t start. Next was a loose nut at the starter. After that was the brushes inside the starter. Replacing the brushes was much cheaper ($20) than a new starter ($600). Good luck!

Just saw this is an old thread. Maybe the info will help someone else!

 

[chris900ssie]

I have in the past eliminated the Starer solenoid as a "fault" by bridging the two large connectors with a screwdriver (and once with my door key to get me home due to a wiring fault in the starter switch loom). It will spark and if you hold it there too long it might try to weld itself in position. But if you try it and the starter spins as it should you are more than half way to fixing it.