[ScottRNelson]

Okay, this is an ST2 problem, but all of the parts involved are exactly the same as on the Monster.

I noticed when I picked up my bike from being serviced that the starter button would stay in when I pushed it so that I had to wiggle it to get it to come back out. Unfortunately, I didn't notice this the last time I started it, right before riding about 30 miles. So it ran just fine and I parked it in my garage. Four days later (today), when I wanted to ride it again, the starter button was still in all the way. I corrected the situation, but now when I push the starter button I get nothing at all. I can tell the difference between stop and run on the other switch, and all other electrical components seem good. I've checked all of the fuses, and I've had the battery on a battery tender.

So, I'm guessing that maybe some of you have been through this and can tell me what you had to fix to get the bike running again. Any ideas before I tear it all apart and go through the wiring from top to bottom?

Candidates for being bad are the switch, the starter relay, or the solenoid. Anything else I should consider?

 

[DTMsurf]

Take the little housing apart, I dont know if yours is the same as my 94 but there are two little springs in there, one to make the button pop back out and one to keep a little plate in place that completes the circut when you press it in. Im guessing either the spring popped loose, got jammed, or the plastic that holds it in place broke. Anyway It cost me $80 for a new unit (the plastic on mine broke)

 

[sivan]

Can you hear the starter relay click?

 

[test-reg]

as DTMsurf said, the switch is mechanically broken, and needs to be repaired/replaced anyway. it also probably the culprit. to positively check it, look for a 4 wire connector from the right hand switch. 2 wires are for the kill switch, 2 go to the solenoid. on my bike, red/black & red/white are kill, red/blue/? are start. you can either check from the switch for continuity or jump the red/blue with the red/black (if the colors are the same) and the bike should crank.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Can you hear the starter relay click?

"When I push the starter button I get nothing at all". I've opened up the switch and I see nothing wrong in there. I believe that in an attempt to tighten the switch on the bar so that it wouldn't rotate, the plastic was distorted, causing the switch to stick. I've see the same thing on a Monster switch too. I'll make a shim for it before putting the switch back together.

The people on the ST2 list have suggested that my starter motor is fried. The worst part is that I have to undo a whole pile of screws to get the side panels off to get to anything.

I'm starting to miss the Monster already. :'(

 

[DTMsurf]

I just went through all of this headache. Here is where to start, if you want to know if your starter is fried run a wire directly from the positive terminal on the battery, just touch it, to the terminal on the starter. It should turn over, and throw some sparks. If it does nothing its fried, like mine. I found an auto electric shop to rebuild it for $40 a new one from Ducati is $570, have it rebuilt!
If it starts using my method it is either the switch (which was also bad in my case) the soleniod, or the starter relay. I would start with the relay $16, its under the seat. Then try the soleniod $60, and if you dont think its the switch dont bother replacing that till last $80 I took mine apart and it did not look bad either but after testing its continuity I found it was not working. If the plastic is just a little tweaked it wont work. I replaced mine with a unit from a newer model bike.

P.S. my starter button housing has a little plastic pin on the bottom that goes into a hole in the bar. This keeps it from rotating even if its loose. Does yours not have this?

 

[Guest]

hye scott, I am in pleasanton as wel, and it should be an easy fix. First tihng you need to do is get yourself a ohm meter. disconnect the two wires from the wire harness. Ohm the two connections out when you press the start button. it should say zero, then when you let go, it should either say OC or go to infinity. Now if it is saying zero all the time or the other, first thing to do is take it apart. get some q tips. then go down to radio shack and get some contact cleaner. clean the contact inside the starter switch. Most likely oyu got some carbon build up. Also take some WD-40 and clean the slide/button mechanism .

 

[Andrew_Cornett]

"When I push the starter button I get nothing at all".

 

[chris]

ST2 has 1.6m ecu, not the more "advanced" 1.5 or 5.9 ecu. Starter switch is independent of EFI on those.

 

[Andrew_Cornett]

ST2 has 1.6m ecu, not the more "advanced" 1.5 or 5.9 ecu. Starter switch is independent of EFI on those.

Did not know that.

 

[Guest]

Scott,

It seems that many Ducati's have a very taut wire leading to the starter/ignition control unit (I can find it on my bike, I just don't know its precise name, please read on for the location).

 

[chris]

Did not know that.

 

[Guest]

oops, mine used to do that.

 

[chris]

Scott I just noticed on posting it takes awhile for your avatar to load and I have cable....

Here's a link to the actual image:
http://www.testastretta.net/~srnelson/SRN_ST2.jpg

It's 85k in size and rather than resize the source image, it's simply reduced via the <img> tag restrictions.

Here's a link to an image that's already 65x65:
http://www.ducatitech.com/tmp/srn_st2_sm.jpg

Chris

 

[ScottRNelson]

Okay, okay!

The testastretta site goes down occasionally, so I've switched to Chris's small version.

You can't ever delete that image now, Chris. 8)

 

[chris]

Great, i'm Scott's beyatch now.

 

[ScottRNelson]

After carefully and systematically going through all of the wiring involved in starting the bike, I've determined that it is the starter relay that is burned out. I've verified that everything else is good and even started the bike up by taking the starter wire off of the relay terminal and putting it directly on the wire from the battery side. I had previously stuck a wrench across the two main terminals of the relay, but all I got was sparks, so I was afraid maybe the starter motor was damaged.

A little bit of internet research showed me that the Yamaha 21-2988 relay can be made to work if I just rewire the connector from the starter switch to use a different (and more secure) style of connector. I noticed that Chris Kelley sells them at California Cycleworks, but I ordered mine first from the local Cycle Gear (sorry, Chris).

I guess I'll post another note here when I'm done hooking it all up.

This kind of information should go in some kind of "alternate parts sources" FAQ.

 

[Guest]

I think Chris may already be the parts source ;D

 

[ScottRNelson]

Hey, wait? "ordered" ??? I've got `em in stock. I even include different connectors which actually lock. Oh, I also include the connector and metal blades for you to install on your wiring harness.

So next time I burn one out I'll order one from you.

In this case, ordering it means waiting for the part to move from San Jose to Pleasanton. I have to go back to Cycle Gear anyway to pick up the yellow RF-1000 helmet that I ordered a week ago (and had to come from further away).

 

[jessewhite007]

Scott,

Did that work for you? I have the same issue with my 2000 m750.