Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum banner

Starter wont stop

5.5K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  troyslap  
#1 ·
I have seen this happen a couple of times now on my 2002 m750ies.. I will go to start it, and the starter will spin, I think the bike is starting, so I let off the starter button...

The bike does not start, and the starter just keeps going... Mashing the starter button, flipping the kill switch, all these things dont stop it. The starter just keeps grinding away, until I turn the bike off with the key.

Anyone else seen this issue? It has only happened 3 times since I got the bike (1500 miles). If it is just one of those "quirks" with owning a duck, fine, but if it is something more serious...
 
#5 ·
Ducs seem to have a variety of starting issues.... :(
'Dane, I think you have (A) :

A) On late model Monsters with the 5.9 ECU, the starter button sends a voltage signal to the ECU, which looks at a group of sensors (neutral switch, clutch switch, sidestand switch and maybe others) and decides whether it will allow the starter to crank. My '02 S4 has done the same thing as yours did. Cranking, but no start. Do a key off/key on cycle, and everything is fine. I'm pretty convinced this is a bug in the ECU software.

B) Sticky start button. Usually cured by a clean & lube job.

C) Sticking or non-functioning starter solenoid. The OEM starter solenoid doesn't seem very robust, CaCycleworks has a replacement unit that's a lot better. A real PITA if it sticks, 'cause the starter motor won't stop until you disconnect the battery. If the bike starts and you don't notice that the starter is still cranking, it can stay on for a long time...Very hard on the battery, solenoid and starter, they're not capable of continuous duty (no starting system really is).

D) Wiring continuity issues, from the switch all the way to the main power cables to the starter.
 
#7 ·
This is fairly common on new Ducs, goes away quickly. The starter button can also get crudded up on older ones, especially when stored outside or not ridden awhile.