696 Idle Speed Adjustment

[chisel]

Anyone know how to adjust the idle speed on a 696?

[zedsaid]

there's a little lever/slider on the left handle bar... to the right of the display toggle... look up where the mirror attaches.

[herm]

are you refering to the high idle for warming up the bike? if so, ^what he said^

however, i seem to remember my dealer telling me not to run the bike with the manual high idle in use. that being the case, if you are refering to how the bike idles without the lever, you will probably have to take it in to the dealer and have them do it.

hope that is of some help

[Speeddog]

AFAIK, the 696 is like all of the Ducs with O2 sensors, there's an idle control valve operated by the ECU.
So, there's no fast-idle lever, and no way for the owner to adjust the idle speed.
I've not had a 696 in my hands, so just my $.02.

I recommend taking it to a dealer, as it's a new bike issue and should be covered under initial setup, or warranty, if there's a problem.

[Howie]

Strangely enough, even though the 696 uses a more sophisticated FI it has a fast idle lever.  At this point the 696 is a new product using new FI, Siemens instead of Weber.  The bike should go back to the dealer to determine the cause of the low idle, new bike, warranty.

[cmorgan47]

what exactly is it idling at?  i.e., select "RPM" on the dash.

and is this when warm or cold?

for what it's worth, warmed up mine idles at about 1200

[morrisoto]

I brought my 695 in for the same issue a few weeks ago. It began having problems starting and would idle around 800 rpms when hot and then eventually die. The dealer fixed it all up under warranty and now it runs great...

[Speeddog]

Fast idle lever on 696! Awesome 

[chisel]

I haven't had any problems starting. However, I did start having an issue with the bike stalling.

I took my bike in to the dealer for a 300 mile courtesy inspection. The dealer told me that they had run the bike for about 15 minutes to make sure everything was running well. I started the bike without the use of the fast idle lever as it appeared to be near operating temperature. I pulled out of the dealer and rode to the first stop light. I down shifted from 2nd to 1st and then pulled the clutch in to come to a stop. A moment after pulling in the clutch, the bike stalled.

This has happened 3 subsequent times. It appears to happen when I don't allow "enough" time when warming the bike up using the fast idle lever. I'm assuming that the engine at cold idle can't overcome the slight bit of drag at the clutch when slowing.

When cold, the bike idles around 1000 rpms. When warm (2 bars on the oil temp indicator), the bike idles between 1000 and 1200 rpms.

I got to thinking that maybe adjusting the idle speed up a tiny bit would solve this problem. However, this isn't a huge issue with me as it's actually user error. I simply need to get used to allowing the engine enough time to warm to a temp that it likes. It doesn't really take that much time, just more than my last fuel injected bike (that was a 4 cylinder, so that makes some sense).

The strangest part about this whole thing is that the owner's manual mentions adjusting idle speed in conjunction with the RPM dash output, but does not mention HOW to adjust the idle speed.

[chisel]

Alright, and update on this after a loooong time... Been busy elsewhere.

So, idle speed is adjustable using three mechanisms: adjustment of the fast idle cable, adjustment of the throttle cam, and adjustment of the air bypass screws on the throttle bodies.

The last of these was what was causing the issues I was having.

The screws are covered from the factory with plastic plugs. I pried these plugs away and uncovered the air bypass screws. I then adjusted the idle up to spec (1250 to 1350 OR 1300 +- 50 rpm). I then synced the throttle bodies (they were out of sync from the factory, which probably was a huge contributor to my problems).

The bike runs much stronger and smoother on and off throttle than from the factory. I hope this helps other 696 owners.

[amnesia]

I'm not positive, but I think that I saw a setting for adjusting idle speed in the setup menu.  try scrolling through it.  It's on page 29 of your manual

[chisel]

No worries. The prior post I made was about how I figured out how to do it through experimentation and using the Factory Service Manual.

Here's what page 29 says:

Adjusting the engine idle speed (rpm)
To display the function, access the menu and select the
“RPM” page.
In addition to the upper rev counter scale, the display also
shows engine rpm numerically so that you can adjust the
idle speed more precisely.

Tis why I was forced to consult the all knowing Factory Service Manual, and not the rinky-dink Owner's Manual. 

[alibaba]

Is the fast idle lever actually that or really an enrichment lever for cold starting?  Reason I suggest this is that my 696 will not start from cold at all without using this lever.  A true fast idle lever would only increase RPMs and not necessarily change the mixture.  And, if I recall, the manual suggests using it for cold weather starts

[amnesia]

Chisel;

Point well taken.  I have never been in the screen, and assumed there was an "adjustment option"

As an aside, if my wife leaves the high idle on to "warm up" her bike and lets the RPM get much above 1300 while she's fixing her hair, the header pipe glows red all the way to the cans.  Yikes!  Looks like the bikes gonna explode.  I can see why you would want to lower the setting.  This is why I like liquid cooled bikes.  The 1100 sets the idle automatically on warm up.  In fact, every fuel injected bike I've ever seen does as well.

[chisel]

@ alibaba
The fast idle lever operates an eccentric that slightly rotates the throttle. So, I'm guessing it doesn't do anything to enrichen the bike. I've included pertinent excerpts from the owner's manual below. As you will probably notice, it's not just for cold weather, but for regular temperature above 50 and below 95. Below 50, the bike should be allowed to run for up to 5 minutes with the lever on.

@ amensia
The reason the fast idle lever is needed to start from cold or ambient engine temp is because the bike does not have an idle air control valve. I'm assuming to save money Ducati opted for a manual lever rather than an electronically controlled motor that opens or adjusts the air level when the bike is cold. Nearly every fuel injected motor I've ever dealt with has some sort of IAC, so the cold start lever was a new thing to me as well.

BTW, my pipes glow red during warm up as well, particularly the rear/vertical cylinder. I'm not a big fan of it either. I'm very much looking forward to putting some money into a tuner and some dyno time. The bike, like many factory fuel injected vehicles, is mixed far to lean for safe and long lasting engine life. However, I'm not sure if enrichening the mixture that will completely fix the problem. Maybe some ceramic coating will do the trick...

From page 49:

Cold start lever (fig. 36)
The cold start lever is used to assist starting from cold and
to raise the idle speed after starting.
The cold start lever should be used while the engine is
cold (1 or max. 2 bars lit of engine oil T). The cold start
lever should be adjusted while the engine warms up to
maintain an idle speed of around 1500 rpm.
Lever positions:
A) = lever not activated;
B) = lever fully applied.
The lever can be placed in intermediate positions to help
the engine warm up gradually (see page 60).
Important
Never use the cold start lever when the engine is warm.
Do not ride the motorcycle with the cold start lever activated.

From page 61, truncated where appropriate:

Normal ambient temperature
(between 10 °C/50 °F and 35 °C/95 °F):
1) Turn the ignition switch to position (1, fig. 50).
Check that both the green light N and the red light
on the instrument panel come on.
2) Move the cold start lever to position (B, fig. 52).
3) Make sure that the stop switch (2, fig. 51) is in the
RUN position, then press the starter button (3, fig. 51).

From page 62, truncated where appropriate:

Allow the engine to start on its own, without turning the
throttle.
Notes
If the battery is flat, the system automatically disables
operation of the starter motor.
4) Move the starter lever towards the vertical position (A)
to obtain an idle speed of 1400 to 1500 rpm.
Important
Do not rev the engine when cold. Allow some time for
the oil to warm up and reach all points that need lubricating.
5) Then, as the engine warms up, move the cold start lever
gradually towards vertical position (A, fig. 52). Once the
engine is at normal running speed, it should idle smoothly
with the cold start lever completely closed.
High ambient temperature (above 35 °C/95 °F):
Follow the same procedure for “Normal ambient
temperature”, but without using the cold start lever.
Cold ambient temperature (below 10 °C/50 °F):
Follow the procedure for “Normal ambient temperature”,
but allow up to 5 minutes for the engine to warm up (point 5).