Ducati Monster Forum

alright over a month later this bike still wont start.i took it to x-it cycles in league city tx,an eximport guy cleaned the carbs and said it was ready to go.i pick it up and it wont start. so then it take it bob lunsford honda-ducati leave it three days, pick it up and it runs normally.later that night it wont start.i almost get stranded ,get it going and this morning it turns over wont fire up. wtf.ill be calling that shop when they open.they told me the compression was 130 and 150.anybody have any ideas? this is from my original post ....just bought an 01 monster 600,been riding it for three days.i have no idea why it keeps dying.its happened three times all on the freeway going uphill at about 70 mph.last night i had to call a wrecker and i still cant get it started.oil and everything else seems to be adequate.the bike was serviced a year ago and only 200 hundred miles put on since(oil change,new battery,fuel filter,carb cleaned,spark plugs,chain and sprocket.looking at the service record,2 months and 50 miles later the monster wouldnt start.previous owner was charged 144.00 to adjust air mixter(dont know what mixter means or if its a typo).anybody have any ideas,it would be easy to go to a shop and let them screw me for a couple three hundred bucks,but after buying the bike id rather try to figure it out myself first.any help would be appreciated

Assuming the fuel system is now in tip top order your problem would be electrical and could be a whole host of things.  More information is needed before we can even help you try and sot out the problem.

How long are you riding before the bike dies? 
Does the bike instantly stall, start bucking or run out of steam gradually?
Does the starter turn the engine over at normal speed?
If you wait long enough does it restart?  How long?
If the bike turns over well, does opening the fuel cap help?
What year is the bike?
What tools and meters do you have to work with?
Do you have any electrical knowledge/

 

Definitely sounds electrical if the engine is just shutting down at freeway speeds.  Two things have direct shutdown capability - the kill switch and the kickstand switch.  Is there anything wrong or modded on the kickstand?  I would defininately bypass the kickstand switch to see if that helps. It's one thing you can probably do for $0.00

At this point, I would recommend looking at the fuel pump, and the fuel lines between the tank and the pump, and the carbs.
Since the bike is dying under periods over high fuel demand, and then not starting back up, I would think its either the fuel pump can't keep up with the demand, or there is a fuel line that is damaged internally between the tank and the carbs, that is blocking the fuel flow under high demand situations.

BC.

whats up guys,appreciate the info.had work so it took me a while to get back. i rode last night finally and once i finally get it  started and hot it cranks up with no problem.im positive it shoulldnt take me 6 or 7 times on the ignition to get it started.when the bike is cold the choke doesnt even work.im also getting some back firing when i first get it going.its an 01 m600 10700 miles.carbs cleaned again,new fuel filter new gas(it had been sitting for an entire winter)i ran down the fuel lines and theres no crimps.

also the bike doesnt die when i open it up anymore.and would a k&n air filter possibly disturb air fuel ratio?i have limited motorcycle mech knowledge,but this thing is even stumping mechanics right now.i tried popping the fuel cap and theres no pressure build up in the tank.also i had the kill switch disabled.

Another question:  Does your bike run well when it runs?

A K&N filter won't have an effect, but an open air box will.  Even then it would not cause the problems you are having.  When you get stuck on the road, very quickly check if you have spark.  Pull a spark plug wire, insert a screwdriver into the spar wire boot and hold it about an eighth of an inch from ground.  Crank engine.  No spark? Electrical.  If you look on the right side of the engine you will see two plastic lines coming down from the carburetor float bowls.  Follow these up to the float bowls.  You will see an 8 mm screw on each bowl.  This is the drain.  Open it.  Fuel does not come out, you have a fuel supply problem; fuel pump, vacuum shut off, hoses.  Now pull the spark plugs.  If they are sooty, suspect sticking floats, too high a float level or other internal carb problems. 

thanx will do.when i get the bike running now it runs great,no problems.but when its cold i have a hell of a time getting it fired up.also the last time i took it in they were thinking new jet kit.they called back and said it didnt need it,just had trash in carbs. really appreciate it howie,and all other posters

If your bike has factory jetting poor cold running is to be expected.

Alright could somebody give me an idea of what could possibly be affected by riding into strong head winds. I rode at 80 on the beltway for about 25 miles with no problem. When I jumped on last night and felt the wind stalling crossed my mind because it's happened before. And lo and behold it gradually stalls out. Felt like it was losing power or fuel. Started up 5 min later like nothing happened. Didn't check float bowl or spark,didn't have screw driver. But going into wind?

If you no longer have the grey pods on the sides of the bike, yes it is possible.  There are vent lines that go from the carbs to these pods.  The job of the pods is to provide calm air for the venting.  The good news is you don't need the pods, but the vent lines must be located in an area where the air is still.  Some experimentation may be needed.  There are also filters in these lines that can clog, though I've only heard of this happening once, on a Honda VFR.

ill try it as sooon as i get off work.i was smart oe dumb enough to ride it to work anyway.erkishhorde also mentioned something about head winds,said he changed the fuel pump and wasnt positive that was the problem,then the thread ended without an update.

Oh, sorry about that.

I had gotten a suggestion to check the grey pods like Howie mentioned and shrugged it off after I checked the one on the right and everything was fine. Problem was, I had an old hose that split and fell off the LEFT grey pod.  [bang] Finally found that when I started pulling my air box to replace the fuel lines.

That helped the stalling out at speed a little bit but I still had fuel issues. Now, though, I ran into fuel issues where the bike would sputter out and die like it was out of gas randomly whenever I had more than 70mi (about 1/2 tank of gas) on the clock. Since I'd replaced/ rerouted nearly all the fuel lines and had replaced the fuel pump and filter within the last 4 months I decided that there was likely something floating in the tank. I've since dropped off my tank for a cleaning/ POR15 rust treatment as well as a valve adjustment (I was due anyway) and have not picked it up yet so I don't know if this will nail down my problem yet.

I have very high hopes but nothing is guaranteed. Oh, another factor that pointed me toward something floating in the tank was that my fuel issues would become more frequent when I more miles on the clock (less gas in the tank).

Damn, I wish I would have seen this earlier. I'm in Houston, but I'm leaving on Wednesday for a week.

Post up in the local section, a guy named Hiero is basically the second coming of Jesus with a Torque Wrench when it comes to ducs. You should be able to get all the help you need.

If you haven't figured it out by the time I come back, i'd be more than willing to try and help.

much appreciated.would that local be dfw or hill country?i also talked to the guys at the shop.they say it fires up everytime on starter fluid hmmm.my receipt also says starts better with choke off.better? they were paid to make it start correctly [bang] thats my second carb cleaning in two weeks >:(

If you could get Hiero to look at the bike that would be great.  He knows his stuff plus he can actually see the patient.

i called ducati up and told them about the starting issues.if i even attempt to give it throttle or choke it only turns over without attempting to fire.im already thinkimg about selling the bike and going 06 or 07 monster.still gotta get this one fixed first.2001 m600 10700 miles screwed up start issue.2700 hundred too  much? ;D

just went outside and cranked on it for the hell of it.turned the key,half choke,2 or three tries and it fired right up.its a steamy 85 in h town already maybe temp is a factor. i rode the streets for about 25 min,fueled up (shell v power only)and added fuel system cleaner.i just wanna ride it like i stole it and see what happens. any pros and cons on fuel additive?

We're both in Houston  [thumbsup]

Forget fuel additives and switch to the cheap stuff (regular).

what up el matador? maybe well ride if i ever actually have a monster ;D im gonna take it in tomorrow morn if i can get it started.i still rode it to work,im a glutton for punishment.Ducati guy says it sounds like its flooding.the job description on my receipt says bike wont start,and 45 day warranty,if it has anything to do with carbs i would think im covered,but i dont know jack. ???

hi all;

read all you wrote about the start up problem which i m having a similar one.
once a night after a  party monster 2004 620 Dark s. did not start. as a workaround  2 days later i did a reverse contact using 2 screwdrivers and had it run. i drive it to service and tell them the problem , they suggest to bypass the killl switch(thought it was the problem) and direct connection to strart up switch.
well bike run :)) normally, but now when i put it to first gear it dies suddenly.
Do you have any ideas ?
do you think that bypassing sidestand switch and kill switch may lock the imobilizer so it stops the engine when gear up?

thanks.

i had my kill switch bypassed because a moto mechanic told me it could be the problem.it wasnt mine and i seriously doubt its yours.ive only been able to get mine started consistently with deep creep as astarter fluid and today i flooded and soaked the carb with it.i also got some sea foam for the gas.by being able to get yours to start it looks like spark could be an issue,but if your air and fuel filters havent been changed,nor your carbs cleeaned,could be more than one issue.keep us posted.

another thing i noticed is that after changing spark plugs twice,ducati mechs have the plugs at .20 and the owners manual says.60-.70. anybody have any idea how roughly this would make an engine idle and run?

Owners Manual has the gap as .60 - .70 mm, which would be .024" - .028".

hi all ;

today i have different situation - my bike do not even start in neutral!!!!
there is no electic in spark plugs. I tested them unplugging the plugs and see if there is some electric in the cable.
but there is non.
smth prevents firing?
do you have any idea what may cause this ?
thanks