I realize this topic has been covered in many places at various times, and I've looked over the postings, but I can't seem to find a more or less comprehensive troubleshooting list of possible causes.
Here is the situation: I purchased a 2006 S2R 1000 about 3-4 weeks ago. 19K miles. Virtually stock; no mods. Only has a FatDuc on it. All problems described below have happened within only 150-200 miles and about 3 weeks of my riding.
I don't have a Ducati mechanic nearby so looking for any advice/guidance. (It was checked by a Ducati trained mechanic at the time of purchase and given a clean bill of health; he said it was in great shape ... but perhaps he didn't look closely enough.)
It has intermittent problems with stalling at start-up. Engine turns over briefly, begins to idle and then dies out. It can idle for either 2 seconds, or up to 30 or more seconds before stalling out. Idle is otherwise steady at about 1250 RPM.
Other symptoms: it's running overly rich. Spark plugs are sooty dry black (not oily). But no backfiring, popping or black smoke.
Seems to have very poor fuel consumption; I actually ran out of gas on a short trip even though I had just added what should've been more than enough to get me 10 miles down the road.
There's also this odd "surging" symptom that some other people report: when riding at constant/steady, higher speeds and constant/steady RPMs, it feels as if it's jerking forward slightly. (This is NOT caused by bumpy or uneven roads; I can tell the difference.) At lower RPMs and speeds it kicks/jerks like crazy; I have to feather the clutch to take corners. There are moments it feels unsafe at low RPMs.
On the first time the stalling out at idle happened, I assumed it was the battery, which is actually on its last legs; had it tested at auto shop and confirmed it's getting close to (but not yet at) fail point, so I do need a new one. When I charged up the battery, the stalling problem went away. But then it recurred, even after battery has full overnight charge. (New battery is on its way.)
Another temporary cure was swapping out the spark plugs. I checked them and one of them was not firing well, so replaced all 4. It idled and ran well again for a few short rides ... but again, stalling problem returned. (Checked spark plugs again after a few short rides and they're sooty again, but not as bad as the previous ones.)
I've since swapped out the OEM air filter, which was pretty clogged up. Replaced with MWR filter. This doesn't seem to help.
I've adjusted the FatDuc settings back and forth; at one point I took it off. Again, this doesn't seem to resolve the problem.
Yesterday I experienced a rather weird episode: on the kick-stand, it stalled out; but on the PitBull stand, it idled fine. I repeated this a few times to confirm ... but after about 3 or 4 deliberate swaps between the PitBull and kick-stand, it started stalling out regardless. (Moisture pool at bottom of tank??)
Other steps I will be taking:
(1) I will replace the fuel filter.
(2) I will check the throttle bodies for synchronization.
(3) Eventually, I will hook up the ScanM5X data logger to check for error codes.
(4) And, obviously, when I have the opportunity, I will take it in to a Ducati shop. But until I do, I'm stuck in farm/cottage country with pretty much only auto mechanics around.
Many thanks for any advice!
UPDATE: Just took it out for a 2 km ride up the street on the theory that maybe the ECU would clear/readjust itself after the fiddling with the FatDuc and new air filter.
Ride worse than ever! Getting progressively worse it seems and now it's unridable. Now it is backfiring/misfiring/popping, which didn't happen before. And surging even up to 3rd gear, and surging/kicking badly. Barely limped back home.
I have no experience with a 1000DS.
From responses I have read over time here some things come to mind.
1. ECUs dont like weak batteries. They cant think straight with low voltage.
2. TPS adjustment/setting is crucial to smooth running as is TB synch, idle mixture, good injector patterns, etc..
3. Surging can be caused by too lean closed loop tuning, running way too rich and ignition issues, among other things. Lean surging is more common but I have experienced rich surging when its very rich and fouling plugs.
4. Some like the fatduc and some dont, I couldnt give an opinion on the device.
Im no Ducati specialist, but I would start with a new, fully charged battery and then try with and without the fatduc and test its settings. Write it all down and be systematic.
Great advice, thank you!
Will replace battery shortly; also fuel filter ... guess we'll see.