Ducati Monster Forum

OK, needed a new battery.  Went with a LiFe.  Much lighter!  Everything lined up and installation was easy....until I realized + & - was swapped on the new battery.  40A main fuse blown.

-Upon turning the key, the needles sweep, all gauges and lights on dash as well as the headlight, brake, and turn signals normal.  Even kept my Trip meter at 20.4 miles since last rest.

-Replaced the fuse, no start (nothing).

-Jumped the starter solenoid terminal, started and ran like normal.

-Replaced the starter solenoid with OEM part, no start (nothing).

-Disconnected the plug to the RH controls and plugged in the old RH controls (I recently replaced the RH controls with the euro spec switches), no start.

All fuses have been removed from the fuse block, one by one, and tested with a meter.

The yellow engine light goes out normally, so I don't think it is the immobilizer.

I'm thinking it could be the main relay.

Help!

Derek V

When the PO of my 996 hooked up the battery backwards it fried a circuit in the ecu.

There is a thread around here by suzyj regarding a workaround so you don't need to replace.

Try a search, or perhaps a pm to her.

Found the thread, thank you.

"If you need to bypass the ECU, pull the back off the ECU body connector, cut the wire to pin 1 (red/black) which goes to the solenoid and the wire to pin 28 (red/orange) which goes to the starter switch, and join them together in the back of the connector shell.  This will be the equivalent of putting a spanner across the solenoid to start, but a lot more convenient.  The only downside is that you're missing out on the ECU program which turns off the headlight first to give the starter more current."

Since I have the euro spec RH controls, I don't need the ECU to turn off the headlight for me.  I'm going to bypass it now and see what happens.

Derek V

As an addendum, you will lose some of the starting safety features built into the ECU.

So the starter will now crank with the bike in gear and the clutch out.

OK, done with bypassing.  No change.

To clarify, I shorted the wires within the ECU, not back to the bike.  Is this correct?  Seems like I need to connect the wires to bypass the ECU.....

"If you need to bypass the ECU, pull the back off the ECU body connector, cut the wire to pin 1 (red/black) which goes to the solenoid and the wire to pin 28 (red/orange) which goes to the starter switch, and join them together in the back of the connector shell.  This will be the equivalent of putting a spanner across the solenoid to start, but a lot more convenient.  The only downside is that you're missing out on the ECU program which turns off the headlight first to give the starter more current."

Derek V

Yep, Got it!  Bypass the ECU!!!!

Thank you!!!!!!

Derek V

Sooo...it worked?

Yep, starts normally.  I'm thinking about a DP ECU and then putting the wires back to stock.....

Derek V

It has an Arrow full system, an open airbox and K & N air filter.

Any recommendations for DP ECU?

And thanks again, I no longer have a pit in the bottom of my stomach.

Derek V

Took some creative thinking, but I got the the LiFe battery installed and installed the MotoElectric kit at the same time.  Had to install the battery with the terminals at the bottom of the barely tray.

Replaced the ground cable, + cable from battery to starter solenoid, and + cable from starter solenoid to starter.  There is 6 + wires that go towards the front of he bike, and 2 ground wires headed the same direction.  Installed those over the top of the new battery terminals.  A little bending of the terminals to make it work.

The Motoelectric cables are thicker, and a nice (silicone) insulation on them.  Quality parts.  I e-mailed Motoelectric for guidance specific to the S4R and after a week, never heard back.

I video'd the bike starting with old battery and OEM cables.  I'll take another video to compare.

Derek V

 Those cables and the LiFe battery transformed my bike. The 1100ds engine now fires immediately!