Resurrecting a dead Duc

[BlakeOfDoom]

Well, I got flat about two years ago and parked my Duc  since then I haven't started it, in fact I haven't even looked in its direction.....so I finally decided to get the beast up and running again....I know I need a new battery since I tried to start it a few months ago and my temp gauge said my engine was running at 338 degrees, so I believe I could use a new battery.

Anyway, I am concerned that my fuel tank, fuel lines; throttle body and fuel injectors are now probably varnished to all hell and I need to clean all that gunk out, what would be the best way to accomplish this? I had a friend suggest letting diesel sit in the tank, amd letting the throttle body and injectors have a good soak as well. Is this a good way to revive my bike? I feel like a complete idiot for letting it sit this long without doing anything.

other plans include: new oil and filter, new rear tire, and I plan on letting the chain soak in some ATF for a week, Am I on the right track?  Any advice would be great!

[Ducatl]

You're gonna wanna replace your belts for sure.  What year/model bike do you have? you say injectors so I'm assuming it's injected. I'm under the impression that injected bikes fare better when left to sit as fuel injection systems require much greater pressure than carbs.  That said, I'd do all the normal maintenance(including belts, oil, maybe clean the air filter, battery etc.) and then try to start it before tearing it apart.

That said, check the fuel lines for cracks and rot and what not.

[BlakeOfDoom]

It is an '05 620

[Ducatl]

Was it stored inside or left out in the elements? gonna probably make a big difference.

[BlakeOfDoom]

It was mainly in a garage but it has been under a covered space for a few months now, I know there are a few webs gathering on it, but I doused it in wd-40 before I started storing it outside

[Ddan]

Check the belts and oil, drain as much of the old gas out of the tank and put in fresh, and see if it'll start.  If it does, you're good, if it doesn't, keep trying.   

[Howie]

And no diesel fuel!!

[Speeddog]

You may need to replace the fuel lines inside the tank.
As the fuel goes bad, it really gets aggressive towards the rubber hoses.

Seen a couple cases of it on bikes that were sitting for long periods of time.

[Langanobob]

Unless you're rolling in money now, I wouldn't arbitrarily go out and buy a new battery. Sometimes they go bad in a relatively short time, sometimes they survive.  But give it a charge first to see what happens.

+1  on what Howie said about the Diesel fuel.  If I had a friend who told me to fill my bike with Diesel fuel I'd be inclined to fill him with Diesel instead.

If it were mine, and I've also had bikes that sat uncared for for too long, as has been suggested I'd take kind of a minimalist approach to spending money until it's proven necessary.  Change the oil, fresh gas, charge the battery, clean everything up, clean the electrical connections, clean the chain and check the chain adjustment, tire pressure, look for the universal mouse nest in the air filter housing, pull the plugs and give the cylinders a squirt of oil, then crank for 10 seconds or so to lube the cylinder walls.  I don't understand the physics of tire rubber aging and hardening but I'd put new tires on it before I did any canyon running.

I've talked to a Gates engineer about belts taking a set in storage and breaking after running again and he told me "No Way" and based on that and other evidence I don't subscribe to that theory and  I personally wouldn't worry too much about immediately changing belts.  But it's your bike and if it's a concern for you, follow Ducati's recommendation and change them.

Then start it and see how she runs.

Worst case I've had with carbureted bikes is the gas literally turning to spaghetti sauce in the float bowls.  What a time consuming mess and no way to clean it except by hand.  No FHE with gummed up fuel injectors and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

An interesting bit of trivia I picked up on the Infallible Internet is that gas goes bad in plastic tanks much faster than in metal tanks due to some sort of catalytic action.  Owning probably a dozen machines of various types that run on gas there seems to be some truth to that.

[BlakeOfDoom]

I plan on soaking the chain in ATF for about a week before I put it back on, there is no kinks or anything, but it has been sitting and has a bit of superficial rust. I plan on putting some Marvel mystery oil in the cylinders a few days before I fire it up. I pulled the belt covers off and they look fine. The battery is dead, I mean beyond frankenstein dead, there is no hope; time for a new one. The rear wheel is flat and will not hold air, It's time for a new one anyway. My main concern is the gas in the tank and injectors, it didn't smell bad when I opened the tank but I'm going to siphon out the old stuff and add new gas. the brakes still work but when I get it going it'll be time to replace all the fluid in the master cylinders.

Plus I need to chase all the black widows out of the nooks and crannies.

[OT]

Why Marvel Mystery Oil?.....why not just the oil spec'd for your engine?  All you want to do is minimize metal-to-metal contact, although the engine's cold and damage is not likely for the first few strokes.  If there's rust in the cylinder the Marvel's not gonna fix the pitting issues.

My bike sits all winter in my above-freezing garage and I just start it up and ride away in the spring.   Just keep the battery on a trickle charger.

Forgot the Stabil one year - made no difference.

My belts were made in 2003 and they're still fine.

Charge the battery, hit the button, and ride.