Best method for roll-starting an older Monster?

[Grug]

Hey guys,

Was in a rush this morning and the bike wouldn't turn over  so I was pedaling it down the road with my feet trying to get it started (it's a '99 600 Dark) it couldn't quite get going with pedal power, kicking into second and dropping the clutch. And in the end I got off the bike, pushed it by hand (could go faster that way) and got it started in neutral (I think, I was a little stressed and can't quite remember what I actually did).

There have been a couple of cold mornings now that the Monster hasn't wanted to start on. So I was wondering if anyone had suggestions of the best method for roll starting the bikes when they are being stubborn?

Cheers,

Mark

[brimo]

If your battery isn't cranking on cold mornings then it's a pretty good indicator it's on the way out.Get a new battery, then no need to worry about bumpstarting.
But if you must bump start, ignition on, start rolling in neutral, jump on bike, in with clutch, click in to 2nd and drop the clutch.

[Grug]

The starter was cranking just fine, it was the engine that didn't want to turn over and start running. Would that be the battery?

[IZ]

Get on hill..go really fast..pop in gear..start!


Luckily, I live at top of hill.  Had to do it 3 times this winter.

[Grug]

That's the problem, I'm not near any particularly substantial hills.

[Porsche Monkey]

My bike locks up the tire if I pop it in second.      Thankfully my battery works.   

[rgramjet]

My bike locks up the tire if I pop it in second.      Thankfully my battery works.  

My 748 would lock up the tire while roll starting it in second.  I learned to bounce on the seat just as I let off the clutch.  Worked every time. 

My first bike was a 750 Paso, I am a master of the bump start.

[Porsche Monkey]

My 748 would lock up the tire while roll starting it in second.  I learned to bounce on the seat just as I let off the clutch.  Worked every time. 

My first bike was a 750 Paso, I am a master of the bump start.

Mine tries to lock it up in third too, Ferraci pistons. 

[Bigbore4]

Learned this trick on my XT500 thumper.  Put the bike in gear, let the cluth out and roll it and the engine BACKWARDS up against compression.  Then follow all the other advice to bump it oof.  The rolling backwards moves the pistons away from TDC compression and lets the engine build a small amount of momentum when you dump the clutch.

This generally gets you over the hump of compression without sliding the rear.

[yotogi]

The starter was cranking just fine, it was the engine that didn't want to turn over and start running. Would that be the battery?

Possible. You could have enough to run the starter, but not enough to get good spark at the same time.

[Monster Dave]

I posted this up a while back since it helped me:

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14561.0

[brimo]

Possible. You could have enough to run the starter, but not enough to get good spark at the same time.

possible, but unlikely if the motor is turning over at it's normal speed when cranking. If the battery is that bad the motor will be turning over fairly slowly. However if it roll starts just fine then that can be the only thing wrong.
If you have access to a set of jumper leads and a battery, give that a try when cold, if it starts first time then the battery is your culprit.
if not check your battery connections are clean and tight, check the voltage when cranking, shouldn't go below about 10 volts. How old is the battery? Seems you can't hope to get more than 3 years or so out of one these days.

[Grug]

Thanks for the tips guys,  I'll do a little snooping around the battery next week.