Gripe about Monster 696's Ambient Temperature Reading

[dtsduc]

The ambient temperature reading on my wife's 09' Monster 696 is inaccurate from Day One!  It was either too hot or too cold, compared to the true temperature, that is.  I tried looking for the temperature probe on the bike to see if it is too close to the engine but I cannot seem to find it and the service manual doesn't mention it. I'm guessing that it is built-in in the main cockpit guage cluster. Talked to the tech guy at the dealer and he simply said it is normal that it is inaccurate!    If that's the case, then why even put it in as a feature?! Anyone has similar experience? 

[Duckintime]

nah, dont worry about it. Youll know if its too cold to ride outside  [moto] Also look at it this way, the speedometer isnt going to be accurate either.

[Popeye the Sailor]

nah, dont worry about it. Youll know if its too cold to ride outside  [moto] Also look at it this way, the speedometer isnt going to be accurate either.

The fuel light doesn't always work, either.

Welcome to the board, btw.

[dtsduc]

Thanks guys! The ambient temp reading on my 1098 is pretty good so I just assumed that the 696 one should work the same way... Well, I've got 3 Italian stalions in the garage so I guess I should have expected that some of the "features" are just for shows.   

So some of the 696's fuel lights don't come on at all or comes on too late? Wify wouldn't be too happy if she gets stranded so I'd better just gas up 1st whenever we ride then.

[Raux]

i think a couple of people were having the temp sensor problem and had to have it replaced. it's not normal, it's wrong.

i never had a problem with that or the fuel gauge.

have your wiring harness checked. there is a service bulletin out about some wires above the vertical cyl, not sure if those are there or not.

[dtsduc]

i think a couple of people were having the temp sensor problem and had to have it replaced. it's not normal, it's wrong.

i never had a problem with that or the fuel gauge.

have your wiring harness checked. there is a service bulletin out about some wires above the vertical cyl, not sure if those are there or not.

Thanks. I will raise the issue again next time the 696 goes in for dealer service.

[duclvr]

The ambient temperature reading on my wife's 09' Monster 696 is inaccurate from Day One!  It was either too hot or too cold, compared to the true temperature, that is.  I tried looking for the temperature probe on the bike to see if it is too close to the engine but I cannot seem to find it and the service manual doesn't mention it. I'm guessing that it is built-in in the main cockpit guage cluster. Talked to the tech guy at the dealer and he simply said it is normal that it is inaccurate!    If that's the case, then why even put it in as a feature?! Anyone has similar experience? 

Is this it? #7

[roggie]

if #7 is it, then it looks like they are trying to read the temp from the fresh air in the duct as it goes into the engine? if thats the case i would think by the time the air gets to that area its a little warmer than ambient ??

[somegirl]

Thanks. I will raise the issue again next time the 696 goes in for dealer service.

Tell them it's a safety issue...the temp helps you know if there might be ice on the road.

[z0mb1e_DUC]

I'd say yes.  IIRC, when someone else around here had this issue, they found out that the sensor used to generate the reading is in the Air Intake tract.  Maybe even the same sensor the engine uses to determine the temperature based O2 density? 

[dtsduc]

if #7 is it, then it looks like they are trying to read the temp from the fresh air in the duct as it goes into the engine? if thats the case i would think by the time the air gets to that area its a little warmer than ambient ??

I searched the workshop manual and saw this before I posted but thought that this is an illogical place for it so I wrote it off as a sensor used for the engine management.  If it is in fact the same sensor then that's pretty lame.  But then again, this is the lowest Ducati in its current lineup so I won't be surprised if it is trying to save a buck or two on costs here & there... 

I'm in So. Cal so the road ice issue prolly won't fly but I'll definitely take it up with the dealer anyway.

[Bladecutter]

Yes, I'm one of the one's who has pregnant doged on here about the stupid location for the air temperature sensor on the 696 and the Monster 1100. I was also asking if anyone else could ride their bike and confirm if their temp reading was way out of kilter, but no one ever did respond to that request.

The location of the air temp sensor is in fact ridiculous since they are using it to determine the air temp reading that the users would look at to see what the air temp is. If it was solely for the computer use, then shouldn't it be in the air box, where it can't get heated up by the engine temperature?

Yes, I agree that they should either remove that air temp feature, or have a proper sensor for that information source, like they have on every other model of bike they have sold in the past.

I'm half tempted to buy one of those sensors, and place it in a different location, and see what results I get.
Typically, the sensor on other Ducati's is located under the upper triple.

BC.

[dtsduc]

Yes, I'm one of the one's who has pregnant doged on here about the stupid location for the air temperature sensor on the 696 and the Monster 1100. I was also asking if anyone else could ride their bike and confirm if their temp reading was way out of kilter, but no one ever did respond to that request.

The location of the air temp sensor is in fact ridiculous since they are using it to determine the air temp reading that the users would look at to see what the air temp is. If it was solely for the computer use, then shouldn't it be in the air box, where it can't get heated up by the engine temperature?

Yes, I agree that they should either remove that air temp feature, or have a proper sensor for that information source, like they have on every other model of bike they have sold in the past.

I'm half tempted to buy one of those sensors, and place it in a different location, and see what results I get.
Typically, the sensor on other Ducati's is located under the upper triple.

BC.

It read 104F right after I rode her home from the dealer!  How lame is that?!  Did your dealer also tell you that it's "normal" that it is inaccurate? 

[Bladecutter]

Yup, they told me that its 100% normal.
Being told that its 117 degrees on a 55 degree day doesn't seem normal to me.

I can only wonder if the air to fuel ratio is getting screwed up somehow because the computer is being told the air temperature is a non-realistic value.

Also, if the sensor gets to too high of a temperature, the dash will read ---.
Is the computer able to make sense of that value?
No one can give me a straight answer on that, either.

BC.

[ducpainter]

This may seem to be an inappropriate question, but how important is it for a motorcycle to tell you how hot, or cold it is?

Don't you guys sweat...

or shiver?