Monster 796 Hot engine starting trouble - Help!!!

[Andyind]

Hello members,

I own a monster 796 2011. I've been facing a weird problem. Cold start is never a problem. One crank and the engine fires up, even if I start after 2 weeks of no run. But after I ride even 5 or 10 miles and the engine is hot (2 or 3 oil temperature bars), and I park the bike, switch off ignition, and try to restart, it will start the first time with a bit of a struggle.

But if I switch off immediately and try to restart, the starter motor tries to crank the engine, but feels like there is no juice and slow. The bike struggles to start. 3rd time if I try to start, I can be sure the bike wont start. Then I need to wait for a few minutes (anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour) to try to restart.

When I checked with a Ducati technician, he suspected a bad starter motor relay, or a bad starter motor itself. He wanted me to check the voltage drop at the starter motor relay terminal, and if it drops, he thinks it could be a bad relay.

I wanted to know if other monster owners have faced this problem, and how they solved it. Any help is appreciated, as I am pretty scared to park my bike during a ride and restart. I may be stuck in the middle of nowhere for hours.

Thanks in advance, Andy

[Kmcgraw11]

I have a MY12 796 and have never had that problem do the smart thing and get in to a dealer ASAP.

[alibaba]

The smart thing is to follow the Ducati technicians instructions.  Sounds like he is trying to help you for free and will work with you.  I bet with his advice you will fix it yourself and you will learn something in the process. 

[Thermite]

 Your battery is near the end of it's service life if it hasn't been changed before.  May be a contributing factor.  Have the battery tested before you spend $$$.$$.

[SpikeC]

 Why would the battery in a 2011 bike be near the end of it's service life?

[Thermite]

It's three years old.

[Andyind]

Thanks for the tips guys. I have only done 1 year and 8 months on my bike. The Ducati tech found out that there is a lot of resistance at the starter motor when the engine gets hot. he thinks the starter motor could be in trouble. let us see.

[SpikeC]

 I have had stock batteries last over 5 years without problems. If they are kept charged they last a long time unless they are defective.

[Howie]

The battery in my bike is now 7 years old, so, yes, they can last for 5 years .  New batteries, if delivered dry and activated, start their life at that point.  OEM batteries started their life also when activated, but could be around for months before finding a home in a vehicle and often are not maintained properly between assembly and delivery to the customer, so much of their life is already gone.  The 796 and 1100 need a really good battery to start properly.  Always charge and load test the battery before continuing diagnosis.

Yes, the tech might be correct about the starter.  They can bind when hot.  Amperage draw would tell the tech and he or she should know the motor is bad.

[Thermite]

I've had several batteries last five years.  Some much less.  Too many environmental factors to accurately predict the service life.  The battery is the highest failure part in the system.  Far more bikes will retire with thier original starter motor than thier original battery.

Forgive me Spike.  My post was based on my education where I learned the first rule of electrical/electronic diagnosis is "Check The Source Of Power".  It's easy, cheap, fast and no other diagnostics matter if the source of power is corrupt.

[Howie]

I've had several batteries last five years.  Some much less.  Too many environmental factors to accurately predict the service life.  The battery is the highest failure part in the system.  Far more bikes will retire with thier original starter motor than thier original battery.

Forgive me Spike.  My post was based on my education where I learned the first rule of electrical/electronic diagnosis is "Check The Source Of Power".  It's easy, cheap, fast and no other diagnostics matter if the source of power is corrupt.

Golden rule!

[memper]

Check your plugs for an overly rich condition.

[ducpainter]

I've had several batteries last five years.  Some much less.  Too many environmental factors to accurately predict the service life.  The battery is the highest failure part in the system.  Far more bikes will retire with thier original starter motor than thier original battery.

Forgive me Spike.  My post was based on my education where I learned the first rule of electrical/electronic diagnosis is "Check The Source Of Power".  It's easy, cheap, fast and no other diagnostics matter if the source of power is corrupt.

Is that like 'Is it plugged in?'

My experience is that flooded lead acid batteries will outlast AGM or gel batteries given equal attention. Since most bikes are now equipped with the newer technologies it's not a stretch to think a relatively new battery might be shot.

[Andyind]

Ducati tech identified the problem as starter motor. May be the carbon has gone bad, needs cleaning and refitting, or may be the whole starter motor has to be replaced. It is not a battery problem, that is for sure. Once I change the starter motor, I will report back.