putting my bike together...please help me out along the way..

[Rudemouthsky]

Ok then, last questions for the night...

As I understand it, Ducati did away with the engine to frame - frame to battery ground loop in 01 in favor of one strap from the motor the battery. This is effectively what I have done, so *should* suffice, provided the engine mounting point is free of any paint or powder?

Where should I bolt the ground strap that exits the loom?

Could incorrect hookup of the rectifier or a bad rectifier be causing this issue?

I would like the definitive, slam dunk grounding method that I can do properly and will perform correctly for the life of the motorcycle.

[ducpainter]

Tell me what the ohm meter says.

[koko64]

I have it on good authority that DP was once a sparky. Who knew?

You do need bare metal. Take a sharp drill bit and twisting it by hand remove paint and powder coat from each grounding point. Bolt in the connections and then cover them with dielectric grease for protection. I do this everywhere there is a ground. I like the grounds from motor to frame, battery to frame and loom to frame at the same point where the battery grounds to frame, under the battery support bracket. Run a longer bolt there and secure both cables with a nut underneath. You can run another from that spot to the motor too if you like. My bike was a Japanese import, so it had extra grounds everywhere!
DP wants you to eliminate that factor.

Testing with fuel in the carb throats is another factor, and I would run a drip feed tank to ensure you can crank the motor with consistent fuel. FCRs need a lot of juice to get going with no choke, and they gulp air, so you need quite a bit to make them run long enough to catch it with the throttle.

I know the bike ran for a second, and that would have me wondering too, but weird shit happens. I feel you should remove a plug and earth it to the motor to check for spark the old fashioned way. At least that's a concrete test you can see. I actually have a spark tester I use that does the same thing.

I am also suspicious of your side stand switch, because you had to remove the stand because of the exhaust, and I'm a suspicious person .

[ducpainter]

That's the deal Tony...no spark in the cylinder will definitely equal no spark 'not grounded' to the head. There's enough powder and paint on his stuff to ensure there's no bare metal...anywhere. The best chance is the plug threads. I'm not picking on you Eli...really.

Think about it.

The fact it ran for a second and a half is explainable. I honestly believe he has no electrical ground to the engine so the plugs can't fire.

Call me crazy.

Your suspicion regarding the side stand switch is also valid.

[bond0087]

Just to be clear, how do you know that there is no spark? Are you saying that because it won't start, or because you know for a fact that there is no spark? If you aren't testing the spark with a spark tester or with the plug out of the engine, etc., don't jump to conclusions. Autozone has a nice tester for $9: http://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-specialty-tools/ignition-tester/great-neck-adjustable-ignition-spark-tester/10257_0_0/ if you don't already have one.

After you've verified for sure that you have no spark (which you might have already done), I would start troubleshooting the ground by checking resistances like DP mentioned, and also checking the voltage to the ignition modules and to the coils with respect to battery ground. With the negative probe of your multimeter connected to the negative battery terminal, measure the voltage at the red wires going to the ignition modules and coils. With the kill switch on, you should see 12v. If it passes that test, check the voltage of the red wires with respect to the black wires going to the ignition coil. That voltage difference should also be 12v. If either isn't, that would suggest a problem related to the safety circuits like the sidestand switch, kill switch, ignition switch, etc., or a bad ground (although you should be able to determine the bad ground using the resistance check).

PS: I don't know which wiring diagrams you have, but I color coded the wiring diagram for a 2000 Monster, which might be helpful for you (it's a bit easier to follow than the black/white versions): http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=52064.0

[Howie]

Lotsa good info in these last few posts Eli!  As bond0087 said, test for spark.  It might be a fuel problem, plus dry carbs can take a lot of cranking without a prime, particularly FCRs  Any time a frame is painted or powder coated any threaded area between an electrical component or metal bracket holding it and the frame need to be taken down to bare metal to insure a good ground.  This includes the engine and NOS frames.  Follow Tony's recommendations, on the carbs too!!  Tony knows FCRs.  Coils or coil brackets loose?  Tighten them.  Too lazy to look, but that lug grounds a bunch of stuff

Rectifier might be a problem, but unlikely your present problem.  Bike should run without a charging system until it runs out of battery. 

[Rudemouthsky]

A lot to work on tomorrow starting with the ohm meter. There is no spark and I confirmed this long ago with both plugs out of the motor and grounded to the motor, the engine studs, the plug threads...there is no spark. On either cylinder. No spark. Sidestand switch has nothing to do with it, the bike either cranks or it doesn't crank. And it's properly jumped directly at the relay at the moment and completely out of the way.

I do agree with the logic of what's been posted regarding my ground and don't feel picked on in the slightest. I don't know a damn thing about motors, electricity, or carburetion...I'm just fairly good at comprehending and following clear instructions.

Thanks for the replies, I'm pretty sure I'll have this solved this weekend 

[koko64]

I only have basic electrical understanding. I do basic test and swap parts to trouble shoot. In light of that I have a question for Howie.
Howie, since there's no spark, what is your routine for testing the ignition coils with a multimeter? What kind of readings would you look for? To what extent would an inconsistent ground for those components put them at risk?

[Howie]

Secondary circuit   High tension lead to ground (coil body) 13.5 K ohms ±20%.

Primary circuit   small terminal to small terminal 4.5 ohms ±15%.

Spark plug terminal cap 5K ohms ±10%.


My thought is the possibility of both coil dying at the same time is between slim and none.  I'm with Nate about this likely being a ground issue.  I looked back in the thread remembering Eli saying something about the coil bracket not being tight. That would be a bad ground.


Doh   For stock coils.

[koko64]

Any luck getting it running?

[koko64]

Don't leave me hangin' mate, I gotta know.

[Rudemouthsky]

I ignored the bike today. I'm drinking tequila and playing Pac Man at a new "Barcade" that opened in town recently. I needed a vacation from this thing lol. I bet I get her running by Monday thanks to y'all tho

[koko64]

Good to walk away for a break before having another go.

[Rudemouthsky]

Pretty much at my wits end here. I'm not getting any reading on my multimeter at all when I check for resistance at the coil (one lead at the lug, another at a confirmed ground). Could someone explain to me, like I'm a bumbling fool, exactly how the coils are supposed to be grounded? Each lug is bolted tight to its respective coupling nut but it isn't as if the bracket is a ground so I don't really get it. On the original setup the coils bolt to a plastic box. I don't get how that grounds anything. I'll scrape paint and powder off of anything I need to but nothing is working. I currently have a 4ga wire to the engine and all the pc is scraped away at that point. Another redundant wire I just ran to the frame where I also scraped it clean. I believe that the coils aren't grounded but I apparently don't know how to ground them or even properly use a multimeter to check. It briefly ran...I don't know what happened since then or what else to do.

[koko64]

I understand what you're saying.
Unfortunately I'd have to be looking at the job up close to be able to help at this stage. Ill leave you in Howies hands.
If you can borrow some coils you at least can ease your mind there.

Do hook up a fuel supply if you want to run it sans tank.