misfiring backfiring monster

[samuraibiker]

hey guys

was out riding today on my 97 carbed monster 400 and noticed a slight backfire  after 10 mins....aftermarket custom made exhaust system ...ok, going to happen sometimes ( like my vespa )......oh no....

on the way home.....massive loss of power, misfiring and backfiring like crazy and i lost all power to my winkers, tail light and instrument panel.... but not the headlight !!!!??

have checked the internet high and low and all i can find is material related to injector models

newbie to dukes so any pointers? the loss of instrument panel/ winkers/ tail light means it could be electrical ( ? )or just a co-incidence?

[Howie]

First I would check my charging rate to make sure the alternator and regulator are functioning correctly, just to rule out basics.  If that is the problem you will probably need to jump start the bike.  My guess though, since you say the headlight works properly the problem will be high resistance in the main relay and/or associated wiring or high resistance at the fuse box.  Ah, wait, old Monster.  Check the ground from the engine to the frame.  Got a wiring diagram?  Multimeter?

[ducpainter]

Wiring diagram... Monster wiring by nh_painter, on Flickr

Click on the photo and scroll right for the key. It's for a '96 900, but it should be the same.

[clubhousemotorsports]

Sounds like the battery is low enough to not feed the ignition, as Howie said check charging voltage at the battery and see what you have. an easier test would be , will it start again. Often if the electrics get that low the bike does not have enough power to restart. The bike is the right age to have a ducati electronica regulator which is prone to failure.

If not the battery charging system see if it is dropping one cylinder or two.
check resistance of the pick up coils
look for wiring that has un-pluged itself.

[samuraibiker]

hey guys

first of all, thanks to ducp and howie...you guys always step up and offer advice even to the more moronic of us, like me.

when i had a pick up ignition coil go on me last year, i was given the advice of checking the ground from the engine to the frame but due my utter incompetence, even armed with a haynes manual, could never figure out where this was. Where exactly is this elusive cable?  I do have a mulitmeter and will dig around with the prongs.

update...thanks clubhousemotorsports ...good advice and will do that for sure..... i hope it is that cheap chinese battery only

will update when wifey allows me to disappear into my garage ( my suzuki grasstracker has a short somewhere and keeps blowing the main fuse and my vespa px sounds like it has bronchitis after i put a way too big aftermarket muffler on it ...many things to do ! )

[ducpainter]

Ground connections are under the battery box, one at the R/R, and from the r/h rearset to the engine.

[tbyte]

look for wiring that has un-pluged itself

You replaced the ignition coil last year?  I would pull battery and check the connections under both coils.  Loss of signal lights may be a a separate issue.

[samuraibiker]

update.... now NO power to the instrument panel and the bike won`t start

battery is fine and starts my suzuki no problem, checked all fuses, fine

found a thread , guy had exactly the same issue so I am convinced this is a simple electrical fault

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36631.0

in this post , speeddog say

`Try swapping the 2 small relays, they're next to the battery on the left side `

which relays are these??

[ducpainter]

update.... now NO power to the instrument panel and the bike won`t start

battery is fine and starts my suzuki no problem, checked all fuses, fine

found a thread , guy had exactly the same issue so I am convinced this is a simple electrical fault

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36631.0

in this post , speeddog say

`Try swapping the 2 small relays, they're next to the battery on the left side `

which relays are these??

On your bike the relays are under the seat next to the fuse panel. One is for the lights, the other is called the main relay.

[samuraibiker]

hey ducp

ahhh...i swapped those today with replacement spares...no joy....must be something in the battery area....

[ducpainter]

hey ducp

ahhh...i swapped those today with replacement spares...no joy....must be something in the battery area....

Or in the harness. Check to see if you have 12v at the coils.

[Howie]

You should have voltage at terminals 30 and 85 at the receptacle for the main relay with the key on.  You might want to invest in a Haynes manual for your bike:  https://haynes.com/en-us/motorcycle-manuals/ducati

Yep, does not cover the 400, but the only notable difference is the engine.

[samuraibiker]

hey Howie

I bought the haynes manual but in all honesty, not impressed.... too vague  sometimes and assumes you know what to do when maybe you don`t... i had huge problems removing the front wheel going by the haynes manual until somewhere here very kindly told me what to do ( which wasn`t written in the manual )

anyway, going back to my bike....if it`s in the harness I am buggered as that is too big a job for me. So, would I be right in saying check all connections related to the battery, cdi`s, regulator etc ?

[Howie]

I just looked at my Haynes Manual and it has remove and replace directions for both solid (older) and hollow (later) axle designs, pp 12 and 13 in chapter 6.  Yes, the way it is written  can be very confusing for a novice, but it is there, at least in mine.

Anyway, back to your electrical problem.  Did you check for power at 85 and 30?  No power and you have an ignition switch or harness problem.  Report back and we can try to help you from there.  The Haynes Manual calls what we have been calling the main relay the general relay.  Oh, ignore if you are using the same manual, ignore the box in the upper left describing the fuse box, it is obviously wrong.  Also, nothing wrong with giving the job to a shop.  Monsters are somewhat prone to wire damage in the harness going down the steering tube (as are other bikes), but I hesitate to send you in that direction or the ignition switch before proper diagnosis.

[samuraibiker]

hey Howie

I am going to check those 2 points later today. I am totally convinced this is a small(ish) electrical problem ... going to do my ( limited ) best to nail it or it`s off to the shop..... will update later

thanks for everyone`s input

mike