Pulling bike out of mothballs [Kill switch problem FIXED]

[chipripper]

Hello old DMF friends.

I'm looking at 2 issues, intermittent no-crank on the start button, and died on the freeway (but was able to do a rolling re-start). Full story below!

It's been a really long time (years!) and I'm super glad to see the internet's most valuable forum is still alive! I've had my bike parked for a couple years due to buying my first house, COVID ruining the world and me deciding to tear and replace my ACL. I'm about 6 months post surgery and can duck-waddle my bike around w/o issue so I decided it's time to RIDE!

I did the normal bring it back to life procedure, new battery, fresh oil, lube all the things, check all the witness marks, pre-ride checks, etc, and she fired up w/o issue! Down the street to Chevron for fresh gas. Filled her up, turned the key, heard the pump prime, saw the gauges sweep, pressed the start button and nothing. I let it sit for a few minutes, tried the key a few more times and finally it fired up, sweet, now time to get back home!

Jumped on the freeway for the shortest path back to the house. As soon as I hit about 70 the bike completely died. Gauges flat, oil light was lit, clutched in and coasted toward the shoulder. Once in the slow lane hit the starter button and she fired up! Hit the gas and got home. Once I got home I sat in the driveway for a few contemplating where I could start troubleshooting. I tried shutting it off and starting it up a few times and was able to replicate the no-crank 2 out of 10 tries.

I was originally thinking maybe an immobilizer problem, but I could have swore I disabled the immobilizer when I flashed my DP map on the ECU all those years ago.

So my questions:

Am I correct that if I can start the bike with the gauge cluster unplugged then my immobilizer is successfully disabled?
If that is correct and I can rule out the immobilizer, where should I start troubleshooting an intermittent no-crank / dying at speed?

Additional yet possibly valuable info:

Bike is a 2008 S2R1K with about 12K Miles (less than 1K per year , but hey I like taking it apart and putting it back together as much as I like riding it   ), purchased at GP in San Diego and owned/maintained by me it's whole life. It has been given lots of maintenance and mods and ridden intermittently as life allows.

Prior to storage I replaced a bad fuel bung thingy, installed a new fuel filter, valves adjusted, new belts and replaced a sticky belt roller, pod filters installed and intakes balanced. She ran great for several hundred miles with the new fuel bung prior to parking.

I know you guys/gals love pics! Below is for entertainment value only...

The Toys




The guts



The bung thingy

[ducpainter]

Sounds to me like you might have a wiring issue where the harness wraps around the head stock.

[chipripper]

Thanks Ducpainter. I was looking over the wiring diagram and trying to imagine what could interrupt the start button and kill a running bike and the kill switch looks like a prime suspect. I'll break out a multimeter and see if I can get a consistent failure.

[Howie]

Intermittent electrical problems are difficult since everything tests good when the bike works.  As far as the harness goes, with the bike running turn the bars back and forth and see if the bike stalls.  No stall?  Wiggle the harness and see if the bike stalls.

Another possibility is the fuel injection relay.  Jump the relay 30 to 86, or just buy a new relay and test ride.

One more possibility I can think of are the clutch and sidestand safety switches.  Same thing, jump the switches.

[chipripper]

Thanks Howie!

I think I might have it narrowed down to an intermittent cutoff switch failure. With a meter on the connector pins from the switch I get a high impedance/OL every 20-30 toggles of the switch. I cant get a really good reading on the side of the switch because the pads are too close together to get clips on and I don't have enough hands, but, I get good continuity from each pad to it's pin that isn't interrupted by bending the wires around. Also with the clips on the connector pins no amount of wire bending causes an OL, just randomly occurs every 20th flip of the switch.

Would you guys advise taking the switch apart any farther to try and hit it with contact cleaner and some dielectric? Or, is there a source for just the switch instead of the whole part?



Sound warning: annoying beeping from a multimeter!

[Howie]

Dang!  Forgot about that switch.  Probably because I rarely used it.

You can give cleaning a try, been done (not by me) before.  They are not built with service in mind, so I suggest locating a new one first.  A new switch is about $80.

[chipripper]

Thanks Howie, I'll probably take your advice and replace with a new part just so I can have some piece of mind. I will tear the switch down further and post some pics for anyone who wants to see the inside or possibly solve a similar problem in the future.


As far as spare parts, curious if anyone has any experience or knowledge of StarTwin Motors? They are selling the RH Switch for @ $50 + shipping.
https://shop.oemducati.com/en/products/monster/2008/monster-s2r-1000/handlebar-and-controls-63

If not I'll stick with Ducati Omaha as a known value
https://www.ducatiomaha.com/products/65040082b

[ducpainter]

No FHE with that company.

Being o/seas might negate any savings in the part price.

[chipripper]

As promised, here is what the inside of the switches look like. They are actually fairly serviceable if you are careful prying apart the 2 tabs on the rocker switch. I cleaned, polished and greased mine up and now get a steady .2 Ohms on the switch and the button. I'll probably still replace this part but in a pinch you could do this repair and call it good. Appreciate all the help and advice and hope this can help someone else if you ever have this issue.

The cutoff Switch



A little corrosion



Fully Apart and Clean



Cleaned up and lightly greased



Re-assembly is a PITA but fairly self explanatory

[koko64]

Also add bridging the sidestand switch to strike it off the list. Vibration kills them and they can cut in and out promoting highsides!
The relay mentioned should be a low dollar item.
I would check for any wobbly fuses and relays that could kill the motor. They can vibrate apart in situ.
Probably time to go over all the main connectors and clean/check them including the alternator plug.
How was the charging system going?

[chipripper]

Good point Koko64.

Side stand switch was one of the first things I eliminated when the bike was new. I understand why it exists but just didn't want it on my bike. I did check the charging system when I put in the new battery and everything measured up good. I'll certainly check the critical connections and fuses that are all 15 years old now and have been sitting for a while! I did do another jaunt around the neighborhood and the fix to the kill-switch seems to have fixed me up, but I want to keep checking stuff and shaking it down before I get too far from home.