Bike Shutdown

Big Mango Ducati · Apr 8, 2015

I thought I would share a situation which occurred with my HS last weekend. See if anyone has has a similar occurrence.

I made a run with some other bikes from Bangkok down to Pattaya, approx. 150 Kms one way. It is the hottest time of the year in Thailand and the temperature was around 35 C or 95 F. No problems all the way down then we got into some heavy traffic in Pattaya and noted bike engine temp would climb up to about 107C or 224 F, could see the cooling system kick in and temp would drop to 103C. No problems, but after a while I noted the temp rising to 108C or 226F. The cooling system seemed to be overwhelmed and the bike shut down. By shut down it seemed to be starved for fuel. Simply coughed to a stop.

I pulled over for about 10 minutes, let it cool down, and then it restarted. Pulled out went a bit in heavy traffic and it happened again. This time I let it cool down for 30 minutes, off I went no problems. The next day we rode back to Bangkok and the problem never surfaced again. I only had this happen once before in similar heat circumstances about a year ago.

Has any body had a similar circumstance? Note tank was half full so lots of fuel. Also coolant was full, had service in the last month.

Frank Rizzo · Apr 9, 2015

Big Mango Ducati said:
...could see the cooling system kick in and temp would drop to 103C. No problems, but after a while I noted the temp rising to 108C or 226F. The cooling system seemed to be overwhelmed and the bike shut down. By shut down it seemed to be starved for fuel. Simply coughed to a stop.

....

Has any body had a similar circumstance? Note tank was half full so lots of fuel. Also coolant was full, had service in the last month.

Yes, I had the same thing happen to me last summer. Although Ottawa, Canada isn't as hot as Thailand [coldest capital city in the world as of this year...yeesh!] it can get pretty warm here in July, and when idling in traffic, the temperature gauge doesn't take long to creep up.

I was worried that something really bad happened when the bike quit, so I gave it a good 40 minutes to really cool off before restarting, and it was perfectly fine after that. Lesson learned: if you're in absolutely stand still traffic for more than a few minutes - in other words, not just stopped for a red light - shut down and restart when necessary. I Know it's a pain, and I know it feels like we "shouldn't have to do that", but remember these bikes, despite the "touring" references, are really just supermotards with some creature comforts - they're not sported-up touring bikes. My brothers Ninja was the same way: long time in traffic, shut it off.

zippy49 · Apr 9, 2015

I don't think that any Ducati was designed for those conditions. The HS is essentially a race bike in drag.

Simple solution - don't sit still in traffic, split!

Sorry for all of my fellow Americans who live in other states...and I'll bet the traffic in Thailand is pretty tight and brutal.

appliance821 · Apr 9, 2015

Doesn't sound right. Air in the system? I'd check with the dealership. Ducati may have done insufficient testing in warm weather but it seems a watercooled bike is designed for this stuff. I ride in the heat - though not often in the city - but I've been caught in traffic and never had an issue.

Maybe it's the way it is but if you look further into it, keep us posted.

gatdammit · Apr 9, 2015

I've had some heavy traffic situations in FL summer. Definitely seen low 220's (F) more than once with no mishaps.

You would think if it's a safety feature to protect the engine, it would be listed in the owners manual. If a vehicle is going to shut itself down at a given temp, and you could be traveling at speed, it would be a big *WARNING* section in the manual.

I would definitely consult with a dealer. I was going to point out that a poster talked about shoddy service in Vietnam, maybe even same from a Singapore member, but the Canadian that voiced up kinda shoots that theory down.

Keep us posted.

Big Mango Ducati · Apr 9, 2015

Thanks for everyone's input. Like I said only had it happen one time before. Ironically this model is actually made at Ducati's Thailand plant.

By the way Frank, I am a Canadian, originally from Toronto. So was surprised to see you had experienced the same problem. The air temp on the bike was showing 41C that day.

Service here is very good, will have them check into it. Let everyone know if I find anything out. If it is a heat issue I am sure they will have dealt with this issue before.

Big Mango Ducati · Apr 9, 2015

Zippy you are correct with traffic being brutal in Thailand. Red lights can last 3 minutes. During that time you wind your way around the cars to get to the front of the line and hopefully find a place to stop with shade while you wait. Look for a pedestrian bridge or a big bus to hide beside! The problem is sometimes there is no room to get around the cars, Thais are good at fitting in an extra lane of cars, picture 6 lanes of cars on a 4 lane road, ha ha.

The good news is there is some great riding once you get out of the city. And no need for heated gear!!!!

Frank Rizzo · Apr 10, 2015

Big Mango Ducati said:
Thanks for everyone's input. Like I said only had it happen one time before. Ironically this model is actually made at Ducati's Thailand plant.

By the way Frank, I am a Canadian, originally from Toronto. So was surprised to see you had experienced the same problem. The air temp on the bike was showing 41C that day.

Service here is very good, will have them check into it. Let everyone know if I find anything out. If it is a heat issue I am sure they will have dealt with this issue before.

I should have specified that when it happened, the traffic wasn't "stop and go" - it was stopped, as in rock solid, for about 15 minutes straight. The air temp was about 31 Celsius. I took it as being that the bike's rad/fan simply couldn't pull in enough air to cope with that abnormal situation. I've never had a problem in slow moving or normal stop and go city traffic. I've sat at idle for 5 minutes on hot days with no issues.

zippy49 · Apr 13, 2015

Big Mango Ducati said:
Zippy you are correct with traffic being brutal in Thailand. Red lights can last 3 minutes. During that time you wind your way around the cars to get to the front of the line and hopefully find a place to stop with shade while you wait. Look for a pedestrian bridge or a big bus to hide beside! The problem is sometimes there is no room to get around the cars, Thais are good at fitting in an extra lane of cars, picture 6 lanes of cars on a 4 lane road, ha ha.

The good news is there is some great riding once you get out of the city. And no need for heated gear!!!!

Only three minutes? In our town they can last for five. And the rest is not much different, except that most drivers stay in a lane. I'll watch the temp gauge more.

Ever see Fellini's "Roma"? When I was young my family drove from Germany to Italy for a camping vacation. Going into Rome was just like that - Fiat 500s door handle to door handle. And the movie also has a bit of bike action toward the end.... Hooligan biker gang terrorizing various roundabouts at midnight...wild stuff back then.

The best part for my 11 year old eyes was the pretty girls in short skirts riding sidesaddle on the back of scooters.

Bike Shutdown

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