Hyperstrada 821 2013 "Christmas tree dash" problem

Hello everyone, this morning after taking a ride on my 2013 Hyperstrada and turning off the motorcycle, when I restarted it, the display began to flash. Specifically, the central red light (the one that flashes when the DTC is activated), the yellow engine light, and the oil light all illuminated, indicating the presence of some errors. Upon entering the menu and accessing the 'errors' section, the computer displayed messages for the engine and ABS (although the latter appears and disappears intermittently in the error list).

Firstly, I checked the engine oil and coolant levels, which were found to be correct. Subsequently, I attempted to disconnect the battery, leaving it disconnected for approximately an hour, but the issue persists. Additionally, I noticed that the low beam headlight turns off and on without any specific pattern (I should note that I recently replaced the H4 LED bulb installed by the previous owner, which had a cooling fan beneath the bulb, with a new H4 LED bulb without a cooling fan).

The unusual aspect is that the motorcycle runs perfectly fine, and the engine sounds smooth, allowing me to ride without any issues. Thus, I find myself in a peculiar situation where the motorcycle operates well, but the display continues to exhibit the 'Christmas tree' effect. I must also mention that the motorcycle was left outside in the rain overnight as it rained, and I forgot to cover it.

I hope someone can provide some advice. Thank you.

Sounds bad, but the bike runs OK?

I guess you will have read the info on here about the Christmas tree dash effect and probable causes, which mostly come down to the original Beru ignition coils feeding noise back into the dash. Has your bike been through the remedial process for that, adding filters and ideally changing the coils?

Of course, it may just be water in the electrics, so leave the bike in the glorious Italian sunshine and hope for the best!

Good luck,

Nick, UK

nickwst4 said:

Sounds bad, but the bike runs OK?

I guess you will have read the info on here about the Christmas tree dash effect and probable causes, which mostly come down to the original Beru ignition coils feeding noise back into the dash. Has your bike been through the remedial process for that, adding filters and ideally changing the coils?

Of course, it may just be water in the electrics, so leave the bike in the glorious Italian sunshine and hope for the best!

Good luck,

Nick, UK

Click to expand...

First and foremost, thank you for your response. The motorcycle sounds good; however, the exhaust, even with the DB killer and catalytic converter installed, has started making a lot of noise when releasing the throttle, and the bike does not go beyond 4,000 RPM. The most peculiar aspect is that the cooling fans start immediately and do not stop running, as if the temperature sensor is malfunctioning. After taking it to a mechanic, I was informed that the computer is showing several errors, including issues with the exhaust valve, lambda sensor, temperature sensor, tachometer, speedometer, and ABS. According to him, it is highly unlikely that all these errors would appear simultaneously since the motorcycle was running fine just a few hours earlier.

The issue might be related to the voltage regulator, which is located near the battery under the seat and is very sensitive to high temperatures. Regarding the repair process you mentioned, I asked the previous owner, and he never had any recalls or problems of this nature. I believe the only solution is to take it to Ducati and hope that it is not a major issue with the ECU.

Voltage regulators are used to getting hot because, as I understand it, they dump excess electrical power as heat so I doubt this is the problem. Much more likely is that the original Beru coils have fried the dash and/or the ECU. Taking the bike to Ducati is going to result in an astronomical bill and they may still fit the same brand of coils rather than the ones they put on later models, plus the replacement of the dash etc with new parts won't be economical. You'll probably need to do it yourself with the coils, which is simple using used ones from eg Aprilias, and make use of the independent electronic repair facility you'll find in posts here.

Hopefully, another member of this group who has suffered the full horror scenario will chip in with advice. Guys??

Did you resolve this issue? This was mine today......bike runs fine....can I pull error code from the dash?

Did yours look like this?

goodmatt78 said:

Did you resolve this issue? This was mine today......bike runs fine....can I pull error code from the dash?

Did yours look like this?

Click to expand...

Yes, exactly the same error. Check from the internal menu what specific types of errors the computer is showing. I had to take my bike to Ducati, and they told me that many Hypermotards, and not just those, have had this kind of problem, especially the 821. The response from the Ducati workshop was: replacement of the engine control unit (ECU) due to internal damage to the CAN bus data transmission line. The only problem is that they're asking for €1700, so either I find someone who can repair the ECU or find one from someone who is selling it.

goodmatt78 said:

Did you resolve this issue? This was mine today......bike runs fine....can I pull error code from the dash?

Did yours look like this?

Click to expand...

To view the error, you need to press and hold the button on the left handlebar below the turn signal button. Then, navigate to 'Errors' and confirm by pressing the button used to turn off the turn signals.

Do check through the posts here because there was a guy who can repair these for a lot less than brand-new. Plus you MUST get the spark coils changed or it'll happen again. Full details in the posts here.

Error code just says engine. Mine looks similar to the photo above.... Not showing temp in degC. What needs repaired in dash?

ematerpy said:

First and foremost, thank you for your response. The motorcycle sounds good; however, the exhaust, even with the DB killer and catalytic converter installed, has started making a lot of noise when releasing the throttle, and the bike does not go beyond 4,000 RPM. The most peculiar aspect is that the cooling fans start immediately and do not stop running, as if the temperature sensor is malfunctioning. After taking it to a mechanic, I was informed that the computer is showing several errors, including issues with the exhaust valve, lambda sensor, temperature sensor, tachometer, speedometer, and ABS. According to him, it is highly unlikely that all these errors would appear simultaneously since the motorcycle was running fine just a few hours earlier.

The issue might be related to the voltage regulator, which is located near the battery under the seat and is very sensitive to high temperatures. Regarding the repair process you mentioned, I asked the previous owner, and he never had any recalls or problems of this nature. I believe the only solution is to take it to Ducati and hope that it is not a major issue with the ECU.

Click to expand...

You are in limp mode. Bring it to the dealer and if it is the dreaded melt down from coil voltage spikes (or whatever causes it), it is very possible Ducati will do a good will repair for free. This happened to a friend of mine who bought a used bike and it screwed up - repaired no issues. It also happened to me long after the warranty was gone, and they did the repair for free: New coils, new dash, new ECU.