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Starter Motor Failure

W

WhiteHyper

Joined Mar 2015
53 Posts | 10+
Australia
Hi,

Seems the starter motor has failed, has 12.5v at the starter when you push the starter switch, so all good with the battery etc, was slowly cranking but now nothing unless you give it a tap. (The starter was also replaced under warranty for the slow cranking/hard starting issue) Anyway, any recommendations what type/where to purchase a new one? Any experiences of what not to buy? Nothing in Australia except genuine from what I can see, some listed on ebay from OS but not sure if any good.

Thanks,

WH
 
Buy a Denso unit. The one that came on the bike was mostlikely an inferior starter as they switched supplier. There are many threads taking about slow cranking and starter failure and they all recomend making sure you install a genuine Denso starter .
 
Thanks, it was replaced with the Denso unit under warranty.....I think i just have bad luck with this bike, its just been nothing but trouble...but great to ride. Quoted $750 for the starter and $140 for the starter clutch, nil stock from the local dealer. Has to come from Italy.
 
When the starter is allrady replaced, check the connecting points for resistance, dirt or damage. Maybe a mechanics failure.
 
Unfortunately, it's a tough job if you're hesitant about cracking open the left side of the engine...I rank the starter servicing steps just under their design theory about having to remove the fuel tank to replace the air filter. Also, plus one about the lead and points. The lead wire sits exposed right behind the front tire and mine was heavily corroded. I imagine they would have cleaned this up when replaced under warranty, however.

But it's not worth $1000. If you have a weekend to spare and it's not your sole mode of transportation, buy the Denso (be sure it has new bolts and check for new gasket included) in the "slow cranking" thread and give it a shot. It's not fun and I had the worst case scenario with a gear spline falling out when I pulled the case apart, but definitely DIY if you've ever maybe replaced a clutch or transmission on a car.
 
Thanks for the reply's, your right its not worth paying $1000, so.....

Pulled the side engine cover off and starter out and apart, engine oil has leaked past the seal and contaminated the brushes and commutator. Have ordered new brushes (From a different model Ducati with Denso starter, looks the same & a new seal, still tracking one down) A good clean up of all the black goo in there and it works on the bench, so after new brushes I think it will be ok.

WH
 
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I noticed mine starting to go around 15,xxx kms. So I replaced it with a used Denso off ebay. The motor had about 11k on it already so it was cheap. The seller was a Ducati dealer in EU. I noticed right away the starts were way better and it has been working good ever since. Following the mechanics manual the job wasnt too hard. You will need the crank case puller tool. Everything is straight forward, undo all the bolts on the case, Use the puller tool to pop the case off. When I popped my case off, a small metal spacer out. I wasnt sure where it fell from but later found out it was off the back of the gear that attaches to the starter motor. (see pics). This spindle+gear has a lot of play and moves quite a bit after the case is off, which is normal. But its why the spacer fell out.

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IMG-0237 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-0237 in Hypermotard 821 Build album
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IMG-0238 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-0238 in Hypermotard 821 Build album
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On this spindle behind the gear.
 
Saken,

Thanks for the info on the spacer, I'll check and see if its in place. Its been replaced under warranty by the dealer previously so who knows.
 
My spacer fell out. Wrote it up with pics in the starter replacement thread. It sucked giant donkey.
 
Checked the spacer, it had fallen out as well, thanks for the heads up. Just as a matter of interest, has anyone else found the starter contaminated with oil, or is just a one off?

Still waiting for the new brushes for the starter motor.

Thanks,

WH
 
Nice. There was an 899 parked next to me earlier this week at work. Fairly new. His started was chugging so bad. About 4 really slow turns before it turned over.
 
Starter's toast. Mine did that failure to catch "wheee" right at the end. Does it/ did it start easier after the bike was warmed up?

Judging by dash/ no gear indicator, it's a 2013-2015, which had the **** factory starter. Definitely check the voltage to be safe.
 
WhiteHyper said:
Doesn't sound good. What year bike is it? What's the battery voltage?
Click to expand...
Battery voltage is 12.7V when off but issue is not in battery but the sprag/ one way bearing because it sometimes starts like new, sometimes it just doesn’t start. Left with service centre to check
 
gatdammit said:
Starter's toast. Mine did that failure to catch "wheee" right at the end. Does it/ did it start easier after the bike was warmed up?

Judging by dash/ no gear indicator, it's a 2013-2015, which had the **** factory starter. Definitely check the voltage to be safe.
Click to expand...

My bike has a mind of its own with random behaviour.

Got a new battery since it was min 3years old already. It starts stops at its own whims and fancies. My service centre guy feels starter is fine because motor spins but the one way clutch is not acting to start the bike because of all the clunky khat khat noises its making

After all this BS i feel like getting rid
 
Starter and sprag clutch can go bad on these. A weak starter motor can put extra load on the sprag clutch causing it to fail, as I understand it. Best bet is probably to replace both.
 
One member on here swapped his sprag clutch but, the majority of us exhibiting exactly what you describe just swapped the starter with the better Denso unit, which you can read about in the DIY's on here.
 
Thanks guys! For now its at service centre for starter clutch. Part not available with them so my bike will stay there for a 20days min

Since my bike is 5yrs, thinking if replacing belt makes sense or no?
 

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