Ducati Multistrada 1200 Slow Start FIX |Ep. 9|

My 2010 MTS1200 has always been slow to start (actually, ALL Ducatis I've owned have been), which can lead to costly repairs down the road. Let's see if we can fix the problem with some new HICAP-SCDC battery and starter cables from Motolectric.

[axs]

I own this vehicle and simply cannot thank you enough for your content. My cherished Multistrada about to hit 40k miles and this may be a great birthday gift for her for such a milestone.

[robertswaringen]

Thank you for posting! Like you, I own a couple of Ducs and do my own maintenance. I didn’t know this solution existed for my 2016 MTS 1200 Enduro. Slow starts concern me on cold camping mornings and now I know what to do. All of your videos are a big help and also aided my 18K Desmo Svc including valve adjustments which is still very similar. Well done and I owe you a pint or four. Thanks again!

[paulcrawford]

Well this series has been absolutely fantastic to watch. The main reason for me is that I have owned this bike in particular for the last 5 months and I LOVE it. Seeing all the work and small details you payed attention to was awesome!

[rs-dms]

Here's my experience with this mod.

It was quite tricky to get the motolectric kit to my country, but with help from Michael (of motolectric) we finally managed it. He was really helpful throughout the process, and found the best and most economical courier service.

My findings during / after replacing the cables on my 2013 multistrada :

Replacement was time-consuming and tricky (especially the routing) but I got that done ok after about 90 minutes of slow, careful work. The trickiest part was finding a suitable path below the seat - there were not a lot of options, it is pretty packed in there, but I finally found a workable route. (note - on my (2013) bike the positive cable goes down the left-hand side of the bike, together with the earth cable, and is the right length to reach the starter motor from there)
The most complicated in the replacement phase was the earth bolt. This goes straight into the engine block. It came out ok, but there was a little corrosion on the threads, and getting it back in was very tricky. I will have to source a better quality new bolt and replace it sometime.

The results :
Before replacement the thing that used to worry me the most was that every now and then depressing the starter button would just result in a short groan, and then nothing. The engine wouldn't turn over. In this state, usually the next two or three presses also wouldn't turn over the engine successfully. I guess one of the cylinders was on compression stroke, and the starter motor just couldn't turn it. This would happen perhaps every 8th or 10th attempt to start - often enough to be irritating and worrying (and sometimes also embarrassing).
That problem has gone away. The engine still shows a little reluctance to spin every now and then, but (so far) I haven't had to re-try the start even once, so it seems cured.

As far as I can tell, the engine doesn't spin any faster than it used to. There might be a very small change, but I can't really tell..

From cold, the engine takes (more or less) the same time to start. Probably about 4-5 rotations, I would guess. About the only difference on cold start is that it seems to run easier from directly after start than it used to.
With the engine hot, starting is mostly quicker and more positive - typically 1-2 rotations to start, whereas it often used to take 3-5. Also, as for cold start, the engine seems to run better from immediately after start.

All in all it was worth it, although I would have to say that the improvement is not as large as I would have expected. Would I do it again? Yes. Small but worthwhile improvement.

One final thing - I have a motobatt lithium-ion battery fitted instead of the original, so the battery actually has higher CCA than the standard (about 50% higher).

[bernardmackle]

I also did this mod and have found mine cranks over immediately on the first press of the starter!
Great kit.

[cyclone]

I've been following the 1198s videos and doing pretty much everything by following the instructions. Got the motoelectric cables already installed and waiting on a new battery....now to mount the new mosfet which I'm stuck on making the bracket.... but I'm getting there thanks to the videos...

[herpderp]

Just purchased. Doing with desmo, so it will be 1000x easier to route as the bikes completelly naked.

[rushmatic]

That’s a big difference! I had no idea when I used to have a 748 that it could lead to bigger problems. When I bought mine years ago the dealership showed me that it was normal for a long start.

[juanjosegrafico]

What a great and helpful video!! thank you soooo much ! Greetings from Costa Rica

[Budget-Cars-And-Bikes]

This video really helped me out, so much that I got an "Exact Start" cable system for my Ducati Multistrada 1260s - And have a full review and fitting guide on my channel if anyone needs to see it on the 1260 😁

[SWTrailsAndWheels]

Definite improvement. I wonder if even just replacing the negative terminal cable would yield an improvement. I am getting ready to sell my Multistrada primarily due to all the constant work I have to do on it compared to Japanese bikes I've had. Your videos are making me rethink things.... It does appear like getting the scanner cable from OBD Innovations may be difficult as it may still be on back order. I have an email out to them asking about availability.

[orlandoducati]

You're like a forum but in real life.... everything you're doing is like required by Ducati owners. The starter sprag is torqued to like 300 NM, it is very torqued on there.

[andrethib]

nice video! this looks like the motorcycle equivalent of the "big 3" upgrade that the car stereo guys do; I'm in the middle of one right now on my older European car. they make kits to do this but a lot of people just put the cables together themselves.

[christopherjohnson]

Convinced me I’m going to order some for my Panigale . 👍

[revveduprides]

What a cracking video. I’ve got to do this to my new 1260 Multistrada. What length and diameter are the three cables.

[FAtraining]

Did this when i waa changing out the exhaust. Oh boy, was it still a bit of a pain with how little space you have.

I took out the OEM cables and route these thicker ones the same route.

Couple things to note. If using same route, there is a black routing piece of plastic that encases the wires. Get rid of it and use zip ties. The new wires are too thick.

The two positive cables is real stiff trying to fit back into its mounts by the battery terminal.

If you follow the OEM route, the length is similaelr to OEM. Both wires should route towards left side of bike and down.

It helps a bit like others said. Cold starts still kinda.. ehh. I think the site has like a new something that gives more volts or something. Didnt really pay attention.

Have fun!

[championmotorcycles]

I am defiantly considering this mod but two thing strike me about this video, listen to the bike starting at 47 seconds and the bike starting at 9.11 not much difference in the time taken to turn over the motor but the starter motor does not seem to struggle as much, which is a good thing.
other thought is, do you think by attaching the new cable to the original, you could pull them through so they follow the same routing ?

[podgemcgovern]

Great tutorial, when grounding the cables to the engine, how many cables are grounded in total, is it 2 or 3 ?

[bznupe]

Hi, are the new cables not supposed to piggyback the old set? So you have 2 sets of cables for each connection. Another thing I learned is to clean the electrical wiring ends both at the battery, ground and starter. Take Care

[davebarchard]

Liked your video but can't seem to find the replacement wiring you mentioned.