is it possible? - starting engine when in gear

[coolcatshaft]

hi guys,

had my new MY04 620ie for two weeks and yesterday embarrassingly stalled it twice at the lights.

now the manual mentions can with the sidestand up and bike in gear i should be able to pull in the clutch and start the engine with the ignition switch. but in practice pressing it did f**k all, leaving me fumbling to find neutral, which isn't the easiest thing to do at stand still.

once in neutral she fired up straight away and off i went.

anyone else with an 04 monnie shed some light on this? is it a misprint in the manual or am i missing something?

[norrie]

It should start in gear no probs.

Not that i've got an 04 model but I dont see why it shouldn't start in gear.

Norrie.

[A Yerbury]

hmm mine starts in gear too, although like norris I am on an earlier model. perhaps not stalling may help?!

[DesmoDog]

Maybe Ducati are taking design staff from HMG. First they tell us we can't smoke in public then they don't allow us to start our bikes in gear...

Seriously, I've never heard of it - but like the lads I have an older bike

[PaulS]

The situation with the later injected bikes is a bit more complex as there are interlocking switches on the sidestand, neutral, and clutch lever so that you can run the engine with the sidestand down but not if it's in gear with the clutch out. I'm sure I used to be able to re-start my (2002) bike after a stall with it in gear (and clutch pulled in obviously) but I don't seem to be able to anymore - it has to be in neutral like yours. This seems to have coincided with it's last service so I'm wondering if a connection has been dislodged on the clutch interlock.

[A Yerbury]

that wouldnt be suprising given some of the dodgy connections and switches...