1100 EVO Start Up Issue

[tricolore]

Bought a 2012 EVO with only 6000 miles, good service history. Had a 50 mile ride yesterday along a dual carriageway and stopped for 15 minutes. 3 or 4 attempts to start but wouldn’t tick over, 4th attempt and started but with a big puff of smoke. Carried on my 50 mile journey and all OK.

Is this normal, supplying dealer over filled with oil, crappy fuel or anything more sinister ?

Oh .... belts not changed for 28 months, only 1000 miles since last set, dealer ( not Ducati ) said every 5 years ?

[SunEye]

When I had my M1100evo I am sure that the belt changes were every 2 years. My 2012 Streetfighter 848 is 5 years.

[tricolore]

The manual says every two years but have been advised every 4 years by some independent dealers...

[Mr Gazza]

My guess would be one of the temperature sensors lying to the ECU, making it richen the mixture for a cold start?

[chris.p]

Low battery can cause issues

[fastnfat]

I’ve always changed belts at two years irrespective of the mileage.
Mine can be a bit tricky to start when hot sometimes. Probably starts fine after refuelling so only stopped for five minutes or so. Give it fifteen minutes or so and sometimes a different story. Give it thirty minutes stopped and it’s fine. I think they call it character, don’t they?

[fastnfat]

BTW I’m a bit paranoid about belts. I had the vertical cylinder belt shred caused by a “foreign object”” in the belt cover. Bike had only done 3500 miles but well out of warranty. Very expensive to have the engine out, bent valves, cracked guides but no other damage, luckily. So just the head rebuilt, and running like a champ 16500 miles later after the rebuild.

[Leamreject]

According to JHP Ducati Coventry, my 2012 1100 Evo belt changes are every 5yrs, and the problem you have explained sounds very like one I had which turned out to be an idle control valve failure.

[fastnfat]

Originally Posted by Leamreject

According to JHP Ducati Coventry, my 2012 1100 Evo belt changes are every 5yrs, and the problem you have explained sounds very like one I had which turned out to be an idle control valve failure.

I wish it was every five years! Both the Ducati Workshop Manual and Owners manual state it is every two years or 15000 miles whichever is sooner.

[Darren69]

Originally Posted by fastnfat

BTW I’m a bit paranoid about belts. I had the vertical cylinder belt shred caused by a “foreign object”” in the belt cover. Bike had only done 3500 miles but well out of warranty. Very expensive to have the engine out, bent valves, cracked guides but no other damage, luckily. So just the head rebuilt, and running like a champ 16500 miles later after the rebuild.

That sounds like a poor excuse and that something may have come undone or fell off otherwise how did a foreign object get in there with the covers on?

[fastnfat]

Originally Posted by Darren69

That sounds like a poor excuse and that something may have come undone or fell off otherwise how did a foreign object get in there with the covers on?

****Indeed!*****

[Ron1000]

Had my evo from 1745 miles up to it’s present 18500 miles. Belts every two years and valves every 7500 miles. Although I’m going to miss my 22500 Miles valve service this year due to lack of miles caused by coronavirus, so it’ll be just the belts or get the guy to do The valves early. Dunno.

As for starting, I’m always confident mines will start. Sometimes it’s a bit reluctant sometimes it’s first hit of the button. Doesn’t seem to be any correlation to cold/low batt/hot or anything it just does what it does.

I did go through a phase of it resetting itself when I hit the starter button for awhile and throwing up an error code. But it would always reset fine and start only bug bear is it would turn the traction control off.

I did pull the boot back on the starter motor cable and ACF50 it then copper grease it. I thought it would do nothing, but since then I’ve not had the reset issue. Might be a coincidence.

[tricolore]

Originally Posted by Leamreject

According to JHP Ducati Coventry, my 2012 1100 Evo belt changes are every 5yrs, and the problem you have explained sounds very like one I had which turned out to be an idle control valve failure.

Interesting that JHP say every 5 years when the manual states every 2 years ... wonder whether they use different belts or with low miles last longer ?

[Luddite]

As many have already observed, the original and, as far as I'm aware, still current, service interval for the belts is two years. So, either JHP have made a mistake, or they've taken it upon themselves to extend belt life, perhaps based upon the 1100 Scrambler.

I remember when the Scrambler was first released, Bike Magazine took one out along with Claudio Domenicali. They quizzed him about the resurrection of the 1100 motor and Domenicali said that, in fact, it had been extensively reworked and about the only parts it shared with the Monster were the belts and timing system. Certainly, the motors do share timing belts but the Scrambler has a much longer recommended belt life of five years.

The Scrambler engine is in a lower state of tune than the Monster and has less valve overlap so, presumably, gives the belts an easier time but I do think that the official Monster belt life is overly cautious at two years. The ExactFit belts have a three year life, for example. I, personally, have gone four years between changes and the old belts still looked like new. I certainty don't have a problem going past two years, but with regular visual checks of the belt condition as a precaution.

[Uncle Bob]

Would you say that belt life is affected by long periods of not being used? My evo hasn't been ridden for 6 months, and only started periodically and run up to temp etc.