One cylinder burning white and heating pipe

[canterburyman]

My 900 S2 is running poorly. The front cylinder is running a very white pipe and is firing as I turn the key off. The exhaust on this cylinder has discoloured, I presume through heat. Does anyone have any clues about his or give me a starting point please?

[Duccout]

I think that there are only two possibilites; 1, that the cylinder is running weak; 2, that the ignition timing is out. My guess is weak mixture. Check the rubber manifold gasket for leaks; these split away from the metal centre easily and allow air to enter. You should check that the throttle pump is working by taking off the carb from the manifold and rolling the throttle a few times. You should see jets of petrol shooting out as you roll the twistgrip. Have a look for any other areas where you could be getting an air leak, such as the carb top o ring. Are you running Contis? Did you change the jetting to suit? The S2 is set-up much weaker than the SS and needs jetting changes if Contis are fitted.

Have you had the ignition timing checked? It needs to be strobed with the Ducati tool, or you can take off the clutch cover and take it to a Ducati shop for them to check the pick-up position with the factory tool.