[firegod33r]

So the bike started going into limp mode out in the middle of nowhere on a long ride. Was able to make it home by getting out of limp mode by turning it off and then back on.
Took into the local Ducati dealership and was told its the voltage regulator. I'm half temped to just take the bike back and just start with a new battery before I go down that road.
any thoughts?

8000 miles and all recalls are done

 

[appliance57]

So you had the TCU replaced? It's technically not a recall and they have to read the TCU part number directly from the bike to see if it needs replacing. If so:

If they say Voltage regulator, and since that is cheaper than a battery and easy to replace - why not start there? Not sure how a battery would lead to limp mode and if the battery was bad, you wouldn't be able to start the bike.

Testing the alternator is pretty straightforward with a VOM meter - google can tell you what to look for. Off the top of my head, you'd be looking at a steady 14 volts or so starting at something around 3000 rpm. I'd double check that.

Another sure sign of a defective regulator is that the lights brighten and darken as revs vary.

 

[firegod33r]

So you had the TCU replaced? It's technically not a recall and they have to read the TCU part number directly from the bike to see if it needs replacing. If so:

If they say Voltage regulator, and since that is cheaper than a battery and easy to replace - why not start there? Not sure how a battery would lead to limp mode and if the battery was bad, you wouldn't be able to start the bike.

Testing the alternator is pretty straightforward with a VOM meter - google can tell you what to look for. Off the top of my head, you'd be looking at a steady 14 volts or so starting at something around 3000 rpm. I'd double check that.

Another sure sign of a defective regulator is that the lights brighten and darken as revs vary.

thanks for that, so there were a whole bunch of codes that were set off by the bike which can mean some sort of electrical issue. the first one said "voltage regulator"
we're going to see if we can make the bike do the same thing under hot conditions which was when it did it in the first place. will also check the battery and alternator output.

 

[krista_k]

For what it's worth, any time I worked on a bike with a fault that could at all be traced to electrical issues, I grabbed the newest battery I had access to and swapped it in. Once a battery is past 3 years old, it can act both "good" and "bad", depending on the situation. And since it's a Ducati, double check the grounds.

My two cents,
Chris

 

[appliance57]

For what it's worth, any time I worked on a bike with a fault that could at all be traced to electrical issues, I grabbed the newest battery I had access to and swapped it in. Once a battery is past 3 years old, it can act both "good" and "bad", depending on the situation. And since it's a Ducati, double check the grounds.

My two cents,
Chris

It does make sense to eliminate a variable, and if the charging/regulation system is damaged, it will probably damage the battery due to discharge over time. I was thinking though, that just replacing the battery is not going to solve the underlying problem, but may mask it until that battery is also damaged.

 

[krista_k]

Yeah, don't leave the battery there... I was implying to use it to find the fault. If you don't find a fault and the battery goes bad, I'd say the fault is a couple feet above the seat somewhere. :grin2:

 

[firegod33r]

So I was told that if the battery is bad the bike will just shut off.
After weeks of waiting it is safe to say that......We can't make the bike go into limp mode anymore. Ofcourse I'm sure it will as soon as I leave the dealer ship on a long ride somewhere in the middle of West Virginia :laugh:

 

[appliance57]

Why not swap out the voltage regulator - it's about$50.00 plug and play, and have the battery load tested. Although, if the battery has been drained and recharged, just get another one.