[DeanoAus]

Hi all,

I've got an 848 that's regrettably been sitting idle in my garage for nearly a year and was on a trickle charge. I went to kick her over the other day and it was dead flat, despite being on trickle. No voltage coming out of the battery at all.

So, I jumped her off a car - but ... forgot to turn the car off. Begin cringing now.

Within about a minute of running, a wiring harness melted. With a large sigh, I shut her off and now need to work out what exactly it was. The cable is located near the battery, see photos below.

Any help would be much appreciated as I'm very much licking my wounds and kicking myself over a basic error. I don't have any of the wiring diagrams to refer to.

 

[Yorik]

Diagrams can be found in the service manual. The service manual can be found in the Tech section Sticky.

 

[loony888]

That's the 3 phase wiring that comes from the stator, through the gland in the LHS cover, it plugs in to the harness via the regulator/rectifier.

That is quite common as the connection either works loose or gets a build up of corrosion which increases resistance and therefore heat when the bike is running.
You will likely need a new Reg/Rec and have to install a new plug assembly, as well as a new battery by the sound of it.
Is that a Li-ion battery? if so you should read up on how they work and how to maintain them, they require a specific Li-Ion trickle charger and don't typically behave like a lead acid battery.

 

[belter]

i doubt the car had anything to do with it. just a melted connector.

 

[Iwannaduc]

Is that a Li-ion battery? if so you should read up on how they work and how to maintain them, they require a specific Li-Ion trickle charger and don't typically behave like a lead acid battery.

Quoted for truth. Don't "F" around with a standard lead acid charger. You might find your bike burned to the ground one day.

Li-Ion, LiPo or LiFe batteries definitely do NOT behave like lead-acid batteries. Making the mistake that they do has grounded an entire fleet of hundred million dollar aircraft.

 

[DeanoAus]

Diagrams can be found in the service manual. The service manual can be found in the Tech section Sticky.

Thanks, Yorik - will admit, it's been a long time since I was on a bike forum and the last time I was there, hosting manuals was a no no, forgive me for not looking.

That's the 3 phase wiring that comes from the stator, through the gland in the LHS cover, it plugs in to the harness via the regulator/rectifier.

That is quite common as the connection either works loose or gets a build up of corrosion which increases resistance and therefore heat when the bike is running.
You will likely need a new Reg/Rec and have to install a new plug assembly, as well as a new battery by the sound of it.
Is that a Li-ion battery? if so you should read up on how they work and how to maintain them, they require a specific Li-Ion trickle charger and don't typically behave like a lead acid battery.

Thank you very much, very helpful. I'll dive into tracking down the assembly, battery has been ordered.

Thanks for the extras battery info, I'll have a read up on that as well.

Again, thanks very much for your time.

 

[DeanoAus]

I was just reading this thread; 2008 848 Stator gone bad - ducati.org forum | the home for ducati owners and enthusiasts where they recommended removing the quick plug entirely and just directly soldering the wires to each other.

Noting that was from a few years ago, I'm assuming the advice would still stand? If so, this thread Stator wiring help indicates it doesn't matter which wire is connected to which, so, in theory, I could cut out that plug and any damaged wire and crimp connect all 3 wires?

 

[loony888]

I was just reading this thread; 2008 848 Stator gone bad - ducati.org forum | the home for ducati owners and enthusiasts where they recommended removing the quick plug entirely and just directly soldering the wires to each other.

Noting that was from a few years ago, I'm assuming the advice would still stand? If so, this thread Stator wiring help indicates it doesn't matter which wire is connected to which, so, in theory, I could cut out that plug and any damaged wire and crimp connect all 3 wires?

You can eliminate the plug if you wish, the only issue with that i if you need to remove or replace the Reg/Rec in future you will need to cut the wires and start again, making them shorter each time you need to do it.
I guess it depends how mechanically minded you are and whether you can remember to check the connection every once in a while, a decent plug will stay connected and with some dielectric grease it should stay serviceable for years. The trick is to keep the battery charged so there's not huge amps being drawn from the stator into the Reg/Rec which will save that, the plug, the battery, the wiring..... Likely also save the starter motor and the starter sprag as well because attempting to start a bike with a poorly charged battery will cause issues with all of that sooner or later.
Using a trickle charger when not in use is a good thing, just use the right one ......

 

[2004 999s]

this is a good place to start repairs;https://www.roadstercycle.com/Stator Testing Example.htm

CHECK OUT THE ROADSTERCYCLE HOME PAGE.​ REMEMBER WHEN YOU JUMP START A BIKE WITH A CAR," THE CAR CANNOT BE RUNNING" !!! YOU CAN FRY YOUR R/R IN A HEARTBEAT IF IT IS!!!!!!! ​