Ducatisti

Hanging Out With Like-minded Folk Is Always a Lot of Fun

- Geoff Seddon

I think of my Ducati 900 Supersport as my new bike, even though it’s more than 25 years old. It says something about the age of my other toys, but it does have 17in wheels and great brakes, so steers and stops like a modern motorcycle. It’s not particularly fast but is reliable and starts first time every time. Well, it did until a little while ago.

I turned the key one morning, hit the button, nothing. The battery was charged, ignition and neutral lights on. I jiggled the kill switch and some wires on the clip-on, still nothing. Where’s a kick-starter when you need one? I didn’t even know where the starter motor was until I dusted off the little-used factory manual that came with the bike. “This part generally works without difficulties because of the reliability and the compactness of construction,” the manual boasted, which was just as well as it is located low within the crankcase castings and requires significant left-side engine dismantling to access. Oh joy. The manual advised to first check the external cables to the starter for tightness or oxidation, which on inspection were fine.