Hard starting Mach 1

[JimF]

My Mach 1 is reluctant (putting it mildly) to start.

The carb is the notoriously simple SSI29.

The curved kick start lever is of little help in starting, that is to say if the engine does not light up on the first compression/ignition stroke you need to re-kick (you can't get anywhere near two revolutions with that kick start lever.)

Once the engine is warm/hot restarting it is easier.

A shot of starting fluid is a quick and dirty way (really the only way) to get the cold engine to run.

I tried lowering the slide a bit more to insure I would be on the idle circuit and to maximize the fuel to air ratio at starting, but this did not help. I did succeed in achieving a nice low idle.

I checked my idle air adjust setting and the screw was almost bottomed out (1/4 turn from bottom) which I think makes the fuel mixture richer which is what I would think I would have wanted. Backing the mixture screw out to 1.5 turns made no difference.

A friend suggets I take out the air mixture screw and blast carb cleaner into the orifice followed by compressed air in the event I just have a clog somewhere that I might clear it out without taking the carb off. On this bike the carb comes off with difficulty - the tank has to be removed or a the very least lifted at the rear for clearance reasons.

I just thought I'd bounce this problem off you guys - the brain trust of Ducati singles.

Jim

[Bevel bob]

Try turning the carb body as far as possible to get the float as high as possible, also swing the float chamber as far to the rear ,close to the frame spine as possible. As long as the carb does not flood(drip fuel) , the higher the better.If you tip the bike over to the kickstart side when starting you will starve it and make starting harder.Sounds like weakness.

[DewCatTea-Bob]

By: JimF...
" My Mach 1 is reluctant (putting it mildly) to start.
The carb is the notoriously simple SSI29. "

____ You mentioned nothing about your tickler method Jim ! ...
Accept during warmer-temps (at least in the 80s), I've not heard of being able to start-up any cold Duke-engine with a SSI-carb, without first making use of the 'tickler' !
__ While adjusting the float-bowl position to raise it's fuel-level will help, as Bob has indicated,, when the engine is cold, 2 to 5 quick depressions of the tickler is needed, and even a slightly warm engine may need 1 or 2 dips.
I-myself prefer the quick-dip (of the float) method, while others simply hold-down the tickler-button until fuel squirts-out the over-flow outlet-hole in the side of the float-bowl's lid-cover, but that then means you've also sent a flood of fuel into the cly.head (which may make the s.plug wet).
So before bothering with trying anything else, try the 'tickler' !
I believe that if the s.plug is not fowled-up, and the battery is not too low,, a cold Duke-engine will start-up rather quite easily, if the tickler is first given a little 'tickle' ,
(especially if the petcocks have just been turned-on!).


DUCATIly,
-Bob

[MotoMike]

I always thought that curved kick starter looked like it would be sort of lousy to use. Are some Mach 1's easy starters despite the starter?

[Bevel bob]

Hi Mike, For regular use I would fit a folding footrest and a standard kickstart, the Mach1 and NC M3 were not expected to be used as roadsters,more competition bikes so they never were easy to kickstart, my 250 starts with a couple of kicks usually but also needs a bump start now and then. The center stand and internal parts are not up to the job anyway so my first start of the day is a downhill bump to save those items.Even a Bump requires the motor to be pulled back on compression ,the clutch freed off a tickle to flood and sometimes a push back uphill!!.If the ignition is set more than 5 degrees static starting is less ready and a kickback/ carb flare is always on the cards.Welcome to my world! --its not booring though is it. The alternative is to polish and mount the bike on a stand in the lounge---many have done this, wimps all of them!!.(I would like an Elite for my lounge though).

[JimF]

I must admit that I forgot to tickle the float bowl. I guess it's been a long winter and even longer since I last rode the Mach 1. Funny how it is my favorite bike but I ride it the least. That is in no small part owing to the difficulty I have in starting it, and the feat that when I get where I am going I won't be able to get it started for the return trip.

Bump starting it by myself has never worked for me either. Too low a gear and the rear tire slides on the pavement rather than pushing the engine over. In higher gears I might get a one or two compression strokes but never a start-up. Kicking and run-and-jump bump starting just leaves me drenched with sweat. I live in Illinois, so i would need a truck to get to me to a hilltop and that would be a much farther drive than just taking the bike home.

Last night before I read your email I depressed the button until the gas overflowed the bowl which I thought was the accepted method, that is to say putting a puddle of raw fuel in the carb throat, down the sides of the float bowl, on top of the engine cases and some on the ground, and then hope the bike inhales vapors from the flammable cloud created and it fires off.

Needless to say I had no success, but in retrospect I can see that I probably swamped the plug with fuel.

I will dry things out and try what is surely the correct method, which is I suspect is to tickle only enough to get the fuel level to the very top of the atomizer.

Jim

[Bevel bob]

I usually tickle a couple of times then check if a little fuel seeps out of the drain hole near the idle screw, another tickle if needed,looking for a touch of fuel on my glove under the carb.Have to have kit on and ready to go as the little "B" wont tick over reliably anyway.I would also recommend a stock of new plugs as cleaned plugs dont always fire up as you would expect. Have to catch the motor with a little throttle too.I have resorted to heating the plug up over a gas flame, flooding the plug is not helpfull.Get rid of that stooopid kickstart and life will be better, and you will be out on the bike you love best.To bump start you have to pull back in first gear up to compression then into neutral before pushing, leap on bang it into gear, and go!! holding the clutch in allows the motor to drag round to compression --no good.A pumper Dellorto will work much better but I just love the look of the SSI 29D.Think about moving to the mountains , when i first started to play with this bike i always rode off uphill, saved a lot of pushing home!! Do you have a good spark? the Pazon booster helps.To avoid stalling at lights i just used to run them, and you get to race with the fuzz too.

[JimF]

I cleaned the plug and backed out the idle air adjust screw to 1-1/2 turns out. A couple kicks with no tickle did nothing. A brief one to two seconds on the tickler and the engine came to life in two more kicks.

I'll see if this is repeatable in the next few days.

I rode the Mach 1 a couple miles on an errand. Switched it off and went into a store. Came back out five minutes later and two kicks with no tickle and it fired up and took me home.

What a fun bike!

[Bevel bob]

Sounds like you are on top of it, I would carry a plug spanner and a hot (no 6 ) plug though.Saved my bacon a few times.Yes a real fun bike, imagine me a youth with a Mach1 on learner plates racing and beating up the locals on 650's ,a total hoot.

[Jordan]

Is the fuel fresh from the retailer? Over 6 months old can cause starting problems. I'm told they make it not so volatile now, for safety, and because modern ignitions are powerful enough to handle it.

Jordan