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Forum index -   Wanna buy: Any battery leakage problems with your new MTS?
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CoastalRider
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 18 Oct 2003
Posts: 540
Location: San Diego, California

PostPosted: Sun Oct 26, 2003 2:18 am Reply with quote

About 40 owners of Monster Ducatis (SR & S4R) have reported leaking batteries. These leaks have caused damage to engine and frame parts. The faulty battery appears to be from the original equipment manufacturer, GS/Fiamm. Owners replacing this battery with a YUASA gell seem to be satisfied. You can read for yourself in this lengthy thread:

http://www.ducatimonster.org/cgi-bin/yab...;num=1056238019

What battery is in your MTS? Have you looked to check for leaks?

Thank you,

Tom
San Diego, California
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Greg
MTS: Not specified

   

Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Posts: 123
Location: Escondido Ca

PostPosted: Sun Oct 26, 2003 2:40 am Reply with quote

This was a common problem with the Cagiva Gran Canyon also I will be washing my bike in the Am I will report back

_________________
Have the maxium fun while preserving body and bike
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Jantah
Site Admin
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 763
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:50 am Reply with quote

CoastalRider, do you know exactly where the leak is on battery the Monster models? Call me lazy, but the link you posted is a bit large to read completely Wink

By te looks of it, the battery on the Monster is mounted on its side above the front cilinder:



I will have a look tomorrow what brand and type of battery is fitted on my bike.
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CoastalRider
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 18 Oct 2003
Posts: 540
Location: San Diego, California

PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 2:49 pm Reply with quote

People complained about the link when it was 12 pages. Now it is 33 pages! A new thread has been started:

http://www.ducatimonster.org/cgi-bin/yab...;num=1065207511

A FAQ sheet could be coming in the near future. As I understand it, the leak comes from the seams on the top plate of the battery (see reply 166 page 12 and reply 167). But some acid appears to be leaking from the vents as well. I have not read all replies in detail, so perhaps leaks have been identified in other areas of the batteries as well.

For damage illustrations, see reply 106, page 8 and reply 376, page 26.

For old/new GS battery vents, see reply 85, page 6.

For vent location of YUASA, see reply 220, page 15.

There is alot of speculation about the cause of the leak. It could be a bad battery, a bad regulator, a combination of the two, or something else. But the GS battery is definitely leaking. A battery mat to absorb the free acid would not be a bad insurance policy on any battery, in my opinion. But a mat is just a second line of defense; it's not the solution.

I'm by no means an expert, but it seems to me the cause of the problem should be easy to diagnose by an expert. Possibly Ducati knows more than they are saying, but unfortunately in the USA the lawyers often think it best to say nothing on one hand, yet offer compensation on a case-by-case basis on the other hand. Regardless of the politics, if I buy a MTS, I will insist on a YUASA battery, or spend the $90 or so and install one myself.

I went to a dealer Friday to get a second look at the MTS. I love it. Of course, they only had the silver MTS in stock, but were confident they could get me a red one in a few weeks. The salesman had no knowledge of the battery problems.

Best of luck,

Tom
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evo
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 12 Oct 2003
Posts: 30
Location: united kingdom

PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:52 pm Reply with quote

I've just had my battery replaced by my dealer as it wouldn't hold a charge. When I took it down there they replaced it for a new one which also wouldn't work even before it left the workshop, so they took the one off their demo and so far its working, in a couple of days I'll find out if its permanant. It wasn't leaking though but it is one more case of there being a problem with that electrickery type stuff.

Regards

Evo
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Steve B
MTS: 2007 1100S (Black)

   

Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Posts: 1276
Location: Decatur, Illinois USA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 6:49 pm Reply with quote

Is all this worry over the battery leaking valid on the Multistrada? The battery is upright on our bikes, not on its side like the monster.
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CoastalRider
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 18 Oct 2003
Posts: 540
Location: San Diego, California

PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:22 pm Reply with quote

Steve: Good point on the MTS battery being upright and not on its side. I was told by the dealer the battery was on its side in the MTS. I guess he never looked.

Since the GS battery has shown leaks at the battery top plate seams and not just the vent holes, I question the integrity of the battery, regardless of the way it sits. One individual speculated the battery core may be too big for its container. We also don't know if this is a regulator issue.

Let's face it, nobody has really determined the cause of the battery leaks. It's all educated guesses, at this point. We can only keep current with the Monster thread, and hope an informed individual (or Ducati) figures out the true issue. I hope I haven't caused a panic, but I'm sure you can appreciate the damage a bad battery could inflict on your beautiful new bike. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt monitoring your OEM battery until we hear the exact cause of the battery leaks.
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Jantah
Site Admin
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 763
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 3:26 pm Reply with quote

More good news: the Multistrada, or mine at least, is fitted with a Yuasa battery:

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CoastalRider
MTS: 2003 1000 DS (Red)

   

Joined: 18 Oct 2003
Posts: 540
Location: San Diego, California

PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:27 pm Reply with quote

Jantah: Thanks for your research. The battery is upright and is a YUASA. Looks like battery leaks will not be an issue for the MTS.

There is still a question about the voltage regulator. One person on the Monster board was concerned and relocated it, just in case the problem is regulator related. About the only thing most of us can do is check the battery for leaks every now and then. If the YUASA leaks, the regulator/charging system might need to be evaluated. In the mean time, I don't think the Monster battery issue will stop me from purchasing a MTS.

Thanks again,

Tom
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georgiajeff
MTS: 2008 1100S (Red)

   

Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Posts: 42
Location: Thomasville,Ga

PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:56 pm Reply with quote

To all who think this a dead issue I just picked up my "08 S" and as they were going over the bike with me,I saw "water" dripped on left side frame,engine side cover,foot peg assy,and shifter . When I touched the frame the paint stuck to my finger. Turns out the battery had leaked into side panel while on sidestand and blew back when he test rode it. Battery looked fine just leaking,a long list of parts later I got my bike with no worry of putting first mark on her(LOL). Will carry back to get fixed after I get back from Indy GP. BTW the battery is a Yuasa.
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