[whoguy]

Hi all,

I’ve just replaced my starter solenoid with a ford one. Just letting you know what I did.

NOTE: This mod removes the neutral and clutch safety switches, so after this mod, the starter button will activate the starter motor no matter what! This is due to the earthed mounting bracket on the ford solenoid.

You will need -
Ford Starter solenoid
Two 10mm-8mm heavy duty ring crimp connectors
Two 5mm light duty ring crimp connectors
One 8mm light duty ring crimp connector.
One 1000V 3A power diode

Steps
1. Remove the battery and seat.
2. Undo the old solenoid by undoing the two bolts, disconnect the positive connector and the starter wire connector.
3. At the solenoid, cut all wires as close to the solenoid as possible.
4. Strip the positive battery (thick red) and smaller power (red) wire and crimp them together with the heavy duty crimp connector.
5. Strip the brown starter motor wire and crimp with heavy duty connector.
6. Strip only the starter (blue) wire and crimp with the 5mm ring connector. ( tape up the other wire as it is unused!!! )
7. Make the shunt diode circuit by crimping the “silver banded” end of the diode to the 5mm ring connector. Solder about 5cm of wire to the other end. Strip the end of the wire and crimp the 8mm light duty ring connector.
!!!!!!! WARNING - FAILURE TO GET THE DIODE POLARITY RIGHT WILL RESULT IN BURNT WIRING!!!!
8. Connect both the 5mm ring connectors of the starter wire and the diode circuit to the right post of the solenoid.
9. Connect the battery cable connector onto the end closest to the battery (palarity doesn’t matter, but convenience does)
10. Connect the starter cable connector to the other end.
11. Mount the new solenoid where the old one used to be, don't forget to connect the other end of the diode circuit to one of the mounting bolts to earth it!
12. Double check all wiring and reconnect the battery.
13. Turn bike on and crank away!!!

[whoguy]

What it looks like all installed.

Oh, and I've just performed the mod, so I've no idea how reliably it'll perform.... only reason I did it was because on hot days she doesn't want to crank... and I'm sick of tracing wiring for the uptenth time... but I know for a fact... it's due to shit earthing by the clutch and neutral switches.

[Ducati Scotty]

I tried a Ford solenoid just last week. I found that it took so much juice to trigger that it only worked with the headlight off.   I stepped down to a lawn tractor solenoid which was a little smaller and seems to work no matter what.

Scott

[Royalista]

Whoguy:
Good write up. Just wondering about the bypassing of neutral & clutch safety. Might not be that recommended for us, distracted, ... 

Ducati Scotty:
Did you bypass neutral & clutch safety?

[Ducati Scotty]

Um, I guess so?  I did bolt it to ground but didn't do nearly as in depth of an analysis as whoguy.  So I guess I did unknowingly.  The lawn mower part is isolated so I suppose it works as stock, but I will certainly double check now

Scott

[whoguy]

Hey  Ducati Scotty, I was worried about it sucking too much juice too.... my old solenoid would only trigger with the headlights off... thus me wanting to change it.

Just tested the bike just then with the headlights on highbeam and the bike still starts...though bike is fully charged.

If I have any difficulties, I'll give a lawn mower starter a try too.

If you're wandering bout the diode.... it's just to suppress the reverse voltage spike from releasing the solenoid, thought I'd be safe rather than sorry if it might kill the computer.

Bypassing those safety switches might result in getting shoved when hitting the start button in gear... probably not good for the sprag too... just make sure you clutch in or have it in neutral before you start, thats it.

Cheers guys

[Ducati Scotty]

Probably wouldn't hurt the sprag, it's fine under load just doesn't like getting kicked back.

I figured the Ford would work fine on some bikes and not others, and you can always kill the headlight for a second if you need to.  It looks like the wiring harnesses are getting much better lately but the early years it seems were very hit or miss.  If you do need the lawn mower model you should be able to get it at any Home Depot.  It also has the advantage that both posts point forward.  If it totally dies you can just jump the terminals with a screw driver.

Scott

[whoguy]

Thanks Scotty, you're a wealth of info!

[Ducati Scotty]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/12-Volt-Universal-Lawn-Tractor-Solenoid-490-250-0013/203642367

[Ducati Scotty]

As an aside and thinking about something in another current thread, one could use a Ford solenoid or any other grounded solenoid to bypass problems with the neutral/clutch/sidestand starter cutout sircuits.  These circuits are designed as safety features to keep you from starting the bike in gear and/or riding off while doing so or with the sidestand down.  These circuits seem to work by interrupting the ground path that actuates the starter solenoid.  As any one of these circuits can fail and cause you to be stranded, it's nice to know there's a way around it.   Keep in mind that you are defeating a safety feature if you do this.

Scott

[whoguy]

Thanks scotty, my thoughts precisely... although my side stand safety still works fine.

On numerous occasions I bloody wished my starter worked when push starting, just to give that extra help... I've never suceeded with a jump start ever... even down a bloody hill!!! Too bad mine came out without the kicker.... aarrrgghhh

[Ducati Scotty]

I've got the no kicker model too.  You do need to have a live battery even to push start; you need to have enough juice to energize the EFI and ECU, which is less than it takes to turn the starter.  And sometimes it's easier to do it in second gear than in first.  I've push started mine several times without issue when the battery was low but not dead.

Scott

[gashousegorilla]

   I'm really not familiar with that Ford relay or the Lawnmower deal....  But I'm thinking, as an alternate way of hooking it up. And keeping the ground switched safeties, and to prevent spiking...  Would be to mount it in a way where the mounting bolts would be insulated from the frame. Like with rubber grommets through the mounting holes, and backed up under the head of the bolt , and under the nut with washers so the grommets would not be destroyed.  And then simply wire it like stock ?   Just thinkin' it might work that way.... 

[Ducati Scotty]

Yup, just insulate the mount and run the ground line to the chassis of the solenoid.  Then it would work as stock.  The lawn mower unit is the same price and easily available though, and not need to isolate.

Scott