All that said,the proof is in the pudding. No matter how well the starter wire is constructed or protected it will do nothing to prevent electrolytic migration which is the only issue here that matters in terms of durability. You must decide for yourself,do you want to do it once or do it over and over again. If you plan to take your duck down to the bone every 3 or 5 years go with the fully capable 8,7,6 or 5 gauge wire(if you can find them). If on the other hand you lack the talent or funding to DIY and you prefer to do it in a way that will last another 20 years of trouble free service 4 gauge is the only durable choice. 75 bucks is an rare price indeed!!@! Now all this is a moot point if you do yourself a favor and provide a mechanical way of disconnecting the battery. Otherwise you must remove the battery every time the bike will sit unused for more than a day or two.It is simple physics............
As Jon also has stated this guy is first rate in his research and from what I can see is honestly providing well constructed and DURABLE solutions to common(?) real world problems. Q.E.D.
On a side note I have a 2005 Nissan Frontier, I recently had to replace some very expensive but not rare components due to corrosion resulting from a commonly accepted wire gauge on the starter/charging circuit and electrolytic migration. I will present my case shortly.I have to find the time to provide the details in a fashion that all here can understand in black and white

just placed an order for two of these kits.
One for the 907 which needs it desperately and one for the 906,figured might as well

I plan on purchasing one as well. After reading this really good discussion I can make an informed decision about the usefulness of the monster cable solution.

I am contemplating a new regulator purchase. May I ask you gentlemen about your opinion regarding which regulator is correct for a 750 Paso:

http://shop.bevelheaven.com/detail.aspx?ID=723

or

http://shop.bevelheaven.com/detail.aspx?ID=1360.

I prefer the price of the first, but my existing regulator looks similar to the second, but with wires rather than a built in connector.

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts and your time.

-Randy.

Hi all,

I've just fitted one of these kits to my 906 and the bike starts first time, every time now. It has made a notable difference and I no longer hold my breath while pressing the starter. It's gotten to the point I expect it to fire up straight away! (can't say that for any other Ducati I've owned)

All cable lengths were perfect and the build quality is very high in my opinion. Certainly I could not make something of this gauge at home.

A couple of issue with fitment - these cables are indeed 'monster' big (as Gerhard warned me). Think hose size rather than wire size. They are therefere not so flexible as the OEM wiring. Sound obvious, but can be more of an issue for cable routing. This may be specific to the 906 bikes as the digiplex ignition unit takes up alot of room under the seat.

The starter wiring routing I ended up using under the seat was slightly different than OEM as I decided it fit better my way with the stiffer, thicker cables. I also made use of the fact I can either top mount or back mount to the terminals on my battery (top mount was better for me).

You could bolt on the kit as it comes with the OEM routing, no problems. But I would advise some thinking as you can reduce the stress on the cables and all the stuff they put pressure on (e.g. the fusebox). From memory I flipped the solenoid over and shifted one of the fusebox mounting bolts slightly.

I also decided to use different rubber boots on the cables at the solenoid and battery to fit all the extra wires in easier with the thicker stater cables.



As a side note, perhaps the main benefit of the upgrade was me discovering that other parts of my wiring loom, especially around the fusebox, were completely corroded and almost falling apart. Amazing what you find when you look! As a result of this the final version of my wiring upgrade had a new (weatherproof) fusebox relocated where the old Duoshock remote resevoir is in the photo (I've changed the shock to a P750 Ohlins type with a stiffer spring for the heavier 906).


Cheers,

Mick

Kits arrived and I installed the 907 kit. Very nice. Only had to take a file to the connectors at the soleniod so that it all could fit with the covers on.no big deal


It was a tight fit on the solenoid,after a little filing it fit perfectly
Here is the rest of the pics , the kit and the install


The bolt is for grounding directly to the engine(where it belongs anyway ) for those with issues on the original ground location



Mike provides a bolt to ground the strap here if you need

Interesting topic.

I have to say that whenever I encountered starting issues it was always due to:

- poor connections ( oxydized poles on batteries starter relais, starter motor)

- end of life starter motor (usually brushes need replacing and rotor collar needs a good cleaning)

- end of life starter relais.

as for points 2&3 there is very little we can do, overhauling and replacement is the only solution.

Unfortunately the poor connections are something we have to live with when the bikes (or cars) are used in harsh environments or simply because they get old.

The average PASO is around 20 years therefore it is most likely it will be affected in the electrics compartment and very often it is simply because the connections are overlooked.

wd40 is my best friend...but there are wonderful products out there suitable for cleaning and lubricating properly the contacts.

I truly believe the kit proposed works ( I find it a little bit pricey, but i guess you pay for the convenience of having a "kit" taylor made) , although I am preatty sure that just by disassembling, cleaning, lubricating and reassembling the old wiring it would make a noticeable difference.

To give an idea of how important are the connections.... last year I took of the 907 for a ride and got stranded with all the electrics off.

The first though was that the battery failed (regulator failure, battery cooked) but before panicking I started by pulling/moving the cables around the battery (it was the last thing i touched before leaving my garage) noticing that the positive was extremely hot and suddently there was life in the circuits!

The issue? I couldnt believe it.... it was due to the oxidation of the battery pole.

I always disconnect the battery when I do not use the bike for a while and in the rush of going out for a ride I tightened the positive without cleaning & lubricating the contact area and that was more than enough to stop all the electrics.

Sometimes oxydation creates "hotspots" when the current flows, these hotspots have high resistance and the more current passes through the hotter they get...to the point that there is a noticeable voltage at the end of the cable which can be enough to cause electric devices to fail.

swapping the coils with some aftermarket like Dyna (green) makes quite a difference in firing the bike up. I found it an overall improvement. Idle is a bit better and throttle response also while here the felt difference is not that big.

G.

Those cables are HUGE!

A good looking kit. I'm glad it's available for us to improve the electric system of our Paso's.

You are most welcome
One comment to add, and I have made it here before, in terms of conductance, and thats is what it is all about, Multi-strand wires and solid core wires all tend to "do the work" on the outside surface.(G are you paying attention )
so what does that mean to a Ducatista simple, bigger is better

Higgy: I've got to chime in on the electrolytic migration comments. Wire size will help reduce electrolytic migration in a battery if there is a reduction in amps with a larger dia wire. Wire corrosion can increase electrolytic migration in a battery if amp draw in the circuit goes up as a result of the corrosion, but wire corrosion itself is not caused by electrolytic migration, but by oxidation of the wire itself.