My Monster has been incredibly reliable. The carbed engine has been bulletproof over
the last 7,000 miles (on the cusp of 20K total), and I haven’t had any issues that
have given Ducati questionable reputations in the past. The computer system on my ST3 could be another
matter.
I rode to work on Friday morning, and was a little
over-eager to hit the road. There was
either gravel in the street, or I’m not used to the kickstand yet; and I dumped
the new bike in slow-motion like a stupid rookie.
I managed to pull the bike up almost immediately, and sheepishly rode to work. There was virtually no body damage, but when I turned the bike on, the EOBD (check engine) light was on, the coolant temperature wouldn’t register, and the fan wouldn't shut off. I scoured some Ducati.ms forums, and came to the conclusion that I had damaged the coolant sensor, and that I could probably ride down to Pennsylvania to see my brother later that day, as this was my plan for the afternoon all week.
After work, at the entrance gate to the Holland Tunnel, the
engine started sputtering, and the engine wouldn’t engage when heavily twisting
the throttle. I couldn’t turn around in
merging traffic, so I decided to limp over to Jersey City, and then in an
anxious fit of reckless bravery/idiocy, to see how far I could go before having
the issue again. After I got on the
Pulaski Skyway, the bike felt fine for two hours, and I was hoping cleaning or
drying the sensor would resolve the issue.