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blugu64 posted:Sounds like you might have just shifted too lightly in to gear, and thus not really been in gear when you released the clutch. Shift with authority. This. I can accidentally hit neutral and/or a false-neutral upshifting or downshifting if I'm not actively showing that bitch who's boss. I had that problem on the Nighthawk I was on for the MSF too.
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| # ? Jan 4, 2011 07:52 |
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| # ? May 18, 2013 08:01 |
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My '80 CB750F likes to pop out of 2nd into neutral if I'm both stomping on the gas and didn't shift with authority. It gets better with fresh oil, but bikes seem to just do that sometimes.
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| # ? Jan 4, 2011 09:01 |
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It pops out of second because second gear has a worn down (poo poo fork? dog? something) from all the abuse second gear typically gets. It most certainly isn't functioning as intended but a lot of older bikes do it. My '94 CBR did it. The solution is of course to replace the damaged parts in the transmission.
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| # ? Jan 4, 2011 16:58 |
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:It pops out of second because second gear has a worn down (poo poo fork? dog? something) from all the abuse second gear typically gets. It most certainly isn't functioning as intended but a lot of older bikes do it. My '94 CBR did it. The solution is of course to replace the damaged parts in the transmission. My '89 GSX-R 750 does it. Take it above 11,000 RPM on high load and it'll pop right out. Unless you pop it back in immedietly it's almost impossible to put it back into gear without coming to a stop or it'll grind like crazy. Maybe I just have to let the clutch lever out again to let it get up to speed, havn't tried it..
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| # ? Jan 4, 2011 19:02 |
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MrKatharsis posted:Kawasakis are particularly vulnerable to this, I've found. Stomp on that shifter. Just be sure to check the pivot bolt. Mine fell out after the housing stripped out at around 11k miles. I'd recommend taking yours out and putting some thread locker on it before tightening it back down to spec. Luckily mine fell out while I was at work. Unluckily I lived 50 miles away from work at the time.
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| # ? Jan 5, 2011 00:08 |
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sklnd posted:All sad images are click-for-giant. The final one has the most impact. I got the key from blugu64 about a month ago, so I could disassemble the ninja (for parting out) and see what went wrong with his engine. We've had a couple warm weekends here in Boulder over the last couple weeks, so I've been taking the bike apart. Well there's yer problem:  Click here for the full 1280x850 image. Spun rod bearing on cylinder #2.  Not an uncommon failure for a Ninja 250.If anybody needs random ninja parts, I'll be posting in the marketplace thread soon. [edit] might as well throw in some more engine parts porn  Click here for the full 1280x850 image. sklnd fucked around with this message at Jan 24, 2011 around 00:07 |
| # ? Jan 23, 2011 23:59 |
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Hi Guys, I just bought an 06 Ninja. Took the MSF last weekend, so I have a whole 5 days under my belt. The bike starts cold with the choke half open. The guy kept it outside, but it doesn't look anything but dirty. It idles around 1k rpm after I close the choke. My 5 questions so far are: 1. When I turn the bike on, the tach just sits at 0. Like, doesn't move at all. When i give it a small bit of throttle, it shoots over to 2k rps or w/e. Is this normal? 2. Idle. When warming up from cold and after I close the choke, the idle moves around a lot. sits at 1.1k, surges to 2, etc. Is this normal for a cold bike? 2. Valve adjustment. I have literally never even changed my oil, but reading the ninja250 how to makes it seem like a pretty important service. The bike has 13k, and has probably never had this done. Is this guide on there enough for a newbie to use and complete? 3. Carbs. I put some seafoam in the tank when I got it (4oz) and have been running that through. So far so good, but should I clean the carbs anyway? What about a sync? 4. Suspension. At the MSF I had a 05 honda 250 nighthawk. That bike seemed to turn A LOT easier than mine. Is there anything I can check to see if something, somewhere needs lube? The handlebars themselves seem to have more resistance. Maybe it's just two different brands of bikes? Even with the above, I'm still loving this bike. Going to give it new NGK(or whatever) plugs and the synthetic oil that ninja250.org recommends this weekend. Thanks for the help guys!
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| # ? Jan 28, 2011 00:53 |
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Desertfox621 posted:
Make sure your tires are inflated to the right level. And that they're not the lovely stock tires. ^.^
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| # ? Jan 28, 2011 01:03 |
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Desertfox621 posted:4. Suspension. At the MSF I had a 05 honda 250 nighthawk. That bike seemed to turn A LOT easier than mine. Is there anything I can check to see if something, somewhere needs lube? The handlebars themselves seem to have more resistance. Maybe it's just two different brands of bikes? It's because the Rebel and your Ninja have different handling characteristics, and the reason I wouldn't recommend sport bikes to beginners, regardless of engine displacement. Having rode both a 2007 Ninja 250 and a Honda Rebel I can tell you from experience that the Rebel is far easier to ride. There's a reason MSF courses use them. The riding position is more laid back and the handling is far more predictable. With the Ninja you have a lot more weight on your wrists which can give a twitchy, unpredictable feel to beginners. The good news is the Ninja 250 is such a light and small bike that you can easily get yourself out of trouble, whereas those little beginner mistakes lead to big trouble on a 600 or 1000cc sportbike. Eventually you'll be able to turn circles around that Rebel.
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| # ? Jan 28, 2011 04:00 |
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1. When I turn the bike on, the tach just sits at 0. Like, doesn't move at all. When i give it a small bit of throttle, it shoots over to 2k rps or w/e. Is this normal? No. I'm guessing a loose cable. 2. Idle. When warming up from cold and after I close the choke, the idle moves around a lot. sits at 1.1k, surges to 2, etc. Is this normal for a cold bike? A little variation is expected, but this is probably a dirty carb. 2. Valve adjustment. I have literally never even changed my oil, but reading the ninja250 how to makes it seem like a pretty important service. The bike has 13k, and has probably never had this done. Is this guide on there enough for a newbie to use and complete? Yes, http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ninja+250+valve+adjustment The ninja250 wiki also contains pretty much everything else you need to know about your 250, including diagnosing many problems listed here (http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page) 3. Carbs. I put some seafoam in the tank when I got it (4oz) and have been running that through. So far so good, but should I clean the carbs anyway? What about a sync? Yes, cleaning the carbs is a lot better than just seafoam. The wiki can tell you about syncing them/whether you need to. 4. Suspension. At the MSF I had a 05 honda 250 nighthawk. That bike seemed to turn A LOT easier than mine. Is there anything I can check to see if something, somewhere needs lube? The handlebars themselves seem to have more resistance. Maybe it's just two different brands of bikes? I'm guessing the tires are flat in the center and old. New ones help this a lot. TL;DR: the 250 wiki has all your answers
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| # ? Jan 28, 2011 04:38 |
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hayden. posted:2. Idle. When warming up from cold and after I close the choke, the idle moves around a lot. sits at 1.1k, surges to 2, etc. Is this normal for a cold bike? Can someone clarify this for someone who's owned an '08 ninja for 5 days now; when im sitting at idle the revs 'bounce' slightly at 1.1k rpm (going from 1,100 to 1,200), and never really sit still (warm or cold) - im used to cars just idling at one speed (even on my old carbie). Is this normal? [Bike has 6600kms, 2008 Ninja)
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| # ? Jan 28, 2011 05:13 |
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Yes, a little variation is expected. Every N250 I've seen does this, even when brand new.
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| # ? Jan 28, 2011 13:24 |
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hayden. posted:Yes, a little variation is expected. Every N250 I've seen does this, even when brand new. Thanks a lot. Now i can stop doing a  every time i look at the revs when im waiting at the lights.
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| # ? Jan 30, 2011 01:39 |
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Hi Guys, The tire pressure helped a lot! The ninja is much easier to flick around than the nighthawk. I changed the oil to synthetic and added some NGK plugs (from the autolite in there) and she runs much better. No more crazy idle, starts up fine when cold. It's a really fun bike!
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| # ? Jan 30, 2011 02:04 |
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Desertfox621 posted:Hi Guys, Great. Your next step should be upgrading your tires. The Ninja 250 becomes a phenomenal, viciously flickable machine when matched with sweet tires. Even with my SV650, I miss my Ninja for that. Go to http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Tires (when it's back up) My tires were the Pirelli MT75.
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| # ? Jan 30, 2011 06:01 |
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Speaking of tires, what is the absolute best possible set of tires for the Ninja for 5k miles or so? Or maybe even less? Without spending over 250 a tire, what is the best tire to have if you don't care how many miles you get? I see there's tons of good ones on the Faq, but it doesn't say which is best.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2011 05:30 |
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revmoo posted:Speaking of tires, what is the absolute best possible set of tires for the Ninja for 5k miles or so? Or maybe even less? Without spending over 250 a tire, what is the best tire to have if you don't care how many miles you get? I see there's tons of good ones on the Faq, but it doesn't say which is best. MT75s are really sticky, and the rears tend to last about that long. Sport Demons are pretty good too.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2011 07:52 |
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revmoo posted:Speaking of tires, what is the absolute best possible set of tires for the Ninja for 5k miles or so? Or maybe even less? Without spending over 250 a tire, what is the best tire to have if you don't care how many miles you get? I see there's tons of good ones on the Faq, but it doesn't say which is best.
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| # ? Feb 6, 2011 12:54 |
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So how long do you guys leave the choke on for? I went riding Monday night and pretty much had to leave it on the whole time. Only like a 20 minutes ride and it was a cold night. Im just wondering if thats at all normal.
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| # ? Feb 9, 2011 21:51 |
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BlueBayou posted:So how long do you guys leave the choke on for? I usually turn off the choke after a minute or so after pulling out of my driveway, unless I get caught at a light soon after. I was still doing this even when it was 20 degrees out a couple months ago. Was it dying at idle?
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| # ? Feb 10, 2011 00:10 |
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bladesamurai posted:I usually turn off the choke after a minute or so after pulling out of my driveway, unless I get caught at a light soon after. I was still doing this even when it was 20 degrees out a couple months ago. Was it dying at idle? Now that I think about it, it wasnt as bad as I first indicted. I rode to the gym, and about halfway over, I killed the choke and it was fine. On the trip back fromt he gym.. maybe 4 blocks away, I tried to kill the choke and it as I was coasting to a red light. I think Ima get some seafoam and see if that helps.
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| # ? Feb 10, 2011 01:04 |
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I'll start the bike in the morning and let it run while I put on my helmet and gloves (about 2-3 minutes, tops), adjusting the choke so its around 4-5k. I make a left out of my street and then a right and immediately get on the freeway (total from my driveway of about 400 feet maybe?) and kill the choke completely as I'm headed up the onramp. If I'm going to be in stop and go, I usually leave it on partially until the temp gauge is just above the lowest line. Once its past that point, it'll usually idle fine at stoplights, or only takes a couple small throttle stabs to keep up.
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| # ? Feb 10, 2011 04:17 |
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So, I finally got the courage to go a little faster than 35mph on the road! I have a small problem though. I usually shift about every 10mph (usually around 8k rpm), and in 5th today noticed a problem. Mostly, the RPM's just won't change. They stay stuck at 6000, even with WOT. Same problem in 6th. It seems like it "chugs" a bit. Am I going to slow for the gear...or is there maybe something else going on? It does speed up, just stays at 6k rpms...
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| # ? Feb 14, 2011 23:00 |
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BlueBayou posted:Now that I think about it, it wasnt as bad as I first indicted. Is your idle speed set correctly? Most bikes need it around 1200-1500. Not sure about Ninjas. When you blip the throttle quickly, does it hesitate before revving or do the revs hang after the rev up? Either of those indicates a dirty or improperly jetted carb. My streetbikes generally didn't need more than 15 or 30 seconds of choke, even in freezing temperatures. The choke is meant to get the bike started while cold, that's it. If you have to warm the bike up for minutes at a time with the choke on or have to ride around with the choke on, something is amiss. I've ridden single cylinders, inline 4s, twins, of various sizes, down to about 5 Fahrenheit and they all don't really need choke for very long if tuned properly and clean. FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at Feb 14, 2011 around 23:09 |
| # ? Feb 14, 2011 23:06 |
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:Is your idle speed set correctly? Most bikes need it around 1200-1500. Not sure about Ninjas. I think the spec for the 250 is 1300 rpm. Desertfox621 posted:So, I finally got the courage to go a little faster than 35mph on the road! I have a small problem though. I usually shift about every 10mph (usually around 8k rpm), and in 5th today noticed a problem. Mostly, the RPM's just won't change. They stay stuck at 6000, even with WOT. Same problem in 6th. It seems like it "chugs" a bit. Am I going to slow for the gear...or is there maybe something else going on? It does speed up, just stays at 6k rpms... not sure about specifics but accelerating hard at 6k rpm in 6th gear doesn't seem like it would do too much. I'd say too low of a gear, unless the RPM is literally not moving at all. I'd get worried if you experience the same on the highway at 65/70 mph.
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| # ? Feb 14, 2011 23:18 |
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Hrm its been raining so i havent been out riding. Ill do better diagnostics when I next take him out.
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| # ? Feb 15, 2011 00:49 |
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My oil light likes to come on a lot My old bike didnt have an oil light so I dont really know what that means. usually comes on when i first start up and when Im parking but before Ive shut the engine off.
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| # ? Feb 21, 2011 19:12 |
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The oil light means the bike thinks there is either no oil pressure or that the oil level is low. It's normal for it to come on after you've turned the electrics on, before engine start, but it's not normal for it to come on while the engine is running at idle. Check your oil level for starters. In my car, my oil light would come on if the oil was about a quart (out of four) low and I was pulling some aggressive maneuvers with it, so maybe if the engine is in certain attitudes it'll pick up a low oil level faster than others.
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| # ? Feb 22, 2011 06:20 |
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Looks like I'll possibly be joining the Ninjette club in a weeks time, found an '06 with 6k on the odo, minor fairing damage, and a jetting issue (some PO equipped the bike with the Muzzy system) for $900  Overall it's a remarkably clean specimen. I've read through this thread in it's entirety over it's life, but I've neglected to really take everything in. Aside from a needed tire swap away from the nasty stock rubber, are there any modifications that are recommended out of the box? edit: Any 250-specific issues I should look for before purchase? AncientTV fucked around with this message at Feb 22, 2011 around 07:20 |
| # ? Feb 22, 2011 07:17 |
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AncientTV posted:Looks like I'll possibly be joining the Ninjette club in a weeks time, found an '06 with 6k on the odo, minor fairing damage, and a jetting issue (some PO equipped the bike with the Muzzy system) for $900 I'm rather partial to the flush front turn signal mod, but that's primarily a cosmetic / personal preference thing. As for issues, If it's at 6000 miles it's probably about due for a valve adjustment if it hasn't already had one. That can be a little involved, but if you can turn a wrench and have a bit of space, you should be able to tackle it without any special tools beyond feeler gauges, a few socket drive extenders and a torque wrench.
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| # ? Feb 22, 2011 10:35 |
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Wasn't there someone passing around the tool here for valve adjustments? Either way nice find, you can always put it back to stock for pretty cheap if you can't get the jetting right.
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| # ? Feb 23, 2011 04:09 |
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giundy posted:Wasn't there someone passing around the tool here for valve adjustments? Either way nice find, you can always put it back to stock for pretty cheap if you can't get the jetting right. That's me, and I finally got settled and unboxed, and nobody got back with me.  Valve adjustments was confusing the first time I did it, but after doing it once or twice, it was cake, and can be done in no time in a campground. My oil light would stay on for a second or two right after startup, but be sure it wasn't run low on oil, and there's nothing shiny in the oil. I picked up my 06 in 08 at 7k~ miles and rode it until 27-28k~ miles. If it's in good shape it's a steal. blugu64 fucked around with this message at Feb 23, 2011 around 04:51 |
| # ? Feb 23, 2011 04:48 |
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I've done them a couple times on the 500, but I'm assuming with talk of a tool that it's a bit different on the 250?
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| # ? Feb 23, 2011 05:11 |
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Instead of the tool, I just used a deep socket and tiny screwdriver. Worked out fine for me!
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| # ? Feb 23, 2011 14:47 |
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Just scheduled my MSF. It's about a month away, but I am looking to grab a bike as soon as I can to have my friend run me through some drills in the parking lot. I'm about 6'3" and 290, and I was wondering if that is too much weight for the 250. I also found a good deal on a GS500F, but I would prefer to stick with the slower bike. I know I have to go sit on one, but is it even worth looking at the 250 due to me being a fat guy?
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| # ? Feb 23, 2011 21:01 |
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Mister Duck posted:Just scheduled my MSF. It's about a month away, but I am looking to grab a bike as soon as I can to have my friend run me through some drills in the parking lot. The GS isn't a maniacal bike, and would handle the weight a bit better than the 250. It has the same seating position as the 250 as well. As for drilling pre-MSF, I'd advise against it. You may develop some incorrect habits before taking the class, which would be a bit annoying to unlearn at best, and potentially dangerous at worst. edit: Not to say that the 250 wouldn't be able to take it, but it would be considerably hampered.
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| # ? Feb 23, 2011 21:13 |
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AncientTV posted:The GS isn't a maniacal bike, and would handle the weight a bit better than the 250. It has the same seating position as the 250 as well. As for drilling pre-MSF, I'd advise against it. You may develop some incorrect habits before taking the class, which would be a bit annoying to unlearn at best, and potentially dangerous at worst. Hmm, well I am heading this weekend to take a look at some bikes. I'll probably still buy the bike if I can get a really good deal (which it looks like I can). But it's going to be tough to wait out riding it. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot though, so I'll just have to deal with it. Thanks for the advice. I tried to look online about it but it was hard to find much dealing with people near my weight.
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| # ? Feb 23, 2011 21:59 |
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Desertfox621 posted:Instead of the tool, I just used a deep socket and tiny screwdriver. Worked out fine for me! I did this with mine, but I couldn't get any loving torque on the socket to tighten the nut after adjusting the screw. I'd get it to where I thought the nut was snug enough that I could let off the screwdriver, then go in with a handle and tighten the nut all the way, but it would change the clearance. It was especially annoying with the middle exhaust valves. Next time I'm either hunting down the tool or hacking together my own.
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| # ? Feb 24, 2011 02:27 |
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Mister Duck posted:Hmm, well I am heading this weekend to take a look at some bikes. I'll probably still buy the bike if I can get a really good deal (which it looks like I can). But it's going to be tough to wait out riding it. I've experienced the same temptation, it really sucks  And no problem! This is a handy little site for seeing the P:W ratio of a bike you're considering: http://www.dragsource.com/index.php...rs&calctoview=7 For the 250, plug in 37.4hp and 652lbs (you+bike), and it comes out to 17.4lbs/hp, which is pretty dismal. Compared to the GS500's 55hp and 710lbs, which comes out to 12.9lbs/hp. Or, 115hp/ton and 155hp/ton respectively. edit: numbers fixed edit2: grammars AncientTV fucked around with this message at Feb 24, 2011 around 04:00 |
| # ? Feb 24, 2011 03:54 |
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| # ? May 18, 2013 08:01 |
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AncientTV posted:I've experienced the same temptation, it really sucks You know for some reason I didn't even think of looking at power to weight. I think I've just been drilling it into my head that I need the slowest thing (within reason) that I can get my hands on so I was kind of shying away from numbers. I'll just have to kick back and read Proficient Motorcycling until I can get some bike time during the course. I'll probably steal a few rides on it in a parking lot, I can't say I will have the ability to resist. 
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| # ? Feb 24, 2011 04:03 |
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