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Tighten those clamps going from the carb into the motor.
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Aug 9, 2014 00:57
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 12:03 |
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EX250 Type R posted:Leaky PCV? n8r posted:Tighten those clamps going from the carb into the motor. Thanks guys.
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Aug 11, 2014 01:05
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So my bike was running just fine until a few days ago when I dropped it at low speed in a patch of gravel on the side of the road. The bike appears to be undamaged but I had a really hard time getting it to start after the crash. I ended up fiddling with the idle adjustment knob because hey, knobs! and managed to get the bike started and after the engine warmed up it was idling around 5.5k so I turned the knob back down to about 3K and limped it home through the canyon. I left it for a few days because I've been working nonstop and now the bike will start to catch when I press the starter and then stall immediately. I managed to get it to start with full choke and the idle knob adjusted way high again, took it for a ride to warm the engine up again and it was running okay but there didn't feel like there was much power above about 6-7k rpm. I also managed to bump start it a few times going down my hill but it would stall as soon as I got to a start and giving it throttle in neutral could only keep the engine going for maybe a minute before it would stall again. Could I have damaged something in the crash? My first guess would be something in the carbs maybe got dislodged but I have no experience with engines beyond twist grip(press pedal) go fast. Did I make it worse by messing with the idle adjust knob? edit: I may have been losing power because I was running low on gas  I'll grab some more tomorrow and see whats upedit2: managed to electric start it jumping off my car and drove to the gas station, filled up but still wouldn't start. I'm almost sure its the battery after reading this since it was running great until it stopped. A battery tender seems like a good investment anyway, so i'll pick one of those up and maybe a new battery too mrking fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Aug 22, 2014 |
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Aug 21, 2014 07:50
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I'm seriously considering converting my Ninja 250 from carbs to EFI. There's a kit from Ecotron available for $699.00, but if there's a better kit or a better deal I'd like to have a look. Is there discussion in this thread already about doing this kind of conversion?
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Aug 29, 2014 03:50
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Sounds like the battery mrking, I'd put the idle adjuster back to where it should be though, it was probably hard to start when you dropped it because it was flooded, the battery will just be a coincidence. Kase moch - Why? I wouldn't waste your money, if you really want EFI for a 250, sell your current one and pick up an EFI one, you'll never get your money back dropping $700 on an EFI kit for a 250. Personally I'd just wait until you're ready to upgrade to a larger bike and just get one with EFI.
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Aug 29, 2014 04:18
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Yeah, that's like half the value of a pregen. I agree with shimrod, might as well just get a new bike at that point.
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Aug 29, 2014 04:25
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Why? I need a vehicle that I can rely on fairly regularly during the winter, and this ninja 250 won't start below 55 degrees F, never has (I'm near Seattle where ice and snow are infrequent). Google-fu suggests the carbs are the problem: they're designed to run too lean for reliable cold weather starting. EFI is supposed to improve that. I've hosed with the carbs on this bike for years trying to make it run better when it's colder, and it's not something I intend to keep doing this winter. And while I can stretch to spend maybe up to a grand getting this bike going, buying any bike with factory EFI is gonna cost me a lot more than that. It comes down to an EFI kit, or the bus.
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Aug 29, 2014 07:08
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If your bike isn't starting because it's 55F, which unless the converter is off is 12c, changing it to injection isn't going to help, there's a bigger issue there. Carbs, EFI, shouldn't matter, at that temp (which is warmer than what I'd leave to go to work in when I had my carb 250) I had to use the choke for about 2 minutes until the bike warmed up and then it was sweet. I never had any issues starting. tl:dr: If it's not starting even with choke at that temperature, there is a bigger issue then EFI v Carb. e: take it to a shop and get it tuned and checked out with that money instead, and then spend the leftover $500 - $600 on other poo poo.
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Aug 29, 2014 08:38
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Kase moch posted:It comes down to an EFI kit, or the bus. Or take it to a shop? One whose diagnostic process is better than checking Google? Kase moch posted:Google-fu suggests the carbs are the problem: they're designed to run too lean for reliable cold weather starting. EFI is supposed to improve that. Then I have a magic bike, because my '02 started in 25 degree weather with some cranking, after sitting with empty carbs for 3 months. The "your poo poo is designed to be broken!" line always sounds like a sales pitch to me.
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Aug 29, 2014 15:08
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Shimrod posted:If your bike isn't starting because it's 55F, which unless the converter is off is 12c, changing it to injection isn't going to help, there's a bigger issue there. Carbs, EFI, shouldn't matter, at that temp (which is warmer than what I'd leave to go to work in when I had my carb 250) I had to use the choke for about 2 minutes until the bike warmed up and then it was sweet. I never had any issues starting. Truth, my ex500 had no problems starting in sub 40F temps. Choke on, start, ride off, turn it off after a minute or two. May be worth sending the carb off to someone if you can't find a reputable shop, I know the ex500 forums have a couple guys who rebuild them for a decent rate.
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Aug 29, 2014 15:12
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I live in Seattle, no issues starting my ninja 250 so far. If you haven't found a decent mechanic, Mark's Motorcycle Werks in Bellevue is the best shop I have found. They give estimates and stick to them.
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Aug 29, 2014 15:38
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I've taken it to shops before. This has been an ongoing problem for the last 12 years. Of course, when I can get it to start is when the weather is warm and the problem isn't happening, and the shop says "It starts fine and there's nothing wrong that we can find" and nothing gets solved. Then temps drop and the goddamned thing won't start and I can't take it anywhere to get looked at so I drain it and store it for another winter. It's not just me that has this problem. There are at least a dozen threads elsewhere with other people bitching about having trouble getting their Ninja 250s to start and stay running in cold temps, and changing to EFI has given some of them relief. If no one here's had to deal with a 250 that won't start, then I'd just like to know if anyone's done the EFI conversion. I'm sick of taking it places and hearing the same old "your bike is fine!" bullshit from mechanics.
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Aug 29, 2014 20:59
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I don't think anyone's done it here, but tons of people have over on the ninjette forums. Try asking there.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:03
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My ninjette doesn't start well when it's cold, but it does start at least. "My bike won't start" "Well, let me take a look at her...uh where is it?" "It's at home, you see. It wouldn't start"
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Aug 29, 2014 21:04
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captainOrbital posted:My ninjette doesn't start well when it's cold, but it does start at least. Yes. This does make it hard to get the problem solved. 
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Aug 29, 2014 21:15
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See, if you lived in Chicago, you could just wait until the temp is like 65 or 70 degrees and drop it off at the shop. Then tell them, "try it tomorrow." The next day it will either be 95 degrees or 30.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:25
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You probably have plugged a/f screws, which are sealed by the factory, but can still get gunked up. Or your pilots are just clogged enough to make the bike run like poo poo. But your 250 should start regardless of the weather.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:35
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So I have a random brake light issue. Bulb is burnt out and the back seat needs to be removed to replace it, but it's jammed or something. You use the key to unlock it and then remove the seat - my key bent and almost broke off trying to unlock it the other day. Anyone have this happen on a new gen?
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Aug 30, 2014 01:44
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Push down hard on the part of the seat that the latch is at.
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Aug 30, 2014 01:49
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I'm told that a new clutch cable will stretch slightly. That sound right?
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Sep 1, 2014 01:45
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Yes.
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Sep 1, 2014 21:46
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Z3n posted:Yes. Thanks. Just replaced the clutch lever that I broke while dropping the bike from a standstill, figured I should do the cable while I was at it. Feels stiff and a little grabby, but if it'll relax a bit over time I'll leave well enough alone.
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Sep 1, 2014 21:57
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Ok, that's a different problem - the stretch will show up as a change in adjustment. If it's stiff that's probably because you've kinked the routing somehow or misrouted it in a way that's increasing the friction.
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Sep 1, 2014 22:55
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Z3n posted:Ok, that's a different problem - the stretch will show up as a change in adjustment. If it's stiff that's probably because you've kinked the routing somehow or misrouted it in a way that's increasing the friction. I think I'm not clear on the difference between the two states: not-fully-stretched versus unnaturally stiff. The routing matches what was there, with some extra bowing towards the engine end because the replacement cable was a little longer than what it was replacing. I took it for a small ride afterward, seemed okay if a bit jerky. It's possible that jerkiness was due to my inexperience. This may be some time in sorting, as I do not have ready access to the bike.
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Sep 2, 2014 04:58
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Stretch refers to the length of the cable, so how much adjustment has to be done. Stiffness is due to routing or age of the cable, and if it's new and significantly stiffer than it was before, you mis-routed it somehow...it's really easy to do, you think it follows one path but it actually follows a slightly different one that reduces the friction. Look on the 250 wiki to see how it was routed. Also see if the cable is the type that needs to be lubricated.
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Sep 2, 2014 17:00
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Did need lubrication, which I did. What a messy pain. Shoot, I was hoping this could be resolved without removing the tank again. I'll take another look at it this weekend. Thanks again for the help.
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Sep 3, 2014 04:05
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Would you guys say that 60% humidity in the middle of a 2 week span of 80%+ humidity grossweather would be severe enough to prevent my engine from starting? It's been gross outside for the past week or so and my bike has had some trouble starting for about that long now. It'll start to turn over, but never springs to life. Normally, if it has trouble I just let it sit for 3 mins or so and it eventually catches, but tonight it seems to be a no go. The reason I ask is because if I do have to start doing any type of maintenance on it I'm gonna have to do some serious planning; there has been rain every other day for the past month now and it's proving difficult to find the time to do any type of bike work while not getting soaked (I have no access to a garage  ).It's a 2004 pregen.
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Sep 4, 2014 01:55
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This entire summer has been like 80% humidity here and I've had no issues. Basic stuff: how old is the gas? have you put seafoam in it? when were the carbs last cleaned? how is your air filter?
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Sep 4, 2014 02:00
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1 day old, nope, probably too long, ugh. I got the bike from a friend and was told that it was up to date with maintenance but I'm starting to think otherwise. I've had the bike for about 6 weeks now and I've been riding it around all over the place, so it hasn't been sitting around at all...but I really should do all of the work myself just to be sure. It's just been so hard with the biblical amount of rain I've been having. I'll start clearing up free time 
Supple Moisture fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Sep 4, 2014 |
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Sep 4, 2014 02:06
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Top off the tank and dump an entire bottle of seafoam in it first. See if that helps. Also get an e-z up for parking lot maintenance, from one garage-nonhaver to another 
M42 fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Sep 4, 2014 |
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Sep 4, 2014 02:10
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Thanks for all of the advice so far, I just feel like adding one more little note: In the first 4 weeks that I had the bike I had 3 little spills. Somewhat recently I've noticed that if I'm at a stand still for a long time, my revs will drop a little bit and the engine will stall. Furthermore, before the falls my choke would send the rpm up to 7k-8k or so, while now it just seems to go to ~4.5k. I was talking with one of my friends who is also a motobro and he recommended the seafoam as well, saying that some debris might have gotten dislodged and clogged a needle during one/all of the falls. So, yeah, I'll try the seafoam with maybe a little bit extra confidence tomorrow. I don't know why I'm typing this out. Not having a garage sucks, I need to hurry up and turn into a dad already.
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Sep 4, 2014 06:37
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The downside to being a dad is that you can fix a bike when you drop it
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Sep 4, 2014 10:52
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M42 posted:Top off the tank and dump an entire bottle of seafoam in it first. See if that helps.
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Sep 4, 2014 13:19
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Well, the bottle does say 1 ounce, but dumping the whole thing in a full tank shouldn't cause problems. Idle it through for a few minutes and then let it sit for a while so it has time to work on the crud. It's not a replacement for a good carb clean, though.
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Sep 4, 2014 13:27
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The seafoam will still be able to work even if I can't start the engine, right? The 250's fuel tank is about 4 gallons so just dump 4 oz. of seafoam in and just let it sit for a few hours?
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Sep 5, 2014 21:03
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You need to crank it to get some in the carbs. If your bike won't even start, dump the whole can into a full tank, don't even bother measuring out ounces. e: are you near the DMV area? I can come check things out if it still won't work after the seafoam. M42 fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Sep 5, 2014 |
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Sep 5, 2014 21:23
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Ah, I see. Well, I do happen to live in the middle of Richmond, so I'll keep you posted on how things turn out when I get off of work. e: Looking at the DC thread I'm assuming you live in/around DC. I appreciate the offer but I don't want to make you come down I-95 just to make you look at my bike because I'm too lazy to open up my carb. For all I know it might be my spark plugs. Supple Moisture fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Sep 5, 2014 |
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Sep 5, 2014 22:13
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Supple Moisture posted:The seafoam will still be able to work even if I can't start the engine, right? The 250's fuel tank is about 4 gallons so just dump 4 oz. of seafoam in and just let it sit for a few hours? If you really want to clean out your carbs just dump a bunch in there and let the bike idle till it gets really hot, like really hot just let it idle or keep it running for 30 mins. Heat + seafoam always does the trick for me.
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Sep 5, 2014 22:31
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HNasty posted:If you really want to clean out your carbs just dump a bunch in there and let the bike idle till it gets really hot, like really hot just let it idle or keep it running for 30 mins. Heat + seafoam always does the trick for me. My problem is that the engine cranks but I cant get ignition :/
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Sep 5, 2014 22:43
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Spray a whole can of Ether in the gas tank.
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Sep 5, 2014 22:46
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