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I bought a bike..        I got it to my garage  It is/was in rough shape.
I bought it from a friend of mine who was selling it on behalf of one of his staff members. That guy had bought it with the intent of fixing it up because there's a couple of guys at their business that are fixing up bikes and he wanted to join the crowd or something. The guy had it for a year and hadn't gotten it running, despite my friend helping him. It was taking up space in my friend's shop. The first thing I did was order a battery and a pair of NGK spark plugs because I wouldn't be able to figure out why it wasn't starting without a battery. My buddy claimed he had cleaned the carburators - I used to read a lot of project threads on here so I knew carbs were almost always the problem but didn't know what carburators were. I borrowed a spark plug socket from my dad and found out the old plugs were champion. "That must be the problem!" I said to myself. I did a spark test with the new plugs and they showed a nice blue spark so I installed them along with the battery and the bike would turn over but wouldn't start. Being a complete n00b I figured this meant the starter was probably good but didn't know why it wasn't starting. My buddy had already cleaned the carbs, what else could it be? I left it overnight and came back the next day to discover the battery was completely discharged. "There must be a problem with the electrical!" I said to myself. This was proven wrong later when I realized I had put the key in the wrong position and draining the battery was my own drat fault. There wasn't a hope of me figuring out what was wrong with the wiring so I kept looking, and found out that the rubber ducts from the airbox to the carbs hadn't been reinstalled, and the air filter was basically gone. "It must be running lean because of no air filter!" I said. I figured out how to reattach the throttle cables all on my own. I had to take apart the handlebar control which was kinda scary but I got it working. Like most of the stuff on the bike it was really brittle plastic. After a week or two I was toying around with the handlebar controls trying to figure out what each of them did because all the labels had been burnt off when some previous owner had left the bike outside for 10 years. The choke lever didn't seem to do anything. I'm not sure if I knew it was the choke lever at first. A few days after that I came back and took a closer look at it, and like the throttle cables it had been loosened without being put back properly. I figured out the tensioner was in the middle of the cable and got it tightened up, and then tried the choke lever. It would move a tiny fraction of its range and stop. Looking at the plate it was actuating on the carburator, there were little brass pins halting its travel, but there were long ovals in the plate showing it should have moved like 1-1.5". Watching a youtube video confirmed that those brass pins *were* the choke and they'd seized. Discovering the chokes on the carbs were completely seized cast suspicion on all the repairs my friend and his buddy had attempted. At this point I ordered a couple carb kits because I knew I'd have to do the job myself. Here's what the chokes looked like   So I don't know what that blueish crud was but I completely dismantled the carbs and ran them through my friend's ultrasonic cleaner (same friend that sold me the bike). He had compressed air too, so I was able to blow out all the channels after the soup. I rebuilt them meticulously, using the new parts from the carb kit. Having the floats be springy on the new float needles was very satisfying for a guy who didn't really know what carbs were a few weeks before. Having the carbs properly cleaned, with functioning chokes, gave me high hopes that I'd have a running engine in short order. I was wrong. I think I spent about an hour after reinstalling the carbs trying to get the engine started with no luck. That was last weekend. So the terror of a noobie who doesn't know what the problem is, I think it's probably similar to drowning. You are mentally flailing around trying to figure out what the problem is. I had a few theories - maybe one of the exhausts is plugged, or full of water? Maybe there's no compression in one of the cylinders! Maybe I've got spark, but the spark is weak despite it being blue. Maybe it really is the drat airbox not being connected and running the carbs lean. Around this point I came across this article which really helped me, maybe because I had learned enough about the carbs and the whole system at this point for it to really sink in all the points in the article. It's short but information dense - "if you're seeing this, check on this". My friend at one point had told me I might have to take apart the petcock - he had taken apart the carbs but had never taken a look at the petcock. So last wednesday I went to take a look at things for the umpteenth time and realized I had the drat petcock turned to "on" instead of "prime" or "reserve". In my defense, I hadn't held the kneepad up to the bike that has the markings on it for what direction the petcock should go. With this breakthrough, I turned the petcock to prime and spent another half hour trying to start the bike again. I was extremely close. I could hear ignition, and the engine started turning faster than just the starter. I knew I was close, but I had also run down the battery over the weekend trying to get it started with no gas. I left it overnight with the petcock on "prime" and took the battery inside to get a full charge on my trickle charger. The next day with a full charge I was able to get it started for the first time. I recorded audio of the miracle: https://soundcloud.com/mewsemewse/1987-ninja-250-first-start I let it run for about half an hour to see if I could adjust idle a bit and get the oil circulating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FYi4_EBX6k Oh god I just accidentally closed this window but ctrl-shift-T got it back. So when it started running, there were white puffs out the left exhaust but the right exhaust was clear. Both were pushing air which was nice. A bunch of smoke came off various parts of the bike that hadn't been run in years, but after that had cleared away the left exhaust seemed to be leaking some fluid on the ground and bubbling/smoking. I started making mental plans about how to get the exhaust welded back together after all the fluid had drained out of it, but then realized there was a coolant hose above the exhaust, dripping onto it. When I mentioned this to my friend he said "oh yeah your bike might be missing a coolant reservoir". The only good thing about that is that this bike was only made two years: 86 and 87 so parts are loving scarce. But the coolant reservoir was carried into the subsequent model that was in production for 19 years, so a local dealership was selling it for $35 canadian and I was able to find it on ebay for $27 with bolts, cap, and hoses attached. I tried starting it again yesterday, a day after my breakthrough, and it was just as hard starting as it was the first time. Knowing that the coolant system is empty, I'm going to leave it alone for now because I don't want it to burn out. The thermometer for the cooling system is measuring an empty radiator so it doesn't even know anything is wrong. Parts I have installed:
Stuff I have to do
Parts I've ordered
Parts I have put in an online shopping cart and stared at mournfully (cost more than I paid for the bike)
Anyway thank you if you've read this far, I have wanted to post a thread but haven't felt comfortable while I was struggling to even get the engine started. Now that I have the engine running my confidence has been bolstered substantially and I think I'm going to be able to get this bike to the point where it passes a safety inspection and I'll actually be able to ride it, like, on the roads. e: gonna throw in goals.jpg mewse fucked around with this message at 06:18 on May 27, 2018 |
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May 27, 2018 06:00
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Slavvy posted:Welp that sure is a bike. Is it a GPX? GPZ? Other? EX250E2 afaik
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May 27, 2018 06:32
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TheNothingNew posted:If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's the coolant overflow reservoir, so it was dripping on the exhaust as the coolant in the system warmed up/expanded. Maybe. I'm sufficiently alarmed and I think I'm going to change the oil/oil filter as well. quote:Cool thread. When you get to the tires, do not buy the ones that came with the bike, they're absolute trash. Ninja250.org has a list you can run through, and I very much like the Pirelli Sport Demons. Thanks! I was looking at Pirelli MT75, not pressing any more order buttons until engine is sorted out obv
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May 27, 2018 18:34
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Now that you have disregarded any sensible advice you may have gotten about this being the worst way to get into motorcycles, that's really good progress. I'm not good at making decisions quote:While you've got everything pretty stripped down, check your valve clearances now and set them to spec. It's a lot easier now and if you have to reset anything, it'll mean a little more futzing with the carbs anyhow. You'll also find out in that process if you need a new valve cover gasket (you probably do), and that's way easier to fix early in a rebuild than on down the road. Have you got any good links or youtubes for this process? I'd need to get feeler gauges right? quote:Just get a new petcock and fuel line. There's a NOS part on ebay but won't the rubber be 30 years old? Is there a way I could find a cheaper compatible part with the same footprint on the tank? I guess the switch integrated into the knee panel is pretty unique :/ quote:Do your brakes. Get a caliper rebuild kit (usually just a set of seals for the piston and maybe a couple for passages through mated surfaces) and new pads (HH organics should be fine), and fluid. You really should install new brake lines if the ones on the bike are stock, but they could probably wait until later. Seriously, rebuild your brakes. Don't gently caress around with old lovely brakes. Thanks, I'll try to do all this and it should put me in good shape for the safety inspection down the line.
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May 28, 2018 19:30
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Dagen H posted:https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_odkw=&_fsrp=1&_osacat=10063&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=ex250+petcock+kit&_sacat=10063 Fortnine has those kits, I'll have to disassemble and take a look. A cheap side panel from Quebec with original decals showed up 
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May 28, 2018 21:45
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Slavvy posted:Ex250 shock bolts in and has a preload adjuster, makes a huge difference to the handling. I don't think it's the same for 86-87 vs 88-07 is it?
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May 29, 2018 01:44
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Back in 2010 I took the motorcycle safety course that's mandatory in Manitoba to get your motorcycle learner's license, and I failed it because the bike stalled out but it was their lovely bike, a buell blast, and the transmission was very bad. Anyway that was a 2 day course and I was super pissed afterward because there were no re-tests back then (there are now), it was just "thanks for your money, bye". So I just took the 1-day course today for "experienced riders" and passed the test, so now I have my learner's license once I visit the manitoba version of the DMV
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May 29, 2018 23:10
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Coydog posted:mewse, you are a self hating maniac and have found new and interesting ways to make your life hell. I love it. Please don't stop posting. Just curious did you read my earlier threads "mewse takes up boxing and is not good at it" or "mewse takes a volunteer position at a non-profit and the stress nearly kills him"
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May 30, 2018 01:28
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MC Hawking posted:Yo, I don't usually come into Cycle Asylum but I did tonight and saw this thread and I must applaud you as you're living a dream I've had for quite some time re: finding some old lovely junker bike and fixing it up. Thanks, I appreciate it. I've wanted to do a project like this for years but last year I took the leap from apartment to house so I have a big-rear end shed to store bikes now. Regarding the bike, I am kinda in a holding pattern for now, waiting for the coolant reservoir to show up. I was able to get the stock airbox hooked up last night with a new air filter, and I have a better appreciation for why my buddy kept saying "you should just install some pod air filters". I also picked up feeler gauges so that I can do the valve clearance, I might tackle that this weekend. I had a whole whack of parts show up that are kinda irrelevant until I get the mechanicals fixed - front turn signal, new seats (with sticker showing tune-up info including valve clearances), the missing knee panel, the lower fairing (p excited I found one)
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Jun 9, 2018 05:36
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Jonny 290 posted:I went 500R but i am going to try my hand at some fairing crack repair this summer. also eagerly following. Loving this as i strongly suspect my second bike purchase will be some $250 craigslist drag-off and i might as well stay in the family Here's the video that has my hopes up that I will be able to repair my fairings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG9gbrLGLy0 It's just clear JB weld + aluminum tape to build new tabs, then sanded down and painted.
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Jun 9, 2018 19:46
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Flint Ironstag posted:Thanks for that vid. That is a method I had not seen before, and looks effective. Thanks! This is the "tune up specs" sticker I found on my new seat:  This is the first time I read that I should be running 91 octane gas in this thing. Running 87 with ethanol in it was probably part of the engine suffering. The coolant reservoir showed up and I couldn't resist getting the fuel tank hooked up (with premium gas ofc) and seeing how it runs. It ran well, but letting it warm up and then tune the idle, it was acting funny. I would turn the throttle up-down and it would rev up but wouldn't return to idle -- I don't know the term for this, bad throttle response? High idle? I am hoping doing the valve clearances and syncing the carbs will take care of this. I've ordered vacuum restrictors and vinyl tubing to do a redneck youtube vacuum tester e: holy lord it would cost me $45 to get the rubber strap for battery+airbox from ebay mewse fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jun 15, 2018 |
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Jun 15, 2018 15:41
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MomJeans420 posted:I'm pretty sure RON 91 is 87 in the US, so I think you're fine on that. I can't imagine a 1987 ninja 250 needing 91 octane gas. Oh, I didn't know that. I'm going to keep running 91 until I get the engine squared away just because it's ethanol free and removes another variable.
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Jun 15, 2018 18:13
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Drained and replaced the coolant today. Confirmed once and for all that I wasn't running it dry, which was heartening. Wanted to change the oil but I don't have a socket big enough.. reading now, looks like it's 17mm. Still summoning courage to do valve clearances, and waiting for parts for carb sync
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Jun 17, 2018 23:15
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Princess auto had "freeway blaster" horns on sale for $15 so I got one of those and just installed it on the bike because the horn wasn't working. Thankfully the new horn works and it wasn't a problem with the wiring. HOWEVER, the turn signals aren't blinking properly. I thought it was because I didn't have all four connected (front two are attached to the fairings I took off). I just connected all four and it's still not working. Some kinda relay problem? Any advice appreciated. I also bought some things they had on sale: - Snap ring pliers (to do fork seals eventually) - 17mm socket (to do oil change) - 4pc tie-down straps.. for if/when I get a trailer to haul this around - Tappet adjustment wrenches (weren't on sale)
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Jun 21, 2018 17:43
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builds character posted:Are they LEDs? No they're the original bulb type
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Jun 21, 2018 18:19
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:If all the bulbs are intact, check continuity on the relay. All the bulbs light up, would the relay be a standard part? e: hmm looks like the relay is almost as swappable as the horn was, and if I put a new school flasher in there it will improve the reliability anyway. Just gotta find the thing on my bike mewse fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Jun 21, 2018 |
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Jun 21, 2018 19:18
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builds character posted:So the fuse isn't blown? I've done a visual inspection on the fuses and they all seem good. The turn signal relay is trying to work it just seems old and bad because it makes this crunchy buzzing noise when it's trying to switch.
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Jun 21, 2018 20:59
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I found the turn signal relay. It looks corroded to poo poo.  Looks like I can get a replacement for a dollar from aliexpress but I might go with amazon canada for it to show up sooner.
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Jun 21, 2018 22:09
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:You can probably get a suitable replacement at the auto parts store down the street. Yeah, but I'd have to go outside, and talk to people,
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Jun 21, 2018 22:28
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q-nqnwXI0k
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Jun 28, 2018 01:40
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Old relay vs new relay Production has begun for my carb sync tool 
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Jun 28, 2018 01:46
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With the carb sync apparatus ready to go I decided to attack the valve clearances but wasn't able to get the valve cover off. First the coil brackets wouldn't come off the bike, and then the looooong engine top mount bolt seemed to be seized. Stuffed some paper towels in the openings and will return to it later, might borrow my dad's impact gun.
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Jun 30, 2018 00:00
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Hold up. The problem with this one is that it's like a foot long and I think the threads are at the far side, so I was using penetrating oil already but I don't think it was reaching the threads. I'll see if there's a cheap impact driver around here. e: looks like princess auto has one for cheap mewse fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Jun 30, 2018 |
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Jun 30, 2018 04:29
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Progress on this has been slow lately. Impact driver managed to get that long bolt out, and my dad helped me by pulling the radiator forward so that I could get the valve cover off the engine. After that I discovered it's a loving nightmare to adjust the valves. I'm sure it would be easier if I was more experienced with wrenching but I understand now why the service manual says to remove the radiator. I ordered the special kawasaki tool to do the adjustments and hopefully that will make it easier. I also bought a very nice socket set and a cheapo torque wrench. I bought one of those hanging fuel bottle things to run the engine while syncing the carbs, but the drat plastic is cracked and it leaked gas all over the ground when I started filling it, have to return that. Also gotta return the tappet wrenches that are completely useless on this bike. e: also bought spray paint for the fairings 
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Jul 10, 2018 22:16
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Pulled the radiator to get easier access to the valves. Had to drain the coolant again which was kind of annoying. Was hoping to re-use it but there's a bunch of crud in the stuff I drained. Successfully adjusted one intake valve. Started on another one but got too sweaty and decided to pack it in for now. Put 2 coats of white primer on my test fairing and then a drop of sweat fell from my head right into the middle of the fairing, lol. I blotted it with paper towel but I think I'll wet sand this coat of primer. Top coat will be gloss white. e: I returned the tappet wrenches and hanging fuel tank, and picked up a 1500lb lift and a rolling stool
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Jul 14, 2018 18:24
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Finished the valve adjustments. Starting bolting stuff back together than that loving top engine mount bolt, the one I had to use the impact driver on, its bolt hole on the radiator bracket won't line up with the hole through the engine. Tried using a ratchet strap to tighten the radiator up to the frame and failed miserably.
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Jul 15, 2018 22:27
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Slide Hammer posted:Loosen everything again, then do that bolt first. But don't tighten it down all the way, just get the threads in there. Then do the same for every other bolt. This gives you that crucial fraction of a millimeter of wiggle room. I loosened the four bolts above the coils (2 on each side) but your post made me realize clamping the radiator hose may be what's tugging the bracket downwards. I'll have to check that, thanks. I'll be careful with the fairings, I got a new bolt kit.
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Jul 16, 2018 05:31
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Oooook made a lot of progress today. Got that bitch of a bolt back in after loosening the radiator hose clamp. Reconnected all the wiring for junk on to the radiator bracket (coils, horn, ground, temp sensor(?)). Started great then I realized there was no coolant. Refilled coolant. Hooked up carb sync tool, synced carbs. Started up bike again, carbs sucked water into the engine. At this point something happened to the starter, I think the starter relay died. I've ordered a new one. Also rotated the engine to make sure it wasn't seized and then pulled the spark plugs to dry them with a hair dryer. What does it mean when an engine is idling really well and then applying some throttle causes it to conk out? Gonna wait for the new starter relay to show up before more work. Old one was making a sizzling/arcing noise I think.
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Jul 17, 2018 01:09
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Slavvy posted:It means you're idling pretty lean, opening the throttle adds more air, stalls airflow in the carbs and kills the engine. Quite likely you have a clogged pilot jet or two, or your pilot screw settings are out of whack. There are main jets, pilot jets, and idle mix screws right? Or are the idle mix screws also pilot jet screws? Maybe I should just replace the jets, there are new idle mix screws from the carb kits - I gave them 2.5 turns backed out because that's apparently factory. e: gently caress it, ordered a set of jets mewse fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Jul 17, 2018 |
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Jul 17, 2018 02:00
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Slavvy posted:Pilot jets have tiny holes that clog super easily and make the bike run lean/not run at all at or near idle unless the idle is so far open that the needle is doing the job instead (see the above diagram). Main jet is where the petrol comes out for the majority of the rev range and is governed by the needle exposing more/less of the hole in the middle. At WOT your main jet is going it alone and it all works like a platonic ideal of a carb with one great big ventury sucking petrol straight out of one great big hole in the middle. Thanks for the info. I was meticulous with my carb reassembly and I know the diaphragms are ok, but the pilot jets were kinda chewed up and all the jets got discoloured by the cleaning solution my buddy had in his ultrasonic cleaner. I think I maybe should've just hit them with carb cleaner, but whatever I'll just replace them.
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Jul 17, 2018 15:21
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOk7WlJDuWw
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Jul 19, 2018 02:22
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Sounds good, but something's funky. It starts right back up again and if I let it have some choke then it gives some really good throttle response. I’ll prob try your suggestion with the jets
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Jul 19, 2018 05:22
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Jonny 290 posted:Motivational pic: saw this streetbeater ninja behind work today. I dig it That's sick. I wonder if a 88-07 gas tank would mount on my frame.
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Jul 19, 2018 23:57
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Slavvy posted:Wait mewse are you thinking this thing should run without the choke when it's cold? Cause that's is definitely not the case. This was probably part of the problem. I boiled the jets and made sure I could see the pinhole of light in both pilot jets, and reinstalled everything. Let the bike warm up and it seems like it's running ok now. There is still a hesitation leaving idle for a couple revs, I'm not sure what that's about. Maybe I have to sync the carbs again with the engine warm.
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Jul 20, 2018 01:32
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Also the bike made its first 10ft trip under its own power 
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Jul 20, 2018 01:39
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Slavvy posted:Stumble just coming off idle is gonna be your pilot screw settings unless the carb balance is really badly out of whack. Would it be rich or lean (like do i need to tighten or loosen) e: hmm reading an adjustment guide and should be easy enough mewse fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Jul 20, 2018 |
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Jul 20, 2018 03:24
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Got the carbs synced correctly (with motor oil rather than water in the tubes) and then fought the idle mix screws for half an hour while continuously scorching my hands and now I've given up for the day. I think I'm going to get an angled screwdriver before trying again. I was using a flexible attachment for a mini screwdriver and it sucked dick
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Jul 21, 2018 03:14
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TheNothingNew posted:Any sort of gloves will help a little bit. You would think after burning my hands for half an hour I would stop and think "you know, what would stop my hands from burning on this hot engine block" but no. Thinking not allowed. Anyway I bought like $45 worth of screwdrivers and ended up using a bit extender I already had to tweak the idle mix. I finally understood that if you enrich the idle mix, it will help the engine rev up to the point that the pilot jets kick in. So I think the engine is dialed in now. The accel from idle seems relatively normal vs the dip in revs I was experiencing. Now I've only gotta do brakes, chain, tires, fairings, and forks
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Jul 21, 2018 19:02
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That's a 500 isn't it? Seat looks stock
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Jul 23, 2018 00:00
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With the motor squared away I want to finish the rest of the bike asap. I put in a big order to Fortnine up here in canada for tires, brake pads, chain, sprockets, fork seals, and some small parts. There's something going on with the rear brakes because I saw brake fluid, so I've ordered new brake lines + a master cylinder from aliexpress, not sure how that will turn out.
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Jul 23, 2018 05:13
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