I'm getting ready to go pick up a used 250 ninja TONIGHT (for the wife not me!) and the owner said the prev testrider didnt like it because she had to rev it to 5k to get it to roll in 1st. He said it was because it was a 250cc. A friend of mine who has a 250 ninja said that it was not typical and that it should roll around 1k just like any other bike. I wont buy the bike unless i can diagnose it on the spot, current theories are.

- stupid woman driver (heh)
- clutch cable too loose or tight
- wheels wont spin freely / brakes sticking

I cant think of anything else off the top of my head, any ideas? I need advice asap because its a 1.5 hour drive and I'd hate to get there, not be able to diagnose it, and have to turn around and leave without a bike. Thanks for the help guys, i'll be checking back frequently today

 

i would say something is up with the bike.
i can't see a clutch cable being so off that it takes 5k rpm to get the bike going...if that's the case...the clutch would've burnt out already.
the MSF course used 250s and they didn't need to be revved much to roll.

 

Sometimes my bike wont go into first unless I move it up or back about a foot or if I rev it a little.

 

Tahoe, good call about the clutch cable

Nauree, I know the problem you're talking about, my F3 does that every so often as do other bikes I've been on. I dont think thats the problem though. I think this is more of an issue of the bike will stall if the clutch is released under 5k rpm in first.

Other suggestions I've had around the office
- clutch is too grabby, i.e. it wont feather on, its just engaged or not engaged. If this is the case I wont even bother with getting it.
- its running too lean and has no low end power whatsoever, I could verify this by getting it into first and then taking the rpm's back down below 5k, it'd run really choppy / want to stall.

any other suggestions / ideas / "that idea is stupid" comments? All are welcome!

 

Played with the Throttle stop screw? I wouldn't get it if its doing that crap.

 

Got it, 9k miles, 1992 ninja 250, $750. Friend says its most likely the carbs, it really has no torque at all. It runs, but really no torque. Clutch is fine, everything is fine for the most part, just underpowered.

No its not just because its a 250 either lol

 

Sounds like after a good tune-up, she'll be running strong. I haven't done it to a bike, but I've SeaFoam-ed my car (it had 215,000 miles on her, yet she's a year newer than your bike) and after that, she purrs and runs much stronger than she did before. You connect it to a vacuum line, and let the engine suck it in. It'll make the bike want to stall, so you have to gas it a bit while you're doing this. The exhaust will smoke like hell too. And I mean SMOKE. You'll think the engine blew up.

Really though, SeaFoam is incredible, and I would highly recommend it for an engine as old as yours.

 

yes that stuff is AMAZING!! try it out before tearing the carbs apart, that may clean it up enough in itself!

 

UPDATE, rust in the tank, not tons and tons, but definitally rust in the tank.

I plan to take care of that and check the lines, pump, and fuel filters, in addition to the seafoam stuff. Then I'll do the typical tuneup stuff.

Anything in particular I should watch out for now that I have a pretty good idea what the source of the problem is?

Yeah I put seafoam through the tank of my F3 and in 2nd gearI blipped the throttle a little too much and my *** slid back a few inches in the seat. I thought "oh, never done that before!" lol