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Old September 7th, 2018, 03:11 PM   #1
overtninja
ninjette.org newbie
 
Name: Johnny
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Join Date: Sep 2018

Motorcycle(s): 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250R

Posts: 4
Question Bike starts fine first time, won't idle or rev subsequent times.

Hello all,

I bought a 2012 Ninja 250R (first bike!) and have been working tirelessly to get the darn thing to run smoothly (to no avail). Here's what's happening.

If I let the bike sit overnight (or at least a couple of hours) with the fuel switch set to PRI/prime, I can get it to start almost no problem. It takes a little bit of throttle for it to catch, but then it will rev as it should. However, as soon as I let off the throttle, the bike dies. Any further attempts to start still require the throttle, but the engine will no longer rev. It caps at somewhere <1,000RPM (I can't tell exactly, the tachometer doesn't work) even with the throttle maxed. This is still a slight improvement over the condition the bike was in when I bought it .

So, here's what I've done in an effort to correct this problem.
  • Removed the carburetors and cleaned them thoroughly, being careful to remove the jets and clean them as well. The pilot jets were already clean as a whistle, but I still cleaned them again.
  • I have checked that the vacuum lines were in the correct placement - they weren't when I got the bike.
  • Replaced the spark plugs, which after two days and probably 30min total of running the engine were totally fouled with black grime when I checked them again.
  • Because the spark plugs indicated the bike was running rich, I adjusted the air/fuel mixture screws on the carbs to run leaner. The caps were already removed, so I'm assuming they had been toyed with before. They were at 2.5 turns out, I set them to 1.5 turns out.
  • Replaced the battery because it was showing 0v.
  • Cleaned the air filter and re-oiled it. It wasn't terribly dirty, but it needed to be done anyway.

Now, some notes about the bike in general (to provide context b/c it could be useful?).
  • Only 1399mi on the odometer.
  • It's straight-piped (I'm working on getting a muffler for it).
  • It's missing the headlights. In fact, the front cowling is entirely after-market or swapped from another bike.
  • It does not have any of the fairings save two side panels (that cover the air-filter access panel on the right side) and the rear fender.
  • The cables are all in working order. The clutch is responsive, the throttle is snappy, and the choke chokes.

I've now just about exhausted my knowledge of how to work on this bike and would love to avoid taking it into a shop. I spoke to a fellow rider at a Cycle Gear (great guy) who thinks it could be a blown head gasket, the way it dies on idle. Does anyone have any ideas what could be the root of the symptoms? I'm willing to do it myself, I just don't want to set out on a crusade until I'm at least 50% certain I need to .

Thanks in advance for any replies.
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