Bike Running to Lean, How Long Do I Have?

[WayToFast]

So after looking some stuff up and comparing them to how my bike is running, I'm pretty sure that I'm running lean. I know this because my bike will idle at about 1500rpms but when I give it some throttle it'll shoot up to about 3000rpm and just hang there. That mixed she stalls very easily and some other factors that I looked up makes me pretty sure she is running lean. I'm almost positive the cause of it is that the carbs aren't seated to well on the engine side from when I took them off to clean them. It was hell getting them back on and I wasn't to sure if I put them back on well enough. My question is how long is to long to go riding lean. I know riding lean is bad and needs to be fixed, but I wont be able to take her to a mechanic until next week ( I just dont have it in me to open her back up). Can i mange until then or should I garage her?

[DaBlue1]

First... Welcome.

Other than clean the carbs, did you do any other mods?

Why not do a little troubleshooting and double check your work, since you seem to be positive what the cause is? Confirm that you do have an air leak around the carbs boots and tighten or install them correctly. Why take it to a mechanic now, you've already had the carbs off? Simply spray some starter fluid around the boots and observe any change in engine speed. That will tell you if indeed you have a leak.

If the bike is stalling on you now, you're putting yourself and the engine at risk.
Also make sure once the problems have been corrected, adjust the idle speed properly.

[WayToFast]

Hey, thanks a lot.

Nope, no other mods. I bought it used a couple months ago and the guy kept everything stock from what he told me and what I could see. I noticed that she wouldnt run without choke on so I spent a better part of a weekend getting the carb out and cleaning them.

After struggling another 2days I got them back on but noticed they didnt look as secure as when they were originally on. I cant see a noticeable gap, just a hunch really.

So I just start the bike and spray started fluid around the intake boot and look for an increase? Ill check it out.

And shes not really stalling on me, I just noticed sometimes I have to give her a lot more throttle. Though I am new and the only other bike ive ridden was the cbr250 at the msf course which is what im comparing it to.

[DEFY]

Welcome!!!

[DaBlue1]

The fact that you stated it wouldn't run with out the choke says the carbs needed cleaning.

A bike that is warm with (full) choke on will run quickly from around idle speed to 3k and stay there. The key is reducing the amount of choke until the bike can maintain a steady idle speed. If the bike is cold you will need a little more throttle to get it moving until it does warm up properly. Just the nature of the beast on a carbed bike. The stock Ninja 250 is a little anemic on power below 3k rpm.

Also check to make sure the throttle grip and cables are getting stuck as well.

[quarterliter]

You are letting unfiltered air into the engine as well. You can't wiggle the boots? I wouldn't ride it until it was resolved

[Yarhj]

A few things you can check pretty easily (without taking anything apart!), before taking it to a mechanic.

1. Make sure the crankcase vent hose is still attached to the airbox. I accidentally dislodged it once while trying to reattach the carburetors, which made my bike very hard to start and keep running. The vent hose is the S-shaped hose that attaches to the bottom of your airbox (pictured here without the airbox, and with an aftermarket white plastic breather attached to it)

2. Make sure the little chain springs on the airbox/carb boots are in the little channels on the boots closer to the carburetor -- they'll help keep things closed. If you don't have the springs, or they're stretched out, you can replace them with a simple screw clamp like the engine/carb boots use.

3. As DaBlue1 suggested, get a can of starter fluid and spray it around the edges of the boots. If the boots are leaking and you're running lean, the engine should surge when you spray the starter fluid.

Also, I highly recommend n4mwd's battery box mod to simplify getting to the carburetors. With the airbox and the battery box separated, removing and replacing the carburetors goes from a 2 hour job to a 20 minute job. If you don't want to mess around with cutting anything, this video might help make the process less arduous.

Edit:
Also, I see you're in Atlanta -- if you need a hand feel free to post in the North GA Riders thread. There are a bunch of us around Atlanta, and we might be able to help get things diagnosed or fixed in person. Good luck!