Choke issue

novafallen · September 19th, 2010, 08:04 PM

Hey guys, I bought a 2004 that had been sitting for about 5 years with only about 200 miles. The guy that found it and sold it to me had all the maintenance done on it already. Since i bought it a couple months ago the choke hasn't been working right, when i turn it on and hit the starter it'll rev up and then die. It runs fine once it gets warmed up but id love to be able to use the choke to speed it up a little. Thanks for any help, if you need any more information on it ill be glad to give it.

mrlmd · September 20th, 2010, 07:38 AM

Does the choke cable work, it's not stuck, the lower end on the carbs moves? Do you start it using the choke or without the choke? What's you idle speed set at?
Your problem may still be related to poor storage and clogged up carb jets. Clean the carb - it may be gummed up. Try and put either Seafoam or Berryman's B12 Chemtool (both at Walmart or any auto parts store, Berryman's 1/3 the cost, maybe better) 1 oz/gal gas into the fuel tank, see if you can get it running and let it run 10 min or so. Turn it off, let it sit overnight, try it again, see if it runs better. You may have to dump this straight into the carbs of you can, and let it sit overnight to work it's thing. If that doesn't work you have to remove the carbs and clean out the pilot and main jets with a wire and air compressor to make sure they're clean.
How long has the gas been sitting in the tank? Fresh gas would help too.
For starters, if the gas is old, dump out or empty the tank and put in a gal of fresh gas with 1 oz of Seafoam or Berrymans' and don't overdose it.

novafallen · September 20th, 2010, 04:51 PM

Yeah, the lower end of it moves. I usually start it without the choke, and it'll take a while, especially when the engine gets really cold. My idle is set at a little above 1500 i think.
I know that it was not stored properly, but the guy that found it got the carbs cleaned before he sold it to me. Do you think i should still try to clean them out?
I'm not for certain on the gas, but i would assume there was some in there for the 5 years, but the other guy cleaned it out. Also, i've put 2000 miles on the bike so far, so I doubt any of the gas is old.

kkim · September 20th, 2010, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by novafallen

I usually start it without the choke, and it'll take a while, especially when the engine gets really cold. My idle is set at a little above 1500 i think.

what's the reason you don't use the choke when starting the bike from a cold start?

mrlmd · September 20th, 2010, 05:57 PM

You may not be operating this bike correctly. A cold engine needs some choke to start it. That's normal operation. (It is an enricher -it adds more fuel rather than choking off air as in a car). Put it on about 1/2 way and try and start the bike. If it doesn't start in 1-2 sec, apply a little more choke. After it starts, set it so that the bike idles 2500-3000rpm or so, start riding off slowly when it runs smooth, and them slowly turn the choke down to off after a few min or 1/2 mile - 1 mile or so. It should be warm and running steady without the choke within a few min or a few miles at most.

BTW, it's really nice and much more helpful if the whole story comes out all at once in the beginning of a query, instead of like pulling teeth to get more information. It's much easier to help someone with a problem and it saves a lot of time and speculation if the pertinent facts are included, if more information is given when you ask the question to start with. Just a suggestion.

novafallen · September 20th, 2010, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkim

what's the reason you don't use the choke when starting the bike from a cold start?

Because the choke does not do as it is intended, it kills the engine, cold or warm. Which is why i came here to ask for help as to what the problem could be..

I apologize for not giving the whole story, i don't post much on forums.

kkim · September 20th, 2010, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by novafallen

Because the choke does not do as it is intended, it kills the engine, cold or warm. Which is why i came here to ask for help as to what the problem could be..

well, using the choke when the bike is warm will kill it.... that's normal.

what does it do when it's cold and you use the choke? exactly what do you do when the bike is cold and you use the choke to start it?

novafallen · September 20th, 2010, 06:49 PM

When i start it cold, all the choke does is rev it up for like 1 second and then it dies.. I don't really understand it so it's kind of hard for me to explain. It shouldn't be just be revving up and then dying should it? I've tried from just a little bit of choke to full choke, and all that changes is how high it revs up to before it dies.

kkim · September 20th, 2010, 07:06 PM

it sounds like your choke circuit (starting enricher) might be clogged. You may want to clean it out and see if that helps.

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_a_c...Morning_Coffee

mrlmd · September 21st, 2010, 02:22 PM

That's what I was getting at in the first post back to you. Try and clean it out chemically with Seafoam or Berryman's before you take the whole thing apart. If that doesn't work, then you have no choice.

September 19th, 2010, 08:04 PM	#1
novafallen ninjette.org newbie Name: eric Location: TN Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 ex250 Posts: 4	Choke issue Hey guys, I bought a 2004 that had been sitting for about 5 years with only about 200 miles. The guy that found it and sold it to me had all the maintenance done on it already. Since i bought it a couple months ago the choke hasn't been working right, when i turn it on and hit the starter it'll rev up and then die. It runs fine once it gets warmed up but id love to be able to use the choke to speed it up a little. Thanks for any help, if you need any more information on it ill be glad to give it.

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September 20th, 2010, 07:38 AM	#2
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	Does the choke cable work, it's not stuck, the lower end on the carbs moves? Do you start it using the choke or without the choke? What's you idle speed set at? Your problem may still be related to poor storage and clogged up carb jets. Clean the carb - it may be gummed up. Try and put either Seafoam or Berryman's B12 Chemtool (both at Walmart or any auto parts store, Berryman's 1/3 the cost, maybe better) 1 oz/gal gas into the fuel tank, see if you can get it running and let it run 10 min or so. Turn it off, let it sit overnight, try it again, see if it runs better. You may have to dump this straight into the carbs of you can, and let it sit overnight to work it's thing. If that doesn't work you have to remove the carbs and clean out the pilot and main jets with a wire and air compressor to make sure they're clean. How long has the gas been sitting in the tank? Fresh gas would help too. For starters, if the gas is old, dump out or empty the tank and put in a gal of fresh gas with 1 oz of Seafoam or Berrymans' and don't overdose it.

September 20th, 2010, 04:51 PM	#3
novafallen ninjette.org newbie Name: eric Location: TN Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 ex250 Posts: 4	Yeah, the lower end of it moves. I usually start it without the choke, and it'll take a while, especially when the engine gets really cold. My idle is set at a little above 1500 i think. I know that it was not stored properly, but the guy that found it got the carbs cleaned before he sold it to me. Do you think i should still try to clean them out? I'm not for certain on the gas, but i would assume there was some in there for the 5 years, but the other guy cleaned it out. Also, i've put 2000 miles on the bike so far, so I doubt any of the gas is old.

September 20th, 2010, 05:57 PM	#5
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	You may not be operating this bike correctly. A cold engine needs some choke to start it. That's normal operation. (It is an enricher -it adds more fuel rather than choking off air as in a car). Put it on about 1/2 way and try and start the bike. If it doesn't start in 1-2 sec, apply a little more choke. After it starts, set it so that the bike idles 2500-3000rpm or so, start riding off slowly when it runs smooth, and them slowly turn the choke down to off after a few min or 1/2 mile - 1 mile or so. It should be warm and running steady without the choke within a few min or a few miles at most. BTW, it's really nice and much more helpful if the whole story comes out all at once in the beginning of a query, instead of like pulling teeth to get more information. It's much easier to help someone with a problem and it saves a lot of time and speculation if the pertinent facts are included, if more information is given when you ask the question to start with. Just a suggestion.

September 20th, 2010, 06:49 PM	#8
novafallen ninjette.org newbie Name: eric Location: TN Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 ex250 Posts: 4	When i start it cold, all the choke does is rev it up for like 1 second and then it dies.. I don't really understand it so it's kind of hard for me to explain. It shouldn't be just be revving up and then dying should it? I've tried from just a little bit of choke to full choke, and all that changes is how high it revs up to before it dies.

September 20th, 2010, 07:06 PM	#9
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	it sounds like your choke circuit (starting enricher) might be clogged. You may want to clean it out and see if that helps. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_a_c...Morning_Coffee

September 21st, 2010, 02:22 PM	#10
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	That's what I was getting at in the first post back to you. Try and clean it out chemically with Seafoam or Berryman's before you take the whole thing apart. If that doesn't work, then you have no choice.