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Old April 20th, 2015, 10:42 AM   #1
Daks
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Couple of Concerns

My bike is getting on in miles (he wasn't maintained well by previous owners and I have admittedly run short on money to do it in a timely fashion myself).

Recently I did the valves but the issues I'm talking about happened before that and keep getting worse.

First up:
Clutch slips CONSTANTLY. There are times I have to shift into 2nd 3, 4 or 5 times until it sticks. There are a lot of mishifts between other gears as well. When this was happening before, I checked the clutch plates and they were still aces. So all I can think is that it could be the cable?

Secondly, unsure if it's related:
Weird power fluctuations. Sometimes the bike will gain and loose power repeatedly and then "kick" back up. Maybe a carb issue? The carbs haven't had maintenance in a while.

Which brings me to the third concern:
Bike reeks of gas after I ride it. Idk if it's because the gas tank cap looks a little off kilter or if it's leaking or it it's running rich.

Also the rear brake pulls severely to the right when I apply anything other than gentle pressure but I think that's the rotor, which I have to get around to fixing. I thought it was an alignment issue but the tire seems to be straight.
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Old April 20th, 2015, 11:54 AM   #2
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Re: Clutch slip

Check the clutch cable adjustment first since it's so easy to do, but if that's not it, could it be the clutch springs?
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Old April 20th, 2015, 12:07 PM   #3
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How does shifting into 2nd multiple times help?
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Old April 20th, 2015, 12:50 PM   #4
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I think I would first change the oil to a recommended oil- I use rotella

as to your inconsistant power issue, may be a tank venting issue. Try properly mounting your gas cap and making sure the vent hoses are not restricted.

If after changing oil still slips- try going for aftermarket springs- OEM prings are known to be weak.

Check your fork alignment, your front may be fighting the rear and showing up during braking. Check your steering bearings for slop - and make sure all wheel spacers are present. <-- some guesses.

All this stuff is pretty easy, so good news.
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Old April 20th, 2015, 01:14 PM   #5
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applying rear brake and having the bike pull right has nothing to do with the brake itself (or the rotor, the caliper, etc.). It's everything to do with the alignment of the bike. Either the rear is out of line, the front forks are tweaked, or a combination of the two. If it's drastic enough to pull hard each time, something is really wrong.
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Old April 20th, 2015, 02:30 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcj13 View Post
How does shifting into 2nd multiple times help?
When I shift up from 1st, it will slip into neutral 2-5 times before I can get it to stay in second.

Thank god all of these sound pretty easy. xP I'll order new springs and mess with the gas cap and hoses (one could be pinched after my valve job)


As for the oil, I changed it maybe 200 miles ago when I did the valves and the problems were almost immediate anyway.

As for the pull, maybe it is just a misaligned rear. I can't think of anything that could have messed up the forks unless the bike dropped hard enough and someone picked it up without me knowing and it miraculously didn't get any paint damage. Unless it was a really bad pothole. We definitely have a few of those around Vallejo.
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Old April 20th, 2015, 04:02 PM   #7
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My 2˘,

First, replace those clutch springs with Barrett brand HD ones, the Ninjette, and EX both suffer from weak arse OEM springs. also you might want to look at the neutral position parts, there is a spring(part# 92144) that also is weak, and wears out, sometimes it need to be replaced, also part# 92043 wears as well.(see pictures below)


http://www.partzilla.com/parts/searc...%29/parts.html


Second and third, service the carburetors properly, contact @ducatiman for your needs.

What kind of oil did you use? Also is it just shifting poorly, or is the clutch slipping??

And lastly, check your alignment, forks, etc.. have you ever serviced the calipers? I'm guessing not, add that to your things to do list as well.

Any questions please feel free to ask.
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Old April 20th, 2015, 08:24 PM   #8
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If the carbs overflow due to improper adjustment or wear of the float valves, fuel could be leaking into de crankcase, the engine could loose power and get damaged later, while the clutch looses traction among discs, heating the oil up and worsening the situation.
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Old April 20th, 2015, 10:40 PM   #9
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I use Rotella T6, and have since I got the bike 3 years ago. I was regular with the maintenance for the first two years and then hard times hit so yeah. Oil changes didn't change but I went a bit long without a valve adjust.
I cleaned the rear caliper about...6 months ago? when I changed the brake pad/bled the brake.
I don't know the difference between shifting poorly and slipping but I will shift, it will be in the gear I shifted to, and it will come out of that gear on its own. Whichever that is. When I got the bike it was fine for well over a year. It's worth mentioning I got in a pretty bad crash about two years back but it worked fine for months after, though I know problems sometimes don't show up immediately.

Carbs are one of those things I find really daunting (I knew someone who messed up their bike pretty bad by ****ing them up) but knowing it could seriously mess itself up means its even more pertinent. I just need to find someone I trust up here.
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Old April 21st, 2015, 01:27 AM   #10
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When shifting from first to second, it can be pretty easy to just hit neutral if you aren't shifting correctly. When upshifting, apply steady upward pressure to the shift lever. No need to jerk it like you're trying to set the world record for toe lifts. Maintain that steady pressure until you let off the clutch lever and verify it's in second. Then move your foot out from under the shifter. You don't want to get your foot caught between the footrest and shifter in case of a fall and have the bike drag you.

Lubricating the entire shift linkage will make it shift a lot easier too.

There's a Kawasaki mechanic in Kentucky that charged $45 per carb plus shipping both ways to ultrasonically clean carbs. Not sure if I can find his site again, but an internet search might turn him up.
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Old April 21st, 2015, 05:02 AM   #11
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Sounds more like tranny/shift mechanism problem rather than clutch...
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Old April 21st, 2015, 12:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flitecontrol View Post
When shifting from first to second, it can be pretty easy to just hit neutral if you aren't shifting correctly. When upshifting, apply steady upward pressure to the shift lever. No need to jerk it like you're trying to set the world record for toe lifts. Maintain that steady pressure until you let off the clutch lever and verify it's in second. Then move your foot out from under the shifter. You don't want to get your foot caught between the footrest and shifter in case of a fall and have the bike drag you.

Lubricating the entire shift linkage will make it shift a lot easier too.

There's a Kawasaki mechanic in Kentucky that charged $45 per carb plus shipping both ways to ultrasonically clean carbs. Not sure if I can find his site again, but an internet search might turn him up.
I've been riding the same bike for 3 years. I know how to ****ing shift it. Dx

Thanks for the rec, though.
Gets to the point where I wonder how much is worth it for a $1500 bike.
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Old April 21st, 2015, 12:38 PM   #13
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Quote:
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Sounds more like tranny/shift mechanism problem rather than clutch...
Elaborate?
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Old April 21st, 2015, 03:48 PM   #14
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I've been riding the same bike for 3 years. I know how to ****ing shift it. Dx.
I'll definitely keep that in mind in the future. Unless you post your extensive shifting knowledge, how are folks to know?
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Old April 21st, 2015, 03:56 PM   #15
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If the clutch slips constantly, that is the source of your weird power fluctuations. If your plates and oil are good, your cable isn't adjusted properly. This will solve problems 1 and 2.

Since you're located in California, has someone pulled the California emissions charcoal canister off of the bike in a previous life? They probably didn't cap one of the vents, or the cap is cracked. Check out the evap/emissions system. Also, if you're not starting your bike every 2 weeks or so, our ****** ethanol gas clogs carbs quick. Cleaning them is daunting at first, but if you go step by step it's actually very easy. I've got it down to about 20 min. Don't be skurred.

I've seen the brake thing happen with a bunch of riders -- They unconsciously change their body position when they apply brakes and it makes the bike dive one way or another. They swear it's the bike. The 250 is a very light bike and it doesn't take much to alter it's direction. Eliminate this suspicion by finding a parking lot and practicing braking. Start off slow with light brakes and work up to getting faster speeds and harder braking. Seriously seriously seriously pay attention to not moving your body when you apply brakes. Is the issue still there?
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Old April 21st, 2015, 04:13 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cookiebug79 View Post
If the clutch slips constantly, that is the source of your weird power fluctuations. If your plates and oil are good, your cable isn't adjusted properly. This will solve problems 1 and 2.

Since you're located in California, has someone pulled the California emissions charcoal canister off of the bike in a previous life? They probably didn't cap one of the vents, or the cap is cracked. Check out the evap/emissions system. Also, if you're not starting your bike every 2 weeks or so, our ****** ethanol gas clogs carbs quick. Cleaning them is daunting at first, but if you go step by step it's actually very easy. I've got it down to about 20 min. Don't be skurred.

I've seen the brake thing happen with a bunch of riders -- They unconsciously change their body position when they apply brakes and it makes the bike dive one way or another. They swear it's the bike. The 250 is a very light bike and it doesn't take much to alter it's direction. Eliminate this suspicion by finding a parking lot and practicing braking. Start off slow with light brakes and work up to getting faster speeds and harder braking. Seriously seriously seriously pay attention to not moving your body when you apply brakes. Is the issue still there?
^^^ all dat! Don't just guess, it's expensive. A little bit of common sense troubleshooting can work wonders.
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Old April 21st, 2015, 04:25 PM   #17
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^^^ all dat! Don't just guess, it's expensive. A little bit of common sense troubleshooting can work wonders.



(By no means is this post a shot at anyone in this thread, I just love the pic and thought it applied )
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