Carburetor Heads Up

[Jakester9500]

Okay, so I'm pretty new to the whole carburetor world, and motorcycles on top of that. I'm looking at picking up an 01 ex250 off of a guy at work, the thing only has like 3800 miles on it, and it hasn't been run for probably 2 years now. He said he started it before winter, but not run, on the street.

So, I'm just wondering, are the carbs going to be junk after having the gas sit in them for this long, or what could I be in store for?

It has been garage kept, so it at least hasn't been sitting outside. But I haven't torn it apart or anything, but I just want to know if it's gonna be a bigger pain to deal with than I'm really looking for

Thanks

[Momaru]

The carbs likely aren't junk, more likely just will need a good cleaning which isn't hard to do at all with some tools, time and a little patience. There's a guide linked from the new-gen tech DIY section that's pretty helpful

[Snake]

Here is a link to the DIY.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10298

[Jakester9500]

I'm just a little afraid I'd mess something up, since I've never messed with a carb before. But then two places I talked to said its like 300 dollars to clean, and that's when I had to raise a red flag to the whole idea.

I wouldn't mind learning things of how to work on a bike, I'm just not trying to buy a money pit
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[Slabrocks]

what kind of money are you spending?
do you have free time to "tinker"?
how mechanical are you with regular car stuff?

those three questions will help your decision

[Jakester9500]

Alright, the price of the bike is 1500. But I'm not trying to get much more than that wrapped up in it, since its my first bike.

I have some time, but sometimes am not the most patient to be honest.

I can hold my own at car stuff, like suspension, exhaust, junk under the hood. I did lots of garbage to my old civic.

Just the idea of getting into something new, scares me a little.
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[Slabrocks]

well, the price for this time of year is about right, to just a bit high since it doesnt run, there is a great deal of knowledge on this page http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page which you can read as many times as you need to before trying to do anything.

and to me, it sounds like you should be able to drain float bowls and change plugs without an issue.

buy it if you have the money

[Jakester9500]

Thanks for the link.

I would like to think I could do it, but my buddy was telling me stuff that made me a little nervous.

Thanks again
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[greg737]

Word to the wise.... before you attemp to work on the carbs, go to Home Depot and pick up drywall driver bits in the two smaller sizes. Drywall driver bits are are very cheap and they're a perfect substitue for JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) screwdrivers. All the screws on the carbs are JIS.

Or you could chose not to make the trip to Home Depot and use your Philips screwdrivers instead. The job will take a little longer because you'll "cam-out" almost every screw you try to remove.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Jakester9500

I'm just a little afraid I'd mess something up, since I've never messed with a carb before. But then two places I talked to said its like 300 dollars to clean, and that's when I had to raise a red flag to the whole idea.

I wouldn't mind learning things of how to work on a bike, I'm just not trying to buy a money pit
Posted via Mobile Device

$300 just to clean the carbs? Holy crap, I recently had my bike in for servicing which included carb cleaning/adjusting, new chain (they used an X-ring), oil change with full synthetic, and electronic diagnostic for the dead horn I had all for under $300. Glad I don't live by you with those kinds of prices.

Once you get the bike up and running you're gonna love it. Have fun with it and stay as safe as you can.

[g21-30]

Jake,

Tell the seller that you want to ride the bike, prior to purchase. Maybe that will encourage him to either clean the carbs or REDUCE the price. It's a valid request! There are a LOT more used Ninjas out there.

Good Luck

[Jakester9500]

Well, the seller is a buddy I work with, so I'm just trying not to seem like a dick about anything.

But I'm not trying to get ripped off either haha

[g21-30]

Be a DICK. It's your money! Also, there is an old rule "Never buy a used car from a friend!" He/She probably won't be a friend anymore!

[Grn99Kawi]

Just my experience.. my N250 hadnt been run in nearly 5 years when I got it.. it didnt like to start, the choke lever was broken on top of that, and any throttle at all would cause it to stumble and die... a local shop quoted me about teh same to rebuild the carbs...

I bought a set of carbs off of an 06 from an ebay store in Florida.. .you know Florida.. teh land without a riding off season.. I paid $75 for them.. I pulled the bowls off and they were sparkling clean inside... bolted them on and the bike ran perfect for the whole season until I sold it.. the ebay shop was tampa chop shop (or something close to that). I bought a few things off him and was very happy with the purchases..

My experience is with fuel injected cars... but I did pull the old carbs apart just to play after I got the new ones.. I'm sure I can clean a set of carbs, but I didnt need to....

Ironically, my CBR is the last of the carb'd 600s... cant get away from them!

Adam

[mrlmd]

Have you tried to start the bike yet? If the battery is dead, you can jump it from a NON-RUNNING car battery. (The car's engine should not be running if you do that because the car's alternator output will fry the electronics on any bike).
If he hadn't added a stabilizer to the fuel system (Seafoam or Stabil or similar) before he parked it and let it sit for 2 years, you should empty out the fuel tank and start over.
Before taking off and trying to clean the carbs (which may not need it), put some Berryman's B12 Chemtool or Seafoam into the carbs, let it sit a while, and put some into the fresh gas too and run it for a while. That may clean out anything in there without having to dismantle them and screw the whole thing up. If the bike starts and runs, then charge the battery on a 2 amp charger overnight and see if that can be resurrected or saved from the recycle bin.
Buying from a friend is not always a good idea, he may not be a friend for long. And FWIW, I bought my 2006 with 4000 miles on it, in perfect shape, for about what you are going to pay for that one, and did not have to put in even one penny for parts or service. You may have to add a considerable amount of money to your purchase price, for carb service (esp. if you mess them up), a new battery, and maybe 2 new tires. No matter what the tires look like on the bike and even with only 3800 miles on them, they are 9 years old and should be replaced. The rubber gets hard and brittle with age and they will not have much good grip on the road, and your life depends on those tires. If the bike has been sitting for 2 years without running you wonder what kind of care or maintenance he gave it, and that price doesn't sound like too great a deal to me. You may be spending hundreds of dollars more than you expected on it. money that could be better spent on gear that you need - full face helmet, armored jacket, gloves, boots, and ? riding pants. I don't want to put a cabash on your purchase, but beware of all the extra costs you will incur.
And I assume you've taken the MSF course before you just go out and buy a bike?