09 EX250 Problems

[MrDsylexia]

Hey folks, I've been experiencing an issue or two with my 250 which I would like to hear an opinion or two before I go and throw money at random problems... or get annoyed and jump on a different horse.

The big issue is that my 250 will go into 2nd and then it will randomly drop out of 2nd into neutral after a few seconds. This is NOT a rider error as after the 1st time this happened (merging into the HOV lane, 30km/h -> 120km/h) I started kicking it up a gear like I meant it. It does this on average once a day, cold, hot doesn't matter. It still feels like it engine brakes when this happens and it really sucked today when it pulled this stunt while I was mid-lean exiting a turn.

A little more detail on today as it was slightly different the first time it did it (in the turn) :
Shifted to 2nd while I was still leaned, it took the gear then it revved up and wouldn't take throttle, the engine would just rev. The Neutral light was NOT lit up. I tried to kick it up again, which usually works but the shifter was acting as if it was in 6th, refusing to go up. I had to downshift to "1st" and then try 2nd again which finally worked.

The other issue is at speeds upwards of 70km/h there seems to be a grinding noise coming from the front/center of the bike. As far as the dealership which I bought it from claimed, they installed a new chain and new sprockets when they got it in with around 15,500km.

The bike is at 20,800 km and out of warranty.

The bonus question:

Does this seem like it's going to be a money pit and should I consider parting ways with the 250, moving on to bigger and faster things? I've put on about 5k km since I got it a month ago so its looking like the perfect excuse to move onto a sport-tourer. It's also going to be due for its 24k service which up here in Vancouver, BC Canada I've been quoted at $800.

[Alex]

/moved to new-gen tech

[MrDsylexia]

Originally Posted by Alex

/moved to new-gen tech

Thanks, wasn't entirely sure where to put this thread.

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by MrDsylexia

Hey folks, I've been experiencing an issue or two with my 250 which I would like to hear an opinion or two before I go and throw money at random problems... or get annoyed and jump on a different horse.

The big issue is that my 250 will go into 2nd and then it will randomly drop out of 2nd into neutral after a few seconds. This is NOT a rider error as after the 1st time this happened (merging into the HOV lane, 30km/h -> 120km/h) I started kicking it up a gear like I meant it. It does this on average once a day, cold, hot doesn't matter. It still feels like it engine brakes when this happens and it really sucked today when it pulled this stunt while I was mid-lean exiting a turn.

A little more detail on today as it was slightly different the first time it did it (in the turn) :
Shifted to 2nd while I was still leaned, it took the gear then it revved up and wouldn't take throttle, the engine would just rev. The Neutral light was NOT lit up. I tried to kick it up again, which usually works but the shifter was acting as if it was in 6th, refusing to go up. I had to downshift to "1st" and then try 2nd again which finally worked.

The other issue is at speeds upwards of 70km/h there seems to be a grinding noise coming from the front/center of the bike. As far as the dealership which I bought it from claimed, they installed a new chain and new sprockets when they got it in with around 15,500km.

The bike is at 20,800 km and out of warranty.

The bonus question:

Does this seem like it's going to be a money pit and should I consider parting ways with the 250, moving on to bigger and faster things? I've put on about 5k km since I got it a month ago so its looking like the perfect excuse to move onto a sport-tourer. It's also going to be due for its 24k service which up here in Vancouver, BC Canada I've been quoted at $800.

I know there were odd times where my old 250 did the exact same thing, but it wasn't frequent at all so I assumed it was user error.

Check your shift linkage maybe? It's possible it's a tad lose so that when you are kicking up, it's not putting as much force as it needs. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact name of the part, but I'm referring to the section that comes off the shift rod and rotates on the actual gearbox. It's held on by a single small bolt that could be slipping.

Also, I know what I replaced my chain/sprockets, it had a noticeable click to it. This had to do with different material used on the Pitbull sprocket compared to the stock brand. It's likely not this, as it was produced at any speed on the bike. Do you feel the 'grinding' at all via vibrations or odd throttle response? Might be asking a lot, but could you try and get a video clip of the sound?

Bonus answer: If you're not all that happy with the performance, you might take the time to look into getting a different motorcycle. The way you asked this question made it seem like you might be looking for an excuse to trade up (nothing wrong with that). Check out the 650r/cbr500/sv650 to see if any of those meet your needs better. From experience, I think down the road you'll really miss the 250r though.

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by MrDsylexia

....The bonus question:

Does this seem like it's going to be a money pit and should I consider parting ways with the 250, moving on to bigger and faster things? I've put on about 5k km since I got it a month ago so its looking like the perfect excuse to move onto a sport-tourer. It's also going to be due for its 24k service which up here in Vancouver, BC Canada I've been quoted at $800.

The only problem I see is that you have not eyeballed or fingered a thing.

In other words have you checked to see if your clutch lever has the correct amount of slack or your shifter linkage is properly adjusted?

Have you physically looked at the chain, sprockets or brake pads to see if the brake pads are worn or dirty or if the chain is too tight, properly lubed or rubbing against the plastic chain guide?

All of this is simple maintenance. If you don't do it, it can become a money pit and that's with any vehicle.

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Troubleshooting_Guide

[MrDsylexia]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

The only problem I see is that you have not eyeballed or fingered a thing.

In other words have you checked to see if your clutch lever has the correct amount of slack or your shifter linkage is properly adjusted?

Have you physically looked at the chain, sprockets or brake pads to see if the brake pads are worn or dirty or if the chain is too tight, properly lubed or rubbing against the plastic chain guide?

All of this is simple maintenance. If you don't do it, it can become a money pit and that's with any vehicle.

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Troubleshooting_Guide

I have tinkered with the linkage after I bought the bike because I was having trouble shifting so I moved the lever upwards a few notches. I read on here that someone had the same problem and a suggestion was to put the lever back to stock, which I did with no difference in results, I did tighten it properly when I finished with it, both times.

I had the chain adjusted about 1400km ago when I got new tires, clean it well and lube it every 700km. I have checked the pads and they all seem to have plenty of meat and they don't seem to be dragging, I've not checked to see if they are dirty however I do clean the rear rotor off (brake cleaner) after I lube the chain and the front one every other time, just in case any chain lube's gotten on the rear disk. I won't have a chance to try it today, but could the grinding be caused by a build up of crap underneath the front sprocket cover? This is one thing I haven't had a chance to look at.

More info on the bike, it's been down twice on the left side so the shift lever has been bent/re-bent/bent/re-bent again. Could this have anything to do with the 2nd gear problem? I wouldn't think so myself as the other gears work fine but I have been wrong before.

The other thing I've heard, a rumor from one or two local riders only, is that the previous owner may have raced this bike but I see no drilled nut/bolts or any telltale marks that the bike has actually been raced.

I've spent quite a bit of time trying to find out what is going on and looking online for similar problems/solutions as this is a daily highway commuter and any sort of failure like a chain snapping or gearbox failing on the highway would be a slight bit of a safety issue

Nathan, I'm not going to lie, the Yamaha FZ6 has stolen my attention and a tiny part of me is decided to move on to it and is trying to find excuses to get the rest of me to move up however I don't want to get rid of this bike for something that may end up being a $0.50 fix.

Blue, I guess I should have listed what I've tried already and thanks for the link!