choke drag?

jlgolden · July 7th, 2010, 07:54 PM

I've just bought a 1987 250 that has had a fairly hard life. The choke lever has no drag, so I have to keep my thumb on it to choke the engine. Is this normal?
It makes cool weather riding exciting balancing the choke and clutch to keep it running as I start & stop. If this is not normal, does anyone know how to adjust the drag? I have tried 2 controls and they both spring back. There is a small spring and a brass plate next to the cable-holder, but I haven't been able to get it to hold the choke in one position. I dropped the poor thing tonight stalling it in gear while trying to keep everything running. Good thing it's old.

kkim · July 7th, 2010, 08:30 PM

that's not normal. I should stay in the position you leave it in.

check to see the cable is connected properly at the other end of the choke cable down by the carbs. you should be able to see it slide a bar right in front of the 2 carbs as you actuate the choke lever.

mrlmd · July 8th, 2010, 06:08 AM

Use a rubber band.

gogiburn · July 8th, 2010, 06:38 AM

It's a wear item.It's plastic annd a friction fit.It wears down and you can't tighten the control case any tighter.Happened on my 2 Concours's Also could be the part and bar got hit with lube.Clean the lever and handle bar to get lube off and it might help
Posted via Mobile Device

jlgolden · July 10th, 2010, 06:33 AM

I think I got it working correctly. There may have been some sort of cap on the little spring under the lever, but neither of my controls had one, just this tiny brass plate next to the spring. I slid the brass plate between the coils of the spring and then "threaded" the spring up and down until I got the the right pressure against the lever to balance the return spring. It works now. Next time I'll buy one from a later model, but I think I read that the high/low beam wiring needs to be modified.
Thanks for the help.

July 7th, 2010, 07:54 PM	#1
jlgolden ninjette.org newbie Name: Jim Location: Alameda, CA Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1987 Ninja 250 Posts: 2	choke drag? I've just bought a 1987 250 that has had a fairly hard life. The choke lever has no drag, so I have to keep my thumb on it to choke the engine. Is this normal? It makes cool weather riding exciting balancing the choke and clutch to keep it running as I start & stop. If this is not normal, does anyone know how to adjust the drag? I have tried 2 controls and they both spring back. There is a small spring and a brass plate next to the cable-holder, but I haven't been able to get it to hold the choke in one position. I dropped the poor thing tonight stalling it in gear while trying to keep everything running. Good thing it's old.

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July 7th, 2010, 08:30 PM	#2
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	that's not normal. I should stay in the position you leave it in. check to see the cable is connected properly at the other end of the choke cable down by the carbs. you should be able to see it slide a bar right in front of the 2 carbs as you actuate the choke lever.

July 8th, 2010, 06:08 AM	#3
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	Use a rubber band.

July 8th, 2010, 06:38 AM	#4
gogiburn ninjette.org member Name: RIP Location: nj Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): have 24 Posts: 53	It's a wear item.It's plastic annd a friction fit.It wears down and you can't tighten the control case any tighter.Happened on my 2 Concours's Also could be the part and bar got hit with lube.Clean the lever and handle bar to get lube off and it might help Posted via Mobile Device

July 10th, 2010, 06:33 AM	#5
jlgolden ninjette.org newbie Name: Jim Location: Alameda, CA Join Date: Jul 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1987 Ninja 250 Posts: 2	I think I got it working correctly. There may have been some sort of cap on the little spring under the lever, but neither of my controls had one, just this tiny brass plate next to the spring. I slid the brass plate between the coils of the spring and then "threaded" the spring up and down until I got the the right pressure against the lever to balance the return spring. It works now. Next time I'll buy one from a later model, but I think I read that the high/low beam wiring needs to be modified. Thanks for the help.