New Bike to me - White smoke from Exhaust.

mikesomass · March 4th, 2018, 01:48 PM

Hi All, I am a noob when it comes to bikes but have been reading the forums for a while to try to mitigate SOME of the noob questions that I would otherwise ask. At this point, I need some advice.

Bought a used bike. Here is what the seller told me (should it be relevant).

1.) It has been sitting for a year
2.) it has 12,000 Miles on it
3.) It Idles loud but has been a reliable bike.

After buying it, I did an oil/filter change and replaced the spark plugs and threw in a new battery. Then the bike sat for 2 months in my buddy's garage.

Got it home today and started it up. Started very rough to begin with. Had to use Quick start spray initially. It would stall any time I gave it throttle. After a couple starts it is no longer stalling. But....

It idles very loud now and sounds like its revving high (4K RMP)
If I start it from cold it after it sits for a half hour or so, it looks to be okay (although loud) and then in about 20 seconds it starts throwing out white smoke.

Here is a youtube clip of how much smoke we are talking about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JiBgV_nL1s

Based on reading these threads it seems like it could be a myriad of problems but the main culprit suggested seems to be a coolant leak.

I wanted to post my question to see if you guys would suggest that I investigate a coolant leak first? or if the information about how long it has been sitting means I should investigate something else first? Perhaps the seller put a bunch of fuel additives in the tank before storing it explaining the white smoke?

I have only let it idle for a few mins at a time as i'm not sure if the white smoke means it will be doing any damage. Should i just keep it idling for a while and see if it fixes itself?

What do you guys suggest?

Thanks for any help.

Z1R rider · March 4th, 2018, 02:05 PM

Have you run it long enough to warm the engine up? The "loud" knocking at slow idle sounds like the normal clutch clunking, I've got three and they all do it to varying degrees. White smoke is an indication of moisture in the cylinder (does it smell like hot antifreeze?), but it could just be condensation from starting a cold motor(it looks like a lot for that though), if that is the case it will clear up after the engine is warmed up. Hard starting and poor idle are indications of dirty carbs, mainly the idle circuit. Be careful using starting fluid as it is hard on the diaphragms.

ps: welcome to the board

mikesomass · March 4th, 2018, 05:50 PM

Damn, you are 100% correct. Warmed it up, removed the choke and it was good. Im glad that was not a big issue.

Next off i need to fix or investigate the starter button as I am jumping the poles on the solenoid relay right now and it would appear as if my front tire is flat. Once those final issues are resolved I should be in the road.!!
Thanks for the help buddy, I appreciate it.

CaliGrrl · March 5th, 2018, 11:02 AM

Welcome to the board!

March 4th, 2018, 01:48 PM	#1
mikesomass ninjette.org newbie Name: Mike Location: Vancouver Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 9	New Bike to me - White smoke from Exhaust. Hi All, I am a noob when it comes to bikes but have been reading the forums for a while to try to mitigate SOME of the noob questions that I would otherwise ask. At this point, I need some advice. Bought a used bike. Here is what the seller told me (should it be relevant). 1.) It has been sitting for a year 2.) it has 12,000 Miles on it 3.) It Idles loud but has been a reliable bike. After buying it, I did an oil/filter change and replaced the spark plugs and threw in a new battery. Then the bike sat for 2 months in my buddy's garage. Got it home today and started it up. Started very rough to begin with. Had to use Quick start spray initially. It would stall any time I gave it throttle. After a couple starts it is no longer stalling. But.... It idles very loud now and sounds like its revving high (4K RMP) If I start it from cold it after it sits for a half hour or so, it looks to be okay (although loud) and then in about 20 seconds it starts throwing out white smoke. Here is a youtube clip of how much smoke we are talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JiBgV_nL1s Based on reading these threads it seems like it could be a myriad of problems but the main culprit suggested seems to be a coolant leak. I wanted to post my question to see if you guys would suggest that I investigate a coolant leak first? or if the information about how long it has been sitting means I should investigate something else first? Perhaps the seller put a bunch of fuel additives in the tank before storing it explaining the white smoke? I have only let it idle for a few mins at a time as i'm not sure if the white smoke means it will be doing any damage. Should i just keep it idling for a while and see if it fixes itself? What do you guys suggest? Thanks for any help.

March 4th, 2018, 02:05 PM	#2
Z1R rider ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Roger Location: Mitchell, South Dakota Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): 1978 Z1R, 1999 EX250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Oct '16	Have you run it long enough to warm the engine up? The "loud" knocking at slow idle sounds like the normal clutch clunking, I've got three and they all do it to varying degrees. White smoke is an indication of moisture in the cylinder (does it smell like hot antifreeze?), but it could just be condensation from starting a cold motor(it looks like a lot for that though), if that is the case it will clear up after the engine is warmed up. Hard starting and poor idle are indications of dirty carbs, mainly the idle circuit. Be careful using starting fluid as it is hard on the diaphragms. ps: welcome to the board __________________________________________________
	2 out of 2 members found this post helpful.

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March 4th, 2018, 05:50 PM	#3
mikesomass ninjette.org newbie Name: Mike Location: Vancouver Join Date: Dec 2017 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250R Posts: 9	Damn, you are 100% correct. Warmed it up, removed the choke and it was good. Im glad that was not a big issue. Next off i need to fix or investigate the starter button as I am jumping the poles on the solenoid relay right now and it would appear as if my front tire is flat. Once those final issues are resolved I should be in the road.!! Thanks for the help buddy, I appreciate it.

March 5th, 2018, 11:02 AM	#4
CaliGrrl ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Kerry Location: Ventura, CA Join Date: Jan 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja650 Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '18, Apr '17, Apr '16	Welcome to the board!