July 10th, 2014, 09:29 AM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
Location: moto town
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My bike died on me while riding down the highway!
I know longer ride a ninja 250, went to a cbr250r. However this is definitely the best forum I've ever been on for help!
I was riding back home yesterday on the highway when my engine suddenly died on me. No warning, no check engine light, no noise. I pull the clutch in and ride it to the shoulder of the road. When trying to start it up the engine turns but wont fire up. I last changed the oil at 3,700 miles and am now at 7100. The glass sight shows it right on the lower end of the recommended amount when holding the bike up right. Could this be the cause? Anyone have any other idea what could be wrong? bad spark plugs? battery? alternator? Any input would be appreciated. thanks in advance! |
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July 10th, 2014, 09:31 AM | #2 |
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Did you run out of gas?
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July 10th, 2014, 09:32 AM | #3 |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
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Did it start back up?
If not start simple; Battery connections Battery condition (fully charged) Main Fuse edit: yea... got gas? hahahaha
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July 10th, 2014, 09:41 AM | #4 |
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July 10th, 2014, 09:44 AM | #5 |
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Name: xorbe
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I saw your post at cbr250 forum. It's not the first thread there on that topic. I don't recall the other threads having a definitive answer.
Maybe a suddenly failed neutral or kickstand or tilt or kill switch? Did you try turning the key off and back on before attempting to restart? Both the CBR250R and the Ninja 300 (even post 2014 ecu fix) have too many reports of engine stalls out of the blue. The Kawasaki ECU update seems to have cured most people, but still some lingering reports. You never see threads like these in the CBR500 forum. |
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July 10th, 2014, 09:44 AM | #6 |
Private Joker
Name: Ben
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trust me you'd know if it was anything major such as an engine seizure. When that happened to me the rear locked up and damn near threw me off the bike.
so, it's either gas or electrical and not motor related. A friend of mine who rides a cbr250r recently had to replace the battery because his stock battery had a bad cell so it's possible that it's the battery itself if csmith's list doesn't find the electrical problem already |
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July 10th, 2014, 10:11 AM | #7 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
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haha, yeah I checked for gas. Had just pumped some in that day.
I just drained the oil and checked the filter so see if there was any metal shavings in there. Found none. It did not start back up. Starter keep turning but wouldn't fire up. Tried it in multiple combinations at different times: kick stand down clutch in, kick stand up clutch in, stand down/up neutral, etc. It did not start back up. Starter keep turning but wouldn't fire up. Going to check through cssmith's list next, then probably spark plug. |
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July 10th, 2014, 10:19 AM | #8 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: xorbe
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Okay that's a little different. In the other threads, the bike starts up after a minute or 3 or 4 attempts. Yah, check for spark. Gas: how about a possible failed vacuum operated petcock? Oh wait, the CBR has fuel injection, iirc. Sorry pregen carb here haha.
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July 10th, 2014, 10:38 AM | #9 | |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
Location: Northern KY
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Quote:
Make sure your ecu is cool and not overheated. Check dat air filter yo. I know your gunna charge the battery but check the voltage under load, my r6 will not start without enough charge but it will try to crank over. When you turn the key on, do you get normal dash operation? Can you hear the fuel pump prime? It's a thumper, you got a single coil. If it fails, it will not start but you should be able to break out the meter and ohm test it. But a quick spark test by grounding against the engine case should tell the tale easy enough. Check for wetness from gas while you have the plug out.
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July 10th, 2014, 10:55 AM | #10 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
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Quote:
I'm super familiar with spark plugs. on what end's do I test for continuity? How do I check for wetness? well actually let me just google it hhaha. edit: Meant to say I'm NOT super familiar with spark plugs Last futzed with by rawbert625; July 10th, 2014 at 12:02 PM. |
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July 10th, 2014, 11:01 AM | #11 |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
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You don't ohm test the plug, you test the coil pack silly. Checking for wetness is exactly what you would think it is. Is the plug wet from gas? Does it feel wet? Does it look wet? Does it smell wet? Does it taste wet? Maybe skip the taste test part.
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July 10th, 2014, 11:09 AM | #12 |
Rev Limiter
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Pull the plug and see if it looks normal. If so, ground it to the engine and crank it over - you should see and hear a sharp spark.
If that checks out fine, re-install it. Remove the air filter and spray some Starting Fluid into the intake while cranking - any sign of life? If so, it confirms a fuel issue of some kind. Because it's F.I. it may be something that you can't fix yourself if that's where the troubleshooting leads. |
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July 10th, 2014, 11:19 AM | #13 | ||
Inline 4!!!
Name: Danny
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Quote:
Quote:
As for it being low, that's normal, since the bike was running it would read low. All the oil is inside the engine, lubricating parts, after it sits for about an hour then it will read the actual level. I would go for sparks first.
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July 10th, 2014, 11:31 AM | #14 | |
Rev Limiter
Name: Jay
Location: WI
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Quote:
For the CBR, I would run Rotella T5 semi-synthetic in 10W-30. 30 is the recommended weight for that engine, and T5 is a good choice IMO. Honda GN4 10W-30 doesn't test out that well from what I've seen. I don't think the oil change interval has anything to do with the issues you are having. |
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July 10th, 2014, 12:05 PM | #15 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
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Quote:
btw i mean to say I'm NOT super familiar with spark plugs haha. |
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July 10th, 2014, 12:06 PM | #16 | ||
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
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Quote:
Quote:
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July 10th, 2014, 02:17 PM | #17 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
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If you just added gas, I hope you didn't accidentally pump kerosene or diesel!
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July 10th, 2014, 02:27 PM | #18 | |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
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Quote:
Kawasaki never officially updated them, though I bet they silently added a QA check since reports of the tach error dropped off over the years. It was never even acknowledged AFAIK. People had to prove there was a problem to their dealer and get it replaced under warranty though most, including myself, never bothered (during my warranty period the replacement was just as likely to have the issue and there seemed to be no issue other than bad RPM reading when hot). I was one of the early J-model riders to get the unexpected stall with an engine that doesn't start until you wait long enough or open the fuel door. Over many thousands of miles I am confident that mine and many others are caused by a vacuum forming in the tank which is much more likely to happen after the tank has warmed significantly before riding it off. I have yet to hear of a CDI problem causing similar stalls, but there are some outliers that don't seem to be easily explained by "tank vacuum." |
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July 23rd, 2014, 10:39 AM | #19 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
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Okay, so update time. I haven't had much time to post lately.
I tried everyone's suggestions and none of them were it. I took it to the shop and they told me it had low compression. They took apart the top end of the engine and saw the problem. It was blown Piston. It was $678 to repair. $240 for parts $370 for labor and the rest is for an oil change and tax. My baby is all fixed now. I asked what they think had caused it and they said most likely over reving it. I do ride it hard, like around 9 or 10 rpm daily on a highway for about 20 miles one way. I always figured if I didn't redline all the time I'd be fine. Well that's the story, thanks again for the help everyone! I know I can always count on this forum! |
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July 23rd, 2014, 10:40 AM | #20 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
Location: moto town
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here are some pics by the way!
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July 23rd, 2014, 10:51 AM | #21 |
not an actual panda
Name: dan
Location: philadelphia
Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250, 2009 CBR600RR (Sold) Posts: A lot.
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July 23rd, 2014, 11:08 AM | #22 |
Gear crash test dummy
Name: Max
Location: South Bay (So. Cal)
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Maybe now you've learned your lesson about switching from a Ninja to a CBR - we have two pistons, that way if you blow one you have a spare!
...or something like that.
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July 25th, 2014, 07:32 PM | #23 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
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July 25th, 2014, 07:33 PM | #24 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Robert
Location: moto town
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): the cool ones Posts: 182
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July 26th, 2014, 06:43 PM | #25 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Thomas
Location: Montréal
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Hey Rawbert, sorry to read about your blown piston... Really annoying...
And now, for a big off topic, I might need your help if you ever take your wheels off. Short story, I'm still looking for a set of Vrossi wheels, but I wasn't lucky up to now... I had the idea to see if the CRB250R wheels could fit on a Ninja 250R. I've looked on the Internet, but I think no one tried it or at least they didn't post it... So, if you want to help me out, I'd like to know the outside diameter of the front and rear axle, the distance between the fork (where you put the wheel), same thing with the swing arm. And if you are really into it, the distance between the center of the front wheel to the surface where you fix the front rotor and same thing with the rear wheel, for the rotor and the sprocket. Thanks End of off topic... Hope your new piston will outlast the first one... |
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