Hi all! Thanks for letting me join. I am now the proud possessor of the above mentioned GSX-R250 (1988) which has been sitting idle for a couple of years. Its all complete and most of it seems to work so should be a relatively easy restoration. I have a friend and mentor who is coaching me through the rebuild process but like all good teachers he is making me do most of the work! Currently I need some information on carb rebuild kits. My carbs are in excellent condition BUT the needles, jets, o-rings and seals are a bit average. Is there anyone out there that has sourced carb kits for this model of GSXR and if so could you point me to it? Cheers!
Welcome Zeek. Upload some pics of the beast when you get a chance. I think those 2 x 2-barrel carbs on the GJ72A are the same as the ones used on one of the Suzuki Across models, so if you get those part numbers you might be able to order replacements directly from Suzuki. If not, there are plenty of forum members who know these bikes and you can probably get complete carbs from www.motorecycle.com.au
http://litetek.co/ReplacementPartsSuzuki.html https://www.2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/online-sites-for-parts-and-accessories.3736/ https://www.2fiftycc.com/index.php?resources/categories/suzuki.10/
Thanks chaps! using this valuable knowledge and some skilled teaching the carbs have been reconditioned and re-installed. Next up is a new set of plugs, fluids and a battery. Once the beast has been started we will move on to the forks and brakes.
Thanks guys! Using the links and info above I have sourced parts and completed the rebuild of the carbs. They were all gunky after the bike had sat for several years! Once re-installed i did a fluid change (oil, water), re-installed the fuel tank and replaced the battery. Also gave her a new set of plugs and leads. All electrics fired up, so it was time for the moment of truth! 5 litres of juice, a test of the fuel cock (working) and a few cranks - nada! re-check all the systems, a bit more fuel, another check of the fuel tap (still working) and try again. Still nada. She cranks but won't fire. Looks like its back to the drawing board! Hopefully something straight forward. Will keep you posted...
How well did you clean the carb's, there's cleaning then there's Cleaning Have you checked that the fuel bowl's have fuel ? Are the spark plug's a little wet after cranking ?
The carbs were stripped back to component level and meticulously cleaned with carb cleaner and lint free cloth. New pilot jets, main jets, needle valves, filters and o-rings were installed. The diaphragms were checked and cleaned as weere the needles and lifters.The floats were checked and all springs replaced. The bowls were de-gunked and soaked in cleaner overnight before being re-installed with a new gasket. The idle jets were cleaned and re-installed with the correct number of turns on each one (I noted the the number from fully seated to correct location). Everything on the carbs was working smoothly when they went back in so I am pretty sure they are clean. Adjustments, however, may need to be made. I was using choke - but not too much as I didn't want to flood it. I can smell fuel in the air cleaner housing so i am pretty sure its getting to the carb. Getting the plugs out is a BIATCH so I haven't checked them yet but I will. When I crank it I can feel exhaust pressure out the muffler so I know its got compression. Its all pointing to an ignition problem, so once I get the battery charged up again I will start troubleshooting in that area..
Hi all, sorry for the lack of updates but things have been NUTS around here and I haven't been that dilligent with them. We (my mentor and I) managed to get the beast running by injecting the intake with copious quantities of aerostart. Things were going well until LARGE clouds of steam started ejecting from the exhaust! A blown head gasket was diagnosed (dang). So - a new one was purchased and a few weeks of disassembly, re-assemble and general maintenance was undertaken - including a front end rebuild, reconditioned forks, new brake pads, new tyres and clutch rebuild. Lots of white, mucky oil was drained from the sump and a new filter installed. Once the new head gasket was in and the carbs re-fitted she fired up with aerostart and settled back in to idle. SWEET! Then we lost a cyclinder (dang again). After replacing the plugs and leads, a faulty coil was diagnosed. So - off to the local bike wrecker for a replacement. Once fitted, we had lots of juicy spark and the engine started and ran smoothly - once again with loads of aerostart! Much fettling and tuning later, I have a very solid machine that is ready for MOT - with one exception: IT WILL NOT START WHEN COLD! It refuses point blank to be woken in to life from its overnight slumber! I have to park it in the sun for an hour and let it warm up before it will even try to start. No amount of choke or throttle can coax it to life first thing in the morning and its driving me crazy. I have had the carbs off and stripped several times and even purchased an ultrasonic cleaner to really scrub them but its had zero effect on its first up start. No amount of choke or throttle juggling can coax it. It will fire for a couple of seconds then its back to cranking.However, if I pour a butt load of aerostart in to the air cleaner box it will eventually burst in to life and be fine for the rest of the day! Infuriating! I would welcome any suggestions at this point - short of setting fire to it.
lovely work there shes looking well. As regards the non starting when cold, it could be a couple of things but you havent mentioned anything about doing the valve clearances in your posts, not starting when cold is a classic symptom of tight valve clearances.
I think you might have gotten mixed up there... every bike I've had with tight valves has always been hard to start when hot, not cold. You will also notice a distinct lack of top end noise with tight valves, along with the bike warming up very quickly, and you may notice the frame getting hot to the touch as well. At least, I have, in my experience with a few FZR250's and later bikes. I would be checking the air filter and plugs to start with. If they are in good condition, the starter circuits in the carbs may need some physical cleaning with a strand of copper wire and carb cleaner etc. Compressed air is another option.
What fuel are you using? It might be a little heavy to pick up from slow cranking, especially if it is dissolving gunk from the tank, fuel lines and pump (the GSX250F has a pump, not sure about the R). I hear running half a cup of metho with a tank of fuel cleans it up a lot, but don't leave it in the system, run the tank empty and refuel afterwards. Maybe take it to the MOT hot, then run it for a couple hundred mile with the fuel flush - if nothing else, you went for a ride on your bike! :-D Also, what do you think of the ultrasonic cleaner? I just ordered one...
I have a compression tester arriving soon and will run a check on it. We had a look at the valve clearances when we had the head off and they measured within tolerance. The fuel may be a bit stale so I will get some fresh, higher octane (premium) undeaded when I fill for the ride over to MOT.I'll bung some additive in there as well to further clean its pipes. The ultrasonic cleaner is a ripper - highly reccomend it for dislodging stubborn gunk in small components.
Not sure about the premium fuel, could be a little heavy. My vtr seems to breakdown (starve) on the highway on premium, but even half-half 91 seems fine. I should lift the needle, but meh..
