Hey guys, Im a 20 year old student who recently got a Kawasaki ZXR 250. It is honestly the most beautiful machine I've had the luck of riding. Unfortunately its not in the best condition, but the love I felt for it since the first time I test rode the thing takes over any logic and reason I had against buying it. So here I am, with an unregistered dodgy bike working slowly (on student poverty mind you) to get it properly ready for the road. Hopefully I can learn new things from you guys here. I'd like to get to know the community here and maybe have some good rides in the future. Cheers!
Hey Zeus, welcome to the forum, which model ZXR250 did you get an A or a C, feel free to posts a few pic's, I have a few in garage so if you need spares, then send me a PM Cheers Chris
Welcome mate.....! You will find u will love it even more when u work on it yourself ..... its a great way to learn about it and it certainly saves u dollars........it can become your pride and joy with just alot of elbow grease ........and theres plenty of members here that have started with, or still have, an unregistered dodgy bike in their garage! Have a look in the Resources section ...lots of stuff about the ZXR. And Chris has bikes stored under his bed......so you should have no problems with spares
Hey Zeus First up, welcome to the forum. You have picked a great bike as your first ride. The zxr250 are solid bikes, ascertain which model you have purchased and PM Chris if parts are required as he has a quantity of them. Posting some photos of your ride would be great, remember if you get stuck with anything post it up and you will get ample help here on the forum. Keep us posted on your progress, again welcome on board.
Thanks for the welcome guys Its a C model from 2000 (malaysian import) with 26k on the clock. I had it serviced for minor stuff (battery, oil, plugs) and now its running but not very well. It needs almost full choke to get started. It idles at 1.5-2, any lower it starts sounding tired. Theres a creak at the front end which seems to be coming from the brakes. As you can see the front fairing is a different colour aswell so it has been hit. Chris could you give me a heads up on what i could do to get the engine running healthy?
Brakes: Have a close look at the pads,or take them out to see , as they may be close to or as good as worn out.....a new set is always a good move........clean any glaze off the rotors with a soap pad or metho or something like that. The hardest thing to get right with the older Jap sports bike is the carbys.....especially when theres 4 .....everything has to be spot on inside and out including having them balanced. But u are better to start with the easy and simple stuff first....... Even though someone has changed the plugs , the leads and caps need to be checked and the right lead to the right cylinder needs to be checked. If they arnt numbered then 1 coil sparks 1 and 4 (1 long and 1 short lead) ,and the other 2 and 3 (2 leads roughly the same length) Pull off the caps/leads (1 at a time) then unscrew the cap off the lead....look for corrosion etc inside both ends of the cap......everything should be bright and shiny. Then check the wires inside the lead....are they dull or buried in the rubber ?......snip a few mm off the end so theres bright shiny new wire for the cap to screw into.....and make sure the screw goes into the centre not into the rubber casing. Has the fuel filter been replaced?........is the tank "clean" inside and is the fuel "fresh'? Are the fuel lines in good shape and not kinked? How is the air filter? Things like plugs and oil changes are very easy things to do yourself.....u are better off spending the money on a few simple tools than paying off the bike mechanics house. Bike looks in pretty good shape!
Thanks for the heads up GreyImport! I'll get on to checking the leads as soon as I can. I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to working on the bike myself. I don't have the experience yet so getting started is always scary. The fuel and air filter hasnt been changed yet. The tank isnt too dirty but has tiny rust spots near the fuel cap. The fuel itself came with the bike so who knows how long its been there. The fuel lines I'm not sure about. Where's the best place to get new filters and pads? Would the off brand ones do as well as the original?
Genuine parts for older bikes,especially if they are grey imports, can be very expensive , hard to get or just non existent. So aftermarket is usually fine.....sometimes u just take what u can...! Did u find the year 2000 on the original build/manufacture plate or the Australian compliance plate?....... if its on the compliance plate thats the year it was imported into Oz, not the build date. If there is rust spots in the tank then theres sure to be crud settled at the bottom.....and the external filter probably very discoloured. The internal side of the petcock will probably have filters as well. I would suggest emptying the tank and having a good look inside ...... theres no point in having nice clean carbys down the track and theres grunge going back into them. Once u get into doing stuff yourself u will see how easy most things are.......and between a parts diagram, a manual, google and the guys here who have done it all "more than once" , u cant go wrong!
Hey ZEUS What a fine looking machine, easy to see why this bad boy caught your eye!! So you have taken the first step in getting the bike going, new plugs and oil and filter I hope??and a new battery. She starts with full choke, but doesn't idle well, my gut instinct tells me CARBS. Lets look at what needs doing 1) First step is to remove the tank and if uncertain of the fuel, dump it. Fuel like most things has a shelf life, think a new fuel filter wouldn't go astray and clean the petcock, this is where alot of gunk accumelates from the tank so you want it clean. Ok, you now have a clean delivery system to fuel the carbs, thats our next stop!! 2) You will need to remove the 4 carbs from the bike, dismantling can seem a little daunting at first, take your time and do one at a time. Keep all parts seperate. You will need a can of throttle body cleaner, this desolves much of the junk that accumelates within the carbs. Ideally a compressor is needed to blow out the various jets, bowls, internal passages within the carbs. Once the carbs are clean, really clean of any foreign material you will be on track to a smooth running motorcycle. Don't want to talk about settings just now, I'll let Chris cover that for you, he's the GURU. 3) Brakes are relatively straight forward, if you get a drag feeling from the brakes chances are the piston with the brake block is encountering resistance. This could be pitting within which in turn doesn't allow the proper release and causes the brake pads to stick on. Cleaning the passage and allow free movement of the piston should remedy this problem. Bleeding the brakes is the next step, once completed you should be in good shape. Hope I haven't scared or confused you, these steps will have you cruising the highway sooner rather than later. As stated prior, we're here to help, so shout out if need assistance. Good luck mate.
Hey Zeus Nice bike, I have one the same colour. The manual says the idle speed should be 1600rpm. If its taking full choke to start then I would hazard a guess its sucking in too much air, this could be poor air\fuel mix settings or it could be missing some gaskets between the airbox and the carbs, does it have a miss ( cough and splutter ) when revving past 6000rpm ? When you had it serviced, did they balance your carbies ? Cheers Chris
I've finally got a day off tomorrow so I'm going to finally get my hands dirty. I'll start with the small stuff like the petcock and the leads. Hopefully I can find new oil, fuel and air filters. 2000 was the year on the compliance plate, though when I did a PPSR check it said manufactured in 2003 and complianced in 2003. weird. The carbs werent balanced but it was cleaned with an air compressor. Last time I rode it was much happier in higher rpms and didn't notice a spluttering. Ps. Thanks again everyone. Without the troubleshooting I wouldnt know where to start.
Ive noticed details on older bikes , especially imports ,can be a little strange at times ...My Fizzer is registered as a 94 model but thats the import date. My Triumph is a 75 model according to the RTA but its a 77. Dont be afraid to get stuck into the bike....just make sure u use the right tool for the appropriate job. If u get stuck or lost or arnt sure what to do just jump on here and ask....someone will be around to assist. And I would try BP 91 when u replace the old fuel
So I finally got enough time to start pulling stuff out and there's definitely rust sitting at the bottom of the tank. You were spot on about everything there. What's the best way to de-rust the bike? The leads are also slightly dirty but not completely corroded. The vaccuum and fuel lines might need changing too. I've pulled out the carbs and there doesn't seem to be anything obstructing the passageways. Everything should be ok after this, so I can finally enjoy the ride.
