Hey guys,
i am possibly going to be buying my first motorcycle this weekend. I found a 2003 ninja 250 with around 8k miles. Seems like it is good condition. However, the guy mentioned that he has some problems with the carburetor.
He says he needs to run it with the choke on for about 5 minutes to prevent it from stalling. I asked him when he had last had it serviced and cleaned and he mentioned he did it himself but didnt seem to have confidence in his work. He said he wasnt sure what to do exactly and didnt want to ruin anything so just cleaned the tips ( not sure what the means since ive never done it myself).

With that information, how would you handle it? would you still buy it and try cleaning it yourself? how difficult is that to do and how much would it cost to have a shop do it.

I will aleast try and ride the bike sometime this weekend to get a feel for the problem to see how bad it is. I am assuming though that if it runs well and sounds ok, even with having to run the choke a while, that it just needs a proper cleaning.

any other advice would be appreciated.
thanks

 

Please send me name, address and SSN. You're 26, I think I can pull a pretty life insurance policy on you.

 

cartalk

 

Dude probably fouled the plugs.

 

Sounds like the carbs are gummed up. A simple rebuild will solve that. How long has the bike been sitting?

I assume that when he said "tips" he was referring to the needles. The jets need cleaning as well and the float needs to be adjusted to get the correct amount of fuel in there.

Check out bike specific forums, Im sure theyll have a DIY for doing it. I did it on my NT650 and it took about 2hrs from start to finish. If you dont feel comfortable tuning them after the work is done, you can find a speed shop to bring it to so they can set it up for you.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. I've had to clean and rebuild a few carbs cause of this problem. Probably left bad or old gas in it.

 

the guy mentioned that it was his wife's bike and she has not ridden in a while due to shoulder surgery. not sure how long that means but im guessing about 6 months.

If the problem is just the cleanliness, then im sure it can be repaired easily, but im afraid it could be something else. and with his lack of confidence in himself, i would be nervous that he may have made it worse some how. missing a piece during reassemble or breaking something. i dont know the details of what else could be wrong. But it runs so that is a good sign.

 

On a carb'd 250 there isn't a whole lot that could be really wrong. How much is he asking?

Call around to a few shops if you dont feel comfortable working on it and ask how much it would be to have the carbs rebuilt. If you really feel inclined, you could use that as a bargaining chip to drop the price further.

 

he is selling for 950. a steal
but also worries me that something else could be wrong with it.
but i still need to test ride it

 

You can easily do carbs if you can follow DIY. However, keep in mind it's only a 250, you don't wanna overspend. Limited resale market on those and you'll wanna upgrade soon probably. Also, you're gonna wanna make sure you get extra money off for price of the rebuild. Imo

 

Use the carbs as a bargaining chip for sure. It's not hard but theres a decent amount of labor involved, plus new o-rings. You can do it yourself in a few days for about $20, but a shop will charge you hundreds of dollars. If you do it yourself do it right and strip the carbs completely, dip for 24hrs in carb dip and then use new o-rings. Also I would recommend checking the stator (there's tons of tutorials online) because it can be a real PITA and they're kind of expensive.

Aside from tires make sure to check the drivetrain. Even though the bike is new, failure to clean and lube the chain (or having it too tight) can ruin it quickly. Check the chain for stretch ($100+ for a new one) and the sprocket front and back for worn down teeth (~$50 for new).

Check the cable ends for fraying, also the brake pads, oil level (make sure it doesn't smell like gas), hokey looking wiring, etc.

Good luck!

 

Test ride it, make sure it feels good other then what Im thinking is the carb issue.

It'll probably hesitate or backfire is theyre gummed up bad.

 

Well said.

Also check the pegs, shifter/brake pedal, and bar ends for any evidence of rash. Ive seen tons of bikes where the owners say it was never dropped just to see rashed bar ends.

 

rip

 

Good call going with a Ninja 250 to start. Good luck with it!

Also, check out the huge motorcycle thread in Car Talk. Filled with a bunch of good info: https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/official-motorcycles-scooters-thread-719775/

 

^this

 

Motorcycling is fun as all kinds of hell.

Buy gear. Head to toe. Wear gear. All the time. Please.

 

+ 1 on buying a small bike to start with. Get a feel for riding - and then later on if you want something bigger, you'll be ready and confident.
Gear up for riding - as Pure Adrenaline says

 

i would start with bandit 600 early 2000 it good for the beginners too



thats what i planned but i ended up buying a supercharger :P