Anyone know anything about motorcycle repair?
i just bought a 2006 Nina 250r LIKE NEW (showroom floor looking) with 177.9 miles on it lol. it cost me $2000…BUT, the people who owned it hadnt used it in a while and it sat in their garage. the battery was dead, so after going through HELL to find a new one and pour the acid into it and charge it, i put it in, and the bike starts great…with the choke on. once i take the choke off it instantly stalls. EVERY one seems to agree that this is simply (or i hope simply) because the gas sat in the tank and clogged the carbs. i even called kawasaki and thats what he said. what is the best way to fix this without paying ”$95/hour for 4 hours.” can i use a liquid carb cleaner? can i let the bike idle with choke on for longer and maybe have luck? is this a bigger problem than im aware of and i screwed myself with this purchase?
this is my first motorcycle and i know NOTHING about them. i just thought this was an excellent deal and my uncle (a biker) came with me and said it sounded great (running with choke) and looked amazing! PLEASE help!!! i cant afford another $400, im hoping this can be a SOMEWHAT easy fix!
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there is nothing easy about fixing motorcycles unless you are mechanically inclined, or have a friend that loves to tinker. If your carbs are clogged, you are going to need to take them off, clean them out, and re-install them. perhaps you could find a repair manual about that particular motorcycle. They have them for cars, and one came with my 1991 Toyota truck, so I’m sure they exist for motorcycles. Check out this site for hints in the right direction. Good luck!
@evelyns_pet_zebra – but is there ANY other way to clean them that is effective (a liquid cleaner of any kind) that will save me?? id rather do it the right way, but to be honest i dont truly know the seriousness of the issue, is it a BIG problem, or is this a minor issue as long as you know what you’re doing? i had no idea about all of these things until yesterday when i bought it, i thought u just turn it on and go lol. i dont have enough $$ to keep shelling out hundreds after hundreds just to get it to move. i had to spend $2000 on the bike, then $250 for the course, then $50 in DMV charges, then $100 on battery, then $20 on charger…!!!! save the DMV charges, no one told me about the other stuff! now it can cost me ANOTHER $400 before i can even get this thing to move!? or is there a better way???
Why not try running it with a round or three of carb cleaner?It can’t hurt.
I don’t know if bikes have changed since the 80s, but you may want to check for rust in the gas tank, which can also result from prolonged storage if the tank isn’t drained. It may require that you have it chemically etched and then coated with a rustproof sealant. They used to sell kits to do this job. When I did it, though, flecks of the coating gummed up the gas line so my mechanic installed an in-line fuel filter.
Good luck.
the best way to explain this is…i bought the motorcycle to learn to ride, so i got a cheap one that is rated the “best selling-top performing starter bike you can buy” i did a lot of research. i wasnt expecting to have to learn how to fix it before i learned how to ride it lol. i literally know almost nothing about fixing a bike.
I don’t work on motorcycles, I just have friends and family that ride them and maintain them. You really need a manual of some sort to figure out what you are doing, and so you don’t fuck something up. Sounds like you need to find a motorcycle mechanic that works cheap, or at least for beer. =)
Try @kevbo‘s suggestion, it shouldn’t hurt it any worse than it is now.
Sure miss @spargett right now. He is doing a magnificent frame- up restoration of a classic motorcycle. If he does not pop in here you can find him on Twitter
I used to own a bike before I moved back up north, buy a manual, trust me, it’s the best way to avoid paying an arm and a leg whenever some tiny issue goes wrong. Buy some Carb cleaner, and a manual, try it because it can’t hurt. If it doesn’t, the basic mechanics of a motorcycle are insanely simple, they’re not overly complex machines (no where near cars at least) so it honest won’t be hard to figure out as long as you’re willing to sit there and stare at it for an hour or two.
that’s actually why I like older bikes, aside from the look, that is. They’re even more basic than newer bikes, I had an 83 honda nighthawk, absolutely beautiful bike and about as complicated as a children’s book.
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