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Any suggestions for a tank bag for an '09 Ninja 250? I'd like to be able to hold my lunch bag when I go to work. I could probably make due with a cargo net for the lunch bag, but eventually I'd like to cruise up to my parent's place in Tennessee and a place to store a change of clothes or two would be nice. Also, magnetic base or straps?
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Aug 5, 2009 15:50
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frozenphil posted:Any suggestions for a tank bag for an '09 Ninja 250? I'd like to be able to hold my lunch bag when I go to work. I could probably make due with a cargo net for the lunch bag, but eventually I'd like to cruise up to my parent's place in Tennessee and a place to store a change of clothes or two would be nice. I really like my magnetic tank bag, but on a brand new bike I'd worry about the finish on the tank. The real answer is saddle bags.
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Aug 5, 2009 16:09
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frozenphil posted:Any suggestions for a tank bag for an '09 Ninja 250? I'd like to be able to hold my lunch bag when I go to work. I could probably make due with a cargo net for the lunch bag, but eventually I'd like to cruise up to my parent's place in Tennessee and a place to store a change of clothes or two would be nice. Anything around 12 liters would fit just fine and give you plenty of room. I might make a trip to my kawa dealer and see how my tourmaster tb-12 fits on an 09. I can't remember if the tank on the redesign is wider than the older models. I've got an '06 and the TB-12 fits perfectly, and I have no trouble reading the instruments even with it fully expanded. With clothes you can definitely fit a change or two, if you pack it right. If you're worried about scratching the tank, the bottom of the bag is soft neoprene. They make a strap version that's 10 bucks cheaper if you don't want to go the magnetic route. Or there's always saddle bags. Heck, I'm probably just going to get a cheap duffle bag to strap down to the back for long trips.
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Aug 5, 2009 18:46
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On the topic of bags, any suggestions for a Thruxton? I'm taking a few classes next month and will need to carry a 17" Macbook Pro, a heavy textbook, and some random crap. I can stuff it all in a backpack, but prefer not to ride (or crash) with that much weight on my shoulders.
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Aug 5, 2009 18:50
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Brought my rear wheel and a new tire into a shop today and it was $50 to get the tire changed. Is that a reasonable price? It certainly doesn't seem like it. They weren't even putting my wheel on my bike or anything. I only had one wheel/tire with me, so I may take the next one somewhere else.
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Aug 5, 2009 23:11
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Today I took possession of a used EX250. It belonged to a friend of mine from work who rode it with a buddy of his for quite a while. It is a 2007 (not that it matters since they really haven't changed mechanically) with 10,000 miles. It has a few interesting quirks to it. Backstory: This issue started, as reported by him, after the bike was apparently low sided at slow speed on the right side (as you sit on it). It has been ridden and jacked with by him and at least one other person since then. The issue: It will not idle. You can start it with the choke on when cold and it warms up, sounds normal. Turn the choke off and the revs drop so low that it seems barely alive until it either dies or you twist the throttle slightly. It revs just fine even under load, and so long as you keep it off the idle it is fine other than a nice backfire from the right side every once in a while when you let off the throttle. We have adjusted the throttle screw and you have to have it totally open or it dies immediately. If you get it running and then twist the throttle slightly it will rev fine, but then hang at that RPM for a while or endlessly until you close the idle screw some (edit: when you do this even a quarter turn or less, it will drop revs immediately and then die just after without turning the screw open again or revving). It rides fine and is responsive otherwise. The exhaust out of the right side pipe smell terrible. I am sure there is more I left out, so question me with anything and I will answer it or test it. Thanks!
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Aug 5, 2009 23:39
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NoCleverName posted:Brought my rear wheel and a new tire into a shop today and it was $50 to get the tire changed. Is that a reasonable price? It certainly doesn't seem like it. They weren't even putting my wheel on my bike or anything. I only had one wheel/tire with me, so I may take the next one somewhere else. cyclegear charges 20 or so to change a tire
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Aug 5, 2009 23:40
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Aflicted posted:Today I took possession of a used EX250. It belonged to a friend of mine from work who rode it with a buddy of his for quite a while. It is a 2007 (not that it matters since they really haven't changed mechanically) with 10,000 miles. It has a few interesting quirks to it. Sounds like one of the pilot jets are clogged. Ninja 250s are notorious for having finiky idles as they're tuned super lean to pass EPA. ninja250.org will have all the info you need on cleaning carbs/etc. NoCleverName posted:Brought my rear wheel and a new tire into a shop today and it was $50 to get the tire changed. Is that a reasonable price? It certainly doesn't seem like it. They weren't even putting my wheel on my bike or anything. I only had one wheel/tire with me, so I may take the next one somewhere else. It should be about 20-30$.
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Aug 5, 2009 23:45
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NoCleverName posted:Is that a reasonable price? It certainly doesn't seem like it. They weren't even putting my wheel on my bike or anything. I only had one wheel/tire with me, so I may take the next one somewhere else. Aflicted posted:Bad idle EX250
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Aug 6, 2009 00:23
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Nerobro posted:$50 is sane. I'ts not a great price, but better than $90. call around, you won't find any place cheaper than $30, and you'll find places that won't touch a tire you bought. At least in chicago. Hmm, yeah, I'm in Boston so I guess prices are just higher near cities. No CycleGear out this way either as far as I can tell.
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Aug 6, 2009 00:41
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StroMotion posted:This is probably the best option, but I might have to do the deal over a weekend since we're both working in cities other than the location of the bike. Although it's probably better to do it that way, is the notarized dealy-o a bad idea? A notarized letter will get you exactly jack poo poo. You'd have to take him to court if he takes off (assuming you can find him). Personally, if you had to do it that way, I'd get the letter and all, but make sure to take physical possession of the bike. That way he pretty much has to come back to you for the rest of the money, and you need him because you need the title / keys. If he refuses to work with you, gently caress it. Anyone who is unreasonable about selling a vehicle is scamming you.
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Aug 6, 2009 03:39
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Nerobro posted:I need to see nothing else. That chain is toast. Replace it or risk getting bitchwhipped by 5lbs of flying steel. quote:If the bike is stock. I'd recommend using stock carburation settings. If you do anything, open the pilot screws a little. quote:The slow return to idle can be easily diagnosed. Spray that carb cleaner behind the carbs while the bike is idling. If the rpms don't change, your intake is properly sealed, and you need to clean your carbs. And I don't think the bike actually has a DynoJet kit in it, despite the stickers. The needles have no grooves and match my Clymers exactly. There was a number on the needle jet though, 773M670-6. Not sure if there's mismatched parts or what else. There's slight unevenness on my spark plugs, but I suspect it's from carbs being wildly out of sync for a long time, any input?   
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Aug 6, 2009 04:18
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Nerobro posted:I need to see nothing else. That chain is toast. Replace it or risk getting bitchwhipped by 5lbs of flying steel. quote:If the bike is stock. I'd recommend using stock carburation settings. If you do anything, open the pilot screws a little. quote:The slow return to idle can be easily diagnosed. Spray that carb cleaner behind the carbs while the bike is idling. If the rpms don't change, your intake is properly sealed, and you need to clean your carbs. And I don't think the bike actually has a DynoJet kit in it, despite the stickers. The needles have no grooves and match my Clymers exactly. There was a number on the needle jet though, 773M670-6. Not sure if there's mismatched parts or what else. There's slight unevenness on my spark plugs, but I suspect it's from carbs being wildly out of sync for a long time, any input?
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Aug 6, 2009 04:24
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RichBomb posted:Unless you've run your bike for like, less than ten minutes since you synced the carbs, the one on the right isn't firing. I'd guess a fuel issue since the other three are firing. Feel the exhaust on the cylinder that plug came out of after you've run it for a bit and see if it's hot. If your needles don't have any adjustment, they're not Dynojet. Take a look at your main jets; if they have any logo on them, they're not Dynojet. Dynojet uses unmarked (beyond the size) main jets. e: I just realized (I think?) that you have a twin and not a four cylinder. In that case, it probably is just from being out of adjustment. If the other side of that plug is brown I'd run it awhile before checking again and not worry about it. bobula fucked around with this message at 07:47 on Aug 6, 2009 |
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Aug 6, 2009 07:44
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The vacuum petcock is not restrictive. If you're having starvation problems at speed you're having other issues with vacuum. I run the exact same size vacuum diaphram on a bike that makes 80hp. There are a veriety of other reasons you could be seeing that diaphram shutting. And there are rebuild kits available. Your problems aren't with the needle jet. Your problem is with the pilot screws. They should be backed out, cleaned, the base of the passages should be cleaned, then reinstalled and reset. I'ts not a "jet" per-se. It's a needle tipped screw, that is not part of your vacuum slide. If you haven't plugged the vacuum port for the petcock, you have a very, very serious vacuum leak. If you haven't plugged the vacuum port on the carb, that would explain your mismatched plugs. Why do you think you need vacuum grease? vacuum grease isn't for vacuum ports :-) It's for high vacuum environments. Think space, and diffusion pumps, not engine vacuum. Nothing on your bike would qualify. Nerobro fucked around with this message at 08:00 on Aug 6, 2009 |
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Aug 6, 2009 07:58
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Z3n posted:Sounds like one of the pilot jets are clogged. Ninja 250s are notorious for having finiky idles as they're tuned super lean to pass EPA. ninja250.org will have all the info you need on cleaning carbs/etc. Nerobro posted:Clean the carbs. Your pilot circuts are plugged. If what I just said doesn't mean anything to you, there's a carb cleaning thread you should read. PILOT CIRCUITS. The jet, the passage, and the screw should be cleaned. Thanks for the fast reply guys. After posting, I took the seat/tank/all else necessary and pulled the carbs off. Brought them inside and immediately noticed that a vacuum line was not connected and I had not removed it. Since I had the carbs in my hand I dismissed it and continued to tear them down. The looked extremely clean on the inside and I didn't find anything that seemed wrong. I put them all back together and went out and put them on the bike. Got everything all together and found a diagram of where that vacuum line was supposed to go and hooked it up. Bike is running great now, but I don't know if it was me taking the carbs apart and cleaning them, or that vacuum line. I'll try to find that diagram and post it up with the line circled if you are curious. Thanks a lot for the help!
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Aug 6, 2009 12:52
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Aflicted posted:Thanks for the fast reply guys. After posting, I took the seat/tank/all else necessary and pulled the carbs off. Brought them inside and immediately noticed that a vacuum line was not connected and I had not removed it. Since I had the carbs in my hand I dismissed it and continued to tear them down. The looked extremely clean on the inside and I didn't find anything that seemed wrong. I put them all back together and went out and put them on the bike. Got everything all together and found a diagram of where that vacuum line was supposed to go and hooked it up. Bike is running great now, but I don't know if it was me taking the carbs apart and cleaning them, or that vacuum line. I'll try to find that diagram and post it up with the line circled if you are curious. Thanks a lot for the help! It was probably the vacuum line. An air leak will have a similar effect to clogged pilots, although for different reasons.
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Aug 6, 2009 15:27
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I'll be riding from Southern Illinois to NYC to visit some friends, stay there for a few days, then ride back. I'm on a '99 ZRX1100. I know nothing that eats up back tires faster than summer slab miles, so I'm looking to throw on a new rear while in NYC. I can get a tire shipped out there and have it waiting, but does anyone have any recommendations on a shop that will put it on correctly without charging an arm and leg?
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Aug 6, 2009 20:18
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Just got my new clutch lever. Anything to keep in mind while I swap it out? ninja250.org says to watch out for the safety box or something... id hate to lose my clutch because I cant do a simple swap.
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Aug 6, 2009 20:28
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Anyone have some tent suggestions for camping from a motorcycle? Thinking about a large solo or a really tight 2 person tent that could fit in a large saddlebag.
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Aug 6, 2009 23:33
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So I've got nearly everything on my bike (EX250) fixed up. Got the a new rear tire put on yesterday and reattached the wheel. Got the new front tire on today and I'm putting the wheel back on tomorrow. I was going to take it to get inspected on Monday, but now I'm wondering: While I've got it some place I can work on it should I try to flush/cycle the coolant and/or replace the fork oil? The bike only has 918 miles on it, but sat outside for ~2 years. Initially I thought the rear suspension was bottoming out, but it isn't. However both front and back feel a little mushy. This could just be because it's an EX250 though.
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Aug 7, 2009 01:54
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Nerobro posted:The vacuum petcock is not restrictive. If you're having starvation problems at speed you're having other issues with vacuum. I run the exact same size vacuum diaphram on a bike that makes 80hp. There are a veriety of other reasons you could be seeing that diaphram shutting. And there are rebuild kits available. As for the crazy vacuum grease that advice came from my father who used to work on intercontinental ballistic missiles in the navy. I'll report back when all new bits and bobs arrive and are installed and old ones recleaned, thanks for the help.
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Aug 7, 2009 04:16
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BlueBayou posted:Just got my new clutch lever. Anything to keep in mind while I swap it out? ninja250.org says to watch out for the safety box or something... id hate to lose my clutch because I cant do a simple swap. it's a safety switch. given your bike is modified, it may be bypassed already. I always bypass mine. It makes it so you need to pull the clutch to engage the starter. I think it's crap. :-) If you can start your bike without pulling the clutch, you have nothing to worry about. RichBomb posted:Hmm, having trouble finding the petcock online, the only thing it says on the body is some logo TK and stamped 7A30, which yields nothing. Is this Mikuni as well? If I can't find it I'll just cap the port till I can find/afford it. Well, a complete new petcock? That'll be on bikebandit. Keep in mind you have a petcock, then you have your reserve and normal lever. They're separate on the GS500. http://www.bikebandit.com/suzuki-motorcycle-gs500ep-1993-fuel-cock/o/m6053sch248629 You may be able to get a rebuild kit if you call cyclerecycle. https://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com I knew someone you knew had to be militarily related. That, and high end plating and electronics mfg are the only places you find high vacuum grease.
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Aug 7, 2009 04:52
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NoCleverName posted:So I've got nearly everything on my bike (EX250) fixed up. Got the a new rear tire put on yesterday and reattached the wheel. Got the new front tire on today and I'm putting the wheel back on tomorrow. I was going to take it to get inspected on Monday, but now I'm wondering: While I've got it some place I can work on it should I try to flush/cycle the coolant and/or replace the fork oil? The bike only has 918 miles on it, but sat outside for ~2 years. Initially I thought the rear suspension was bottoming out, but it isn't. However both front and back feel a little mushy. This could just be because it's an EX250 though. Flushing the coolant would probably be a good idea, I'm not the one to say yea or nay on the forks though. I can tell you that the suspension on my '04 could be described as mushy. Only when I'm sitting still on it, though.
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Aug 7, 2009 06:05
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dietcokefiend posted:Anyone have some tent suggestions for camping from a motorcycle? Thinking about a large solo or a really tight 2 person tent that could fit in a large saddlebag. If you're looking for compactness and don't care too much about creature comforts, there are a variety of military 2-man tents available through places like eBay that roll up nicely into a tight little package. I personally use a two-man "mountain tent" that, while outdated, is very rugged and packs up small: http://www.tentnet.org/tentnet/basecamp/2man/2man.html It was also cheap. Cost me $50 for the tent plus all the poles and stakes at an Army Navy store. As a bonus, if I'm feeling frisky I can reverse the tent and have a fashionable white tent instead of an olive drab one. If you're willing to spend more on a tent, however, I would recommend a civilian one. They typically are more advanced than military counterparts. Just make sure it packs up small. FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Aug 7, 2009 |
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Aug 7, 2009 07:25
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dietcokefiend posted:Anyone have some tent suggestions for camping from a motorcycle? Thinking about a large solo or a really tight 2 person tent that could fit in a large saddlebag. Just make sure you can zip tie it to someplace secure and you're set.
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Aug 7, 2009 08:30
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Nerobro posted:it's a safety switch. given your bike is modified, it may be bypassed already. I always bypass mine. It makes it so you need to pull the clutch to engage the starter. I think it's crap. :-) If you can start your bike without pulling the clutch, you have nothing to worry about. The way it was set up for mine, it only makes you pull the clutch to start it if you're starting it in gear, and it works in concert with the sidestand switch (so it will kill the engine if you try to let out the clutch in gear with the sidestand down). I've had it save me a few times, so I'd say if the switch is still there, it's probably a good idea to keep it working.
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Aug 7, 2009 08:58
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I don't feel too bad about my lovely 2 person coleman tent not fitting in my saddle bags. Just bungee that poo poo down.
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Aug 7, 2009 13:30
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an actual frog fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jun 24, 2020 |
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Aug 7, 2009 14:45
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So I've got another question, this time about front brakes. I took my front wheel off to get a new tire installed and I was going to put it back on the bike today. Unfortunately, for some reason I can't remember, I started pumping the brakes before I had the tire back on. The gap between the pads became too small to get the brake rotor back in. At that point, while trying to figure out how to get the pads back apart, I was pushing and prodding stuff and the small brake pad came out of the caliper. So here is my actual question: How do I get the pistons to go back in? Can I push them back in by hand? I think that's what ninja250.org is telling me, but I want to be 100% sure when I go back tomorrow. Also, will I see how to get the small brake pad back in when I get the pistons back in? I couldn't figure out how to make it stay in the caliper after it fell out.
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Aug 7, 2009 23:12
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Mechanism Eight posted:Any suggestions on what to do with this exhaust? I spoke to a local shop and the mechanic said there's a chance the thin metal could blow out if he attempts to (TIG) weld it. Considering I've been looking at this for a couple of minutes and still can't tell whether you've posted the inside of your exhaust or a staining of a bacterial culture, you might want to start investigating the prices of replacement pipes. E: am I looking at the outside right at a join?
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Aug 7, 2009 23:34
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an actual frog fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jun 24, 2020 |
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Aug 7, 2009 23:38
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NoCleverName posted:So I've got another question, this time about front brakes. I took my front wheel off to get a new tire installed and I was going to put it back on the bike today. Unfortunately, for some reason I can't remember, I started pumping the brakes before I had the tire back on. The gap between the pads became too small to get the brake rotor back in. At that point, while trying to figure out how to get the pads back apart, I was pushing and prodding stuff and the small brake pad came out of the caliper. So here is my actual question: You should be able to press the pistons back in, it helps to use a c-clamp if you have one available. The small pad just kind of clips in against the pistons, kind of held in place by the anti-vibration spring in the caliper. As it says on the wiki, you must push down against the spring (more like a pressed, thin metal plate) to slide the small pad into place. The corners of the pad go into cutouts in the caliper that are the same shape.
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Aug 8, 2009 03:53
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So, my righthand muffler broke off my Maxim today while on the highway. Luckily nobody was behind, but because it broke off there's no way I'm getting it back on. It was damaged previously in a lowside. So, now I have my left two headers going into a muffler and my right two going just to an open pipe. It is louder, but not a lot louder. To put it into perspective, my buddie's Magna 1100 with a 4 to 1 exhaust is easily louder than my bike even with an open pipe. Performance doesn't seem to be affected. My question is, is it okay (for a couple weeks until I get money for a muffler) to ride around with just one muffler on, or should I take the other off to equalize the lack of backpressure my headers now have?
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Aug 8, 2009 16:31
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So now I've got idling issues. I started my bike up today and it settled at idling around 6k rpms with no choke. I think my choke cable is too tight because it revs when I turn the handles. But here's my real problem. Once it had been on for about 10 minutes, I tried turning the screw that comes out from underneath the carbs. I believe this is an idle adjustment screw. No matter which way I turned it, the idle revs seemed to go up. They got up to 7k and I shut down the engine. Then I tried to start it again, and it had trouble starting, so I turned the screw a little more, can't remember which direction. Eventually it would start, rev up to about 5k and immediately drop back down, in less than 2 seconds. After a little more fiddling I managed to get it to stay on, but the idle would bounce between 1.5k and 7k at pretty regular intervals. Any ideas?
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Aug 8, 2009 17:05
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NoCleverName posted:So now I've got idling issues. I started my bike up today and it settled at idling around 6k rpms with no choke. I think my choke cable is too tight because it revs when I turn the handles. But here's my real problem. Once it had been on for about 10 minutes, I tried turning the screw that comes out from underneath the carbs. I believe this is an idle adjustment screw. No matter which way I turned it, the idle revs seemed to go up. They got up to 7k and I shut down the engine. Then I tried to start it again, and it had trouble starting, so I turned the screw a little more, can't remember which direction. Eventually it would start, rev up to about 5k and immediately drop back down, in less than 2 seconds. After a little more fiddling I managed to get it to stay on, but the idle would bounce between 1.5k and 7k at pretty regular intervals. Any ideas? Disengage your choke cable and report back.
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Aug 8, 2009 18:20
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:My question is, is it okay (for a couple weeks until I get money for a muffler) to ride around with just one muffler on, or should I take the other off to equalize the lack of backpressure my headers now have? If it's only a couple weeks I wouldn't think it would do any permanent damage.
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Aug 8, 2009 19:17
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Blaster of Justice posted:Disengage your choke cable and report back. Unfortunately, I didn't read this before I went back to work on it. I'm going to start a thread about it because I've been making GBS threads up this thread enough already.
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Aug 8, 2009 23:06
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NoCleverName posted:I think my choke cable is too tight because it revs when I turn the handles. That's your throttle cables being too tight/not routed properly, not your choke.
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Aug 9, 2009 05:09
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This is kind of a longshot, but has anybody here used in-helmet mic systems for radio communication while riding? What has your experience been? I'm going on a decently long ride next month with a buddy who (like myself) is a licensed ham. Using our radios for communication would be fantastic, but I don't want to give up my earbud headphones and music to do it. So far I've managed to get an order going for a multi-input amp so I should have no problem with getting both the radio and music into my headphones. What I'm having trouble with is finding a boom mic with PTT that doesn't have speakers attached. There are a bunch of mic-speaker combinations out there, and some hook directly up to my radio (top mount connector with a 3.5mm TRS mic input and 1/8" TRS stereo output). I suppose I can modify something like that to work, but finding a helmet-mountable boom mic with a 3.5mm connector is really ideal (though I'm thinking unlikely). Anybody know of such a product?
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Aug 9, 2009 19:21
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