Ninja 250 sluggish, doesn't want to go fast (1999)

O

orang

Active member
Finally got insurance and plates on Monday, had been riding Tuesday and Wednesday with no problems. On Thursday morning I was riding and the bike didn't want to go above 100kmph. I'd be in 6th gear and at full throttle I'd be cruising at 80 or 90. I thought maybe it was because the bike was cold and I had the choke on in the morning. Thursday afternoon I took a long ride and made sure I get the choke completely off, and the bike still doesn't want to go fast.

I'm changing the oil today because I've recently bought this bike and don't know when the last change was. I let one of my friends ride it and she said it felt like a filter problem, either air or fuel. Another friend said I probably need to get my carbs adjusted (also no clue when this was last done).

Any other suggestions?

Thanks
 
They're pretty simple bikes - inspect the air filter first before wasting any more time.
Depending on how it was stored, critters can find their way in and make a nest.
 
Fuel, air, compression, ignition. Lack of any of the above will cause issues.

Simple place to start is air filter, make sure it's not clogged up. Next simplest place to continue is fuel - is is getting sufficient fuel? Hold long did the bike sit before you bought it? Did it suck in a bunch of crap out of the tank and clog the filter/carbs?

Compression...well, unlikely to be an issue, but running a compression check is simple and easy once you rule out the easier stuff - Canadian Tire has compression testers available for free on their loan-a-tool program I'm pretty sure.

Lastly, ignition - probably not suspect unless you're getting any misfire symptoms.
 
How many km, how many km recently? I would be surprised if an air filter could be clogged enough to choke the bike that much unless it had a nest in it. If the compression is decent, my money is on a fuel system or carb problem.
 
Pull the plugs: What colour are they?

Bone white == fuel starvation
Black and sooty == not enough air
Black and wet == burning oil (check the engine's compression)
 
Bike has 47000 km on it, about 300 recently. Started acting up in the last 100. Was sitting all winter but they had it out last season running fine. The inside of the tank is spotless so I don't think any nasty stuff could have gotten into the carbs unless some garbage was put directly into the tank, or maybe just old gas could have clogged something. Today I'll check the air filter because for all I know, the last time it was inspected or cleaned was 10 years ago. If I don't find anything wrong with the air, how can I test the fuel system? I'll also check/replace plugs.
 
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My wife's 250 was behaving that way. I cleaned the carbs, set the valves, then synced the carbs. Also new air filter oil and plugs. Ran like a champ again after. Started immediately, idled and warmed up faster, revved up faster and crisper.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
Can pretty much guarantee you this is clogged jets in the carbs. I would say ask kneedragger how many times he's had to take down Ninja 250 carbs, but I think he's low profile at the moment
 
I think I could probably clean my carbs and sync them (with the help of my more mechanically inclined friend haha), don't think I could do the valves. Does anyone know what a mechanic would charge for this? I'll have to make some calls after Easter's over
 
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Valve clearance check is less work than taking apart carbs to clean them, I wouldn't be afraid to do it if you feel comfortable with that
 
Little update - filled my bike up with oil (only had a liter on hand when I did the change a few days ago so just picked up another later) and drove to Canadian Tire to see about a safety (probably 9km), when I got there and parked I looked down to see that my engine was not only leaking, but seeping oil. So now I not only have to worry about the carb cleaning or valves, but a seemingly massive leak in my engine. Any suggestions or does anyone know around what it would cost to get a mechanic to reseal my engine (assuming there's no crack or anything)?

Apparently there are no engine seal products compatible with my bike on FortNine
 
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orang said:
Little update - filled my bike up with oil (only had a liter on hand when I did the change a few days ago so just picked up another later) and drove to Canadian Tire to see about a safety (probably 9km), when I got there and parked I looked down to see that my engine was not only leaking, but seeping oil. So now I not only have to worry about the carb cleaning or valves, but a seemingly massive leak in my engine. Any suggestions or does anyone know around what it would cost to get a mechanic to reseal my engine (assuming there's no crack or anything)?

Apparently there are no engine seal products compatible with my bike on FortNine
Click to expand...

Where is the oil leaking from ? Are you certain you just didn't overfill it ?
 
orang said:
Little update - filled my bike up with oil (only had a liter on hand when I did the change a few days ago so just picked up another later) and drove to Canadian Tire to see about a safety (probably 9km), when I got there and parked I looked down to see that my engine was not only leaking, but seeping oil. So now I not only have to worry about the carb cleaning or valves, but a seemingly massive leak in my engine. Any suggestions or does anyone know around what it would cost to get a mechanic to reseal my engine (assuming there's no crack or anything)?

Apparently there are no engine seal products compatible with my bike on FortNine
Click to expand...

PM Frekeyguy. You need affordable help before you mess something up.
 
TK4 said:
Where is the oil leaking from ? Are you certain you just didn't overfill it ?
Click to expand...

This is a great question - You put an entire litre in it or you added oil to the fill point specified?

It's a simple bike, clean it up properly and it ought to run. Ace Moto Tech has great reviews on here.
 
Pretty certain we didn't overfill it, emptied all the oil and added less than 1.75L. Calls for 1.9L. PM'd frekeyguy but now I'm not that confident that the bike will last the hour long journey up there (I'm from Burl). Will try to locate the leak soon, have to take some fairings off.
 
I work in Burlington and have worked on a Ninja 250 I may be able to arrange to drop by after work and look at it for you PM me

Where is it leaking from can you tell???
 
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