First time with GZ250
 

Hi guys this is my first cruiser and from what i read seemed perfect for me as i dont want to be able to go much faster than 80 for safety(mainly tickets) reasons. However i purchased one that had been sitting a while due to previous owner taking a fall and neglecting it since then. I am waiting on the battery (old one was dead) so that i could test to see if it will turn on. I have already cleaned out the carb as well as put fresh gas in it. I have read a few post on jetting and was wondering if i will have to do this as i got it with no pipe on it. Its also missing the battery cover (right side frame cover). Where can i get these? ebay seems to be lacking the right side. I would like to see what you guys think i should do while i wait for the battery.

P.S. this will probably be my daily since the local junk yard figured they could smash my scooter because it was outside for 3 days.(broke down) Should i buy stock exhaust once i get it running or put something aftermarket?

Thanks in advance.

Here are the pics.

Hi RedLine. Welcome to the forum. ebay is a good source but also check out the section here for parts for sale. A stock exhaust is best in my opinion. A side cover can be painted if need be.
In the mean time go over the bike for loose fasteners and whatnot. Lube anything that moves and use contact cleaner on all the switch gear. Don't forget the sidestand switch which lives in a dirty world. Get at it from the righthand side with the stand down.
Check the air filter and a good idea is installing an inline gas filter between the fuel valve and carb.

Do you recomend any fuel line filter in particular. I would like to cover all my basic because i have high hopes that once the battery arrives this baby will start right up. Just dont have the cash to worry about cosmetics before i take care of the mecanical portion. thanks

I use this one.You should be able to get it at any MC or small engine shop.

Do you know the name so i can get it online?

Here ya go. ;) :)
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1-4-FUEL-FILT...918d73&vxp=mtr

Thanks

Is there any way to start it without the battery? The battery i have has 12 amps instead of 6 and blew the fuses before i realized it.

will this fit the gz250 (their fitment guide says yes.) what do you guys think? Mine has a broken looking glass. In my opinion needs to be replaced to avoid the risk of it catching air and possibly locking.Would my assumption be correct?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydraulic-Br...d23f21&vxp=mtr

The amount of battery amps would not blow the fuses.Hooking it up backwards would blow the fuses & hopefully nothing else ( Like ECU).Make sure you have + going to + & = to =.That cylinder looks like it will fit.But you can buy the sight glass separately.


;) :)

You won't lock up the brake but you have a definite chance of having no brakes at all. The system needs to be sealed properly to work. Buy the sight glass before you ride. You do need both brakes working properly to be safe. A rear brake only will get you killed or maimed.

The battery should get here today but im 99.9% sure that i didn't mix up the terminals. i had used some thin wires with alligator clips but it didn't seem to transfer enough current to start the bike. would barely turn over. i will look into the sight glass i know how important the front brakes are! Fingers crossed hoping everything goes good tonight i will post some more pics maybe a video once i get it running. thanks for everything.

I was looking in ebay and couldn't find the sight glass. under what name do you suggest i search? thanks

Very happy. As expected it turned on. Now im thinking of doing a fresh oil change, however it worries me that I have some white smoke coming out from where the headers connect to the motor. Should I worry or is this normal? Bike has sat for about 1 year.

After further inspection/ test drive it seems to be leaking oil. Around the top. Is there a seal there that I could change? I also backfire like there is no tomorrow. Will this get fixed once I put on original pipe on?

Also sometimes it just clicks but nothing happens. Will do this a few times then start.

is normal and the valves cover leak on top of the left header

yes thats exacly where its leaking. will that stop? or do i need to replace something?

which part is normal the smoke the backfire or both?

dying to ride it to work tomorrow:clap: even though its extremeley loud:eww:

if you have open pipes and don't re-jet the carb will make the engine run very lean causing the back fires, to fix the leak you mead to remove the valve corer and reapply the RTV silicon

If you put the original muffler back on you will eliminate the backfiring.If you run it with the straight pipe without re-jetting you risk burning a valve. ;) :)

So if I decide to rejet while I wait for the exhaust would a 135 work? Would I need to change any of the other ones?
or should I just be patient? It was making a funny noise from the valves from time to time wich makes me scared that im running extra lean.

I will probably be ordering the pipe tonight and tomorrow doing an oil change and adding a sealant to the valve cover.

set the pilot jet to 2.5-3 turns to control the back fire

Yep a #135 would be a good start.You should also adjust the pilot jet even with the original muffler.They are set very lean from the factory.Set with bike running warm for fastest & smoothest idle. (out is rich...in is lean) ;) :)

Ok so i called my local shop and they have the jets so i will be buying a 130, 135, and 140.

The bike will start and turn off right away for like the first 10 or 15 times and then it will finally accept some throttle and stay on. well under the condition that the choke is on and i have it on prime. if i switch it to on it wont stay on and if i take the choke off it will die.

As far as the pilot jet, i started taking apart the carb when i realized that from the diagrams it is the screw that is on the bottom outside. however it was lose and i tried opening it a little more and it did nothing for the bike. should i put it all the way in and then do the 2.5-3 turns out? it seemed like it would go in forever when i started to tighten it.

Also what do you think about this one? will it fit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-UNIVERSA...dfb08c&vxp=mtr

EMGO turn-out muffler, looks like it will be way to loud for me. Any opinions on these?

Thanks for all your help

Yep 2 1/2 turns from lightly seated. The muffler looks fine.Check the back of the petcock to see if the vacuum line is attached.The petcock needs vacuum to run in the "on" position.Also if that vacuum line is leaking you will never get the bike to idle or run properly. ;) :)

:doh: next time ill have to double check. it was unpluged this time i could have sworn i put it back both times.

just to confirm i tighten until i felt the jet start touching the rubber and then went back 2 1/2 turns.

Yep. ;) :)

Ok so i made sure it was plugged in this time and took off. open pipe and a 137.5 main jet (they charged me $15 dollars for it) and 2and3/4 turns on the pilot jet the leaking from the top seemed to stop after i put some gasket stuff on it however it also apprears to be leaking from some lower parts.

Here is a video of how it sounds right now. should i go to a bigger jet since i still get some backfire. Nowhere near how it was at first but its still there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw3E0TyPQeM

How can i know which jet i need to buy from ebay so i dont spend so much on the next few jets?

it cut off on me while stopped at a light with the vacum hose connected had to change the petcock to prime to get it to cut on then at home i put it back to on and it seemed to run fine so not sure what happened.

Still getting some white smoke. What could this be? will it stop? it has been used less than 5 miles since i got it to run want to be sure im not going to brake anything before i use it to go to work.

anyways would like some feedback on what you guys think as far as what you can see from the video what do i need to do?

I got it for 500 and so far i have spent about a little less than 100 to get it to where it is.still missing a few hundred more to get it to where i want it. Good deal?

Again thanks for all your help.

read dis document it explain the tuning of the carb
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resi...int=file%2cpdf

Get a proper pipe on it before you go to a larger jet than you are using now. It will run better with a little back pressure from the muffler. The bottom end power will be better too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-UNIVERSA...dfb08c&vxp=mtr

Its already on the way as well as the master brake cylinder and the fuel filter. Do you guys think that if i drive it like this it will cause any problems or should i be ok?

On my bike there isn't a brake cylinder sight glass because the previous owner had it covered with a rubber stopper. But hey it still works over a year later.

I might order a proper sight glass for the master cylinder one day.

Its fun just to read about getting a bike and getting it running.

The choice is yours but personally I would leave it parked till you have a complete bike with no safety issues(front brake)and a muffler that will allow the engine to run better without a chance of damaging itself. Don't turn minor issues into a major issue such as burnt valves or a mishap due to no brakes.
Yes, I know you want to ride soonest but be patient and the reward will still be there.

:ride:Well i had taken it for a drive before i read the message. Since the speedometer gets stuck i can be 100% certain of speed but my girlfriend said that she was cruising next to me at like 75:clap: so im happy about that. However the idle on the bike is weird or maybe its just me. im going to wait until i get the parts before i go for another ride.

Anything i can do about white smoke coming out of where the header connects to the motor? it has decreased greatly since the first time i started the bike but it has not disappeared

Are you sure your idle speed is set correctly? When the engine is HOT, it should be set to 1200 to 1400 RPM. :ride:

How exacly do I check my idle speed. I dont see rpms on my speedometer

The front feels a little wobbly sometimes. Any suggestions?

If you remember that a car idles at around 860 RPM, then the bike should sound around 50% faster. Once you get it roughly right, you can fine tune it until you get it sounding smooth. Remember.....it'll sound much faster than you're used to, if you drive a car. :tup:

Inspect tire carefully to be sure it is in good shape (no cracks in sidewall).Check air pressure.It should be 30 to 32 PSI. ;) :)

its really hard for me to guide myself by sound since the thing wont have a stock exhaust and currently has open pipe. Right now it sounds pretty good at idle and seems to be working properly once i take off the choke and the smoke is slight to none. The oil leak seems to have stopped and again as good as it can for no pipe. i will check for tire pressure but the tire is almost new. I should be getting the speedometer tomorrow is there a speed where good idle should take me to?

Blaine the one thing i did notice is that it will go to the left when i release the handlebars.

Sorry, but you can't reliably check your idle speed this way. It has to be done with a tachometer or by ear, when the engine is at normal operating temperature.