[Seridus]

Gentlemen,

I am very new to owning my motorcycle (2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R) and I fear that I did not winterize the bike properly (or at all) this past winter. I put it in the garage where it sat relatively untouched for 3 to 4 months. Now it is getting warm and I'd like to ride the bike, however it will not start. The battery is fully charged (I got a trickle charger and charged it up) but it just doesn't seem to wanna get goin... it makes an effort, starts up and then fizzles out after about 2 or 3 seconds.

I realize now that I should have winterized the bike properly (and will next winter I can assure you) but I am left with a bike that won't start. What is the best way for me to rectify this? I spoke with a friend who mentioned cyphoning out the gas and putting in some sort of engine cleaner with just a bit of gas... but I wanted to check you guys (the forum).

I really will appreciate any help you guys can give me on this. Thank you for your time.

 

[davisw4089]

well first thing you could try is adding some seafoam i seem to read that alot when it comes to unwinterizing the 250 but from the sounds of it you didn't really winterize it at all and this could mean you have to clean your carbs which there are threads on how to do it if seafoam doesn't work but definatly get rid of old gas and throw some new in. Good Luck

This Seems like a good writ up on how to do it: http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cleaning_the_carbs_1

 

[Jr. Muniz Soda]

another option

remove the side cover next to the air filter remove the airfilter..


with the choke on
buy a bottle of starter fluid and spray it into the airbox while you crank at the same time.. give it gas but dont flood it just keep the gas slightly pulled.. as your cranking the start(with the starter button of course) spray into the carburator and you will see flames , which is normal... this will easily give it that extra spark it needs and eventually will start.. make sure the battery has juice and you should b gud..

then again you can also try pushing it down a steep hill n popping the clutch... but if you get stuck pushing it back up bc your tire locked up thats another problem haha

 

[Hijakd Hillbilly]

I'm having trouble getting my 2012 to start after winter. It sat from October 20th - March 3. Before I set it up in my garage with a cover over it, I washed it, changed the oil, and added fuel stabilizer. Now I pulled it out of the garage stuck the key in and turned it over, sounds like it is starting, but not completely turning over. Tomorrow I am getting a battery charger and seafoam to see if any of that helps...I plan on in this order...

1. putting the charger on the battery to verify that it is fully charged.
2. Draining the tank, putting in new gas, and adding seafoam.
3. pulling and cleaning the plugs to verify that there is no build up there.

any other suggestions before i try these things?

 

[Mxslick]

Yep. Pull the carbs off, take them apart and clean ALL jets and passages thoroughly. DO NOT use a drill bit to clean the jets!! Use a paper clip or wire and don't scratch or enlarge the inside opening.

After cleaning and reassembly you will need to have the carbs synced. See the thread on here for a DIY sync kit (it will get you close but not perfect), invest in a proper sync stick or take it to a shop for syncing.

If the carbs were not drained and the fuel petcock shut off before storage then the residual gas turned into goo and gummed things up.

 

[Hijakd Hillbilly]

well that sucks to hear, and here i thought putting in the stabilizer would keep that from happening....sucks to be me

 

[GreenNinja250R]

Let say if the bike is stock brand new everything in it is clean and the outside temperature is 35 F, should it starts easily with minimum choke to keep it idle for the first 30 seconds?

 

[Mxslick]

You should be using 1/2 to full choke fo rat least the first 1-2 minutes according to Kawasaki....remember the Ninja is carbureted and not fuel injected, it needs plenty of warmup to run properly.

Even in sunny So Cal with air temps around 80 degrees my beast needs choke to start, but the warmup time is only about a minute or sometimes a bit less.