[Mr78rm]

Hi everybody, i just picked up a '03 ninja 250r just to cruise around on. i bought it from a dealer who said it was in tip top condition with 1100 miles on it. when i got it home and started it up it seemed to sound a little rough. i can hear clicking over the normal sound of the engine. i was wondering if this is somewhat normal or i should confront the dealer, also it seems to have small oil spots on the ground where it is left idling, but it is not directly under the engine its to the back a little bit, i also was wondering if this is normal. Thanks for any help you can give me, i am very nervous about the bike being a lemon.

 

[Anonymous]

try charging your battery, or replacing it, might do the trick.

 

[ZX-2R]

LIST

Make a list just like this forum posting and start a book page one with serial numbers frame , engine, mileage and everythig including the dealer and your name address, contact information...First thing is to change the gas and put in fresh Premium and change the plugs. Check the oil and coolant levels. Put a piece of newspaper under the bike right in front of hte rear tire and the next morning measure how far it is on the paper and then put the bike up on the centerstand and measure teh distance and see where the leak is coming from...it may be just an overflow or you may have aloose screw causing the leaking... Once youhave put the fresh gas into the bike take it out and put a pretty long trip on it to clear out any missture that may have accumulated in the motor from setting all winter. water from the pipes is not uncommon if the bike is only ridden short distances and it seldome sees warm enough temps long enough to evaporate the moisture. Make a book for your bike and include every tenth of a gallon of gas, every thing that you do to the bike and dates mileage etc, even checking the screws for tightness. Later you will have a reference for thengs to look back on and see when it's time to retorque which screws...ALSO check your tire pressures before you start out riding on your ride...get a good tire gauge...Most important get back to us on the FORUM an dlet us know what you find andhow things are resolved!

 

[Mr78rm]

thanks

it urns out there are little holes in the 250r exhaust that let out the moistur. thank you guys. but i am still unsure about the tapping bc this is the first fourstroke ive owned and none of my other bikes tap. sounds almost like valves as the engine gets warmer. and almost only at idle speed.

 

[ZX-2R]

Tapping

Check your oil level...if you're not sure about the tapping just pull up to the service bay and ask a mechanic to come and listen to the ticking...if service isn't due for a while, change your oil to a 20-50 and see if the tapping goes away...better yet try filing up your gas tank with real Premium from Texico, BP, Amoco...and see if the niose goes away...just an idea...part of the sound may be the exhaust??? if it bothers you, you could take a smidge of hi heat silicone and let it cure...you could then pull it off later if you wanted...

 

[Mr78rm]

Thanx zx-2r

thanks for the advice, i just wanted to make sure the think didnt develop a valve tap from the time i bought it to when they trailored it to my house. and by the way, is there any likelihood of developing a valve tap in that early mileage???

 

[ZX-2R]

VALVE TAP

It's not very likely, but not impossible...I'd ride it and continue to listen to it and even on one of the rides take it over and let them listen to it. the mileage will be good for both you and the bike. The silicone thing is not supposed to be permanant...so you might give it a try...Riding some sistances will get th mosture out of not only the exhaust pipes but the crankcase as well...riding some distance is fairly critical...if you were to say ride it 3 or 4 miles to work and then 3or 4 miles home and never git in the road it wouldn't be a good thing for your bike...they need to be warmed up and run some distance at times. Having your exhaust pipe spray steam or leaking water may be because youare just breaking it in at this point and staying at lower rpm's...but the bike, even the books will point out that the hp/torque curbve starts really pulling at about 8,000 RPM all the way up past 13,000RPM, and you will find 14,000RPM yor redline. The bike engine is capable of holding those RPM's, unlike our old cars from the 70's and 80's where the redline was near 5,000RPM. The old Babbit rod Chevrolet engines couldn't hold up to any prolonged RPM's...now we find bikes and even racing engines like on the Bently with rev limiters set at 19,250 RPM's it's like aviation Wright Brothers to our current (Classified) aircraft flying over 5 times the speed of sound! Don't be afraid to twist that throttle and feel the power when you get her to teh break in point, and probably the most important thning that you can do is to keep a computer record and even print it out for a book on your bike...symptoms, sounds, squeeks, your noise at idle may be because you have more than one key on your keyring, or your tool kit is vibrating or a bolt and nut are vibrating...This is a great FOURM and we're all here to assist one another...