New to me Rm250

[tantheman]

Hello guys new to posting on here so not sure what to do. I just bought my first ever bike today and it turned out to be a 99 rm 250. Bike is very clean and had some good aftermarket parts with new tires i got it all for a grand which dont think is too bad of a deal. Some questions are its cold as hell here and the bike didn't want to idle without the choke on and had to rev it pretty high to get it into first. Thought i read somewhere that suzukis tend to do that to first but not sure. Any info is good info and very excited to own this bike.

[criggs88]

Sweet bike! Take good care of it and it will take good care of you =]. I would pull that carb and check jetting before you ride it too much, make sure it's set up correctly, then you can go from there as far as any troubleshooting goes. Also make sure to check all basic maintenance items as well, you never know what the PO may have neglected.

[Dane Richardson]

Beutiful!

[shift1313]

been taken care of for sure.  As stated check the essentials.  make sure the air filter is clean.  make sure the gear oil is good and the right amount.  Did the previous owner tell you want ratio they were premixing at?  My guess is also carb related.  If it sat than it could just need some carb tlc to make sure the jets are clean.

[ManBearPig.]

Nice find! I have a 2000 RM250 which is almost exactly the same as yours. 

The most common issue these bikes have is the clutch basket gets notched and it will cause the clutch to drag with the lever pulled in all the way. 

If the carb isn't jetted right it will foul the spark plug and it wont idle or run as clean. 

[tantheman]

Thanks for the info guys! I will be pulling carb here soon because theres a small leak from it. I will be getting it jetted while the carb is off too. Air Filter is clean and no play in flywheel which is great lol. lady didnt want me to check there cause someone else offered 1200 for it so i took a chance and just checked when i got home. got a good deal cause husband broke his knee caps and collar bone on another bike so she said he needed 4 wheels lol. really happy with it though cant wait to get it dialed in.

[tantheman]

2 hours ago, shift1313 said:

been taken care of for sure.  As stated check the essentials.  make sure the air filter is clean.  make sure the gear oil is good and the right amount.  Did the previous owner tell you want ratio they were premixing at?  My guess is also carb related.  If it sat than it could just need some carb tlc to make sure the jets are clean.

there was no gas in it and the ladys husband was hunting. so ran down and got some premixed 40:1 just to get her going. She said it had sat for a couple months sense husbands injury. 

[tantheman]

Also have quite a bit of oil coming from the end of my exhaust. Another sign of improper jetting?

[fuzzy-v]

Nice bike! Got an 05 RM250, not quite the same but a great bike. Turns on a dime. 

Yeah, the oil could be a sign on bad jetting, but don't look too far into until you got it jetted right and jetted for what premix ratio you're going to run. 

Wouldn't be a bad idea to check compression too; give you an idea of top end health and could contribute to running poorly. 

[tantheman]

Nice bike! Got an 05 RM250, not quite the same but a great bike. Turns on a dime. 
Yeah, the oil could be a sign on bad jetting, but don't look too far into until you got it jetted right and jetted for what premix ratio you're going to run. 
Wouldn't be a bad idea to check compression too; give you an idea of top end health and could contribute to running poorly. 

Yeah plan on doing that today.

[tantheman]

If I'm going to clean the carb and get it apart I want to jet it correctly too. I will be riding primarily trails then once I'm comfortable will be riding at the track. I'm 500 foot elevation and would like to know recommendations for good jetting

[tantheman]

How do I upload a video or can someone help me diagnose a sound? Doesn't sound right and this is my first 2 stroke

[fuzzy-v]

Youtube seems to be the place most people upload stuff for that purpose, AFAIK. 

[zig06]

5 minutes ago, tantheman said:

How do I upload a video or can someone help me diagnose a sound? Doesn't sound right and this is my first 2 stroke

The video has to exist "on the internet" someplace and then you only need to copy and paste a link to that video.

 

6 hours ago, tantheman said:

Also have quite a bit of oil coming from the end of my exhaust. Another sign of improper jetting?

Yes, I'd recommend buying a JD Jet kit for your bike.  It cost more than just buying jets but based on your limited exposure to 2t's a jet kit will get you very close if not spot on possibly in your first attempt.

[tantheman]

what do you guys think?:(

[fuzzy-v]

Did this noise just start suddenly, or if not, when did you notice it? Maybe I'm not hearing it correctly through the video but is the bad noise the ratcheting type noise or the low growling noise?

[tantheman]

Did this noise just start suddenly, or if not, when did you notice it? Maybe I'm not hearing it correctly through the video but is the bad noise the ratcheting type noise or the low growling noise?

That kind of ratcheting sound. Or any sounds that shouldn't be there really lol.

[fuzzy-v]

I can't hear that great on the video - not your fault, just hard to tell over video sometimes. The ratcheting type noise sounds similar to when the kickstart gear was timed incorrectly on my 89 CR250 and was engaged when the engine was running - but I can't be 100% sure. I also hear some low growling noise too but not sure if it's typical two stroke sound or something off - again, hard to tell for me over video. 

Have you had a chance to drain the trans fluid?

[tantheman]

No haven't really done much to it yet just checked the spark plug and been trying to get it to idle but it's not wanting to. Was seeing if idle screw or air screw would want it to work but they're not

[fuzzy-v]

Adjusting air and idle screws before verifying the carb condition is a waste of time, IMO. Can't properly compensate for fueling issues with adjustments. You said it sat for a few months, so its very possible you have gummed up jets in the carb. The fact you need to leave the choke on is more evidence towards having gummed jets. Clean the carb before you mess with the screws, and with a clean carb, the idle and air screws shouldn't have to be set far from recommended settings anyway.