5 second bike ride

[jamezgreen]

Hello,

My GZ250 has been doing something a little weird the last few days here. As I pull out of my driveway in the morning headed off to work, I'll make it one block and the bike will die. Even with the choke on and trying to keep the RPMs high, dies without fail. Should I be switching my fuel switch to 'Prime' every morning or would that make a difference? My bike has always been very slow to warm up, takes a good 10 minutes before I can take the choke off and even then I have to keep the idle set pretty high so it doesn't die. Additionally the bike takes quite a while to start at any time really. It turns over for a good 15-30 seconds before it starts. Probably needs a carburetor servicing ?? but that's probably some serious cash. I installed and correctly gapped a new spark plug just a few weeks ago. Ideas?

[dannylightning]

prime only works for starting the bike and if it has not been driven for a few days and all the gas is out of the carb and such, just makes it start better, dont leave it on the prime setting while riding.

your idle should be high, it needed to be way faster than i would have ever thought to keep it set.

10 min is about average warm up time. let it set with the choke on for 2 or 3 min and than ride it away with the choke a little bit but not full blast for a few min and than take the choke off and it should be plenty warmed up.

did you just fill up your gas tank, you could have got bad gas.

this about how high your idle should be set, some where around there at least. some one told me i should turn it up just a little more than this. but i left it where it was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfCOjckjmK0

[Sarris]

Try an in-tank fuel system cleaner. Do a search, there are several recommended in various threads.

:2tup:

[dannylightning]

Try an in-tank fuel system cleaner. Do a search, there are several recommended in various threads.

:2tup:


b5 chemtool is about the only in tank cleaner i will use.

you know also check your choke cable, when mine was sticking the bike would want to stall. a sticking choke cable can make your bike do funny things, bikes dont like the choke after they are warmed up.

[burkbuilds]

My daughters Rebel 250 was running like crap, we put a few ounces of sea foam in the tank and after about 10-15 minutes of riding it smoothed out and stayed that way.

[dannylightning]

My daughters Rebel 250 was running like crap, we put a few ounces of sea foam in the tank and after about 10-15 minutes of riding it smoothed out and stayed that way.

that barrymans b5 chem tool works well but i would like to give that sea foam a try after every thing i have been hearing about it, where can you get it!! did not see any at autozone

some of those fuel system cleaners don't do much of any thing.

[dhgeyer]

Couple of possibilities. The running for a few minutes and then dying sounds suspiciously like the fuel valve isn't opening, or not opening fully. A block or so is about how far you'd get with what's in the float bowl. Since the GZ has a vacuum operated fuel valve, trying to run it in the PRIME position could be a good diagnostic procedure. The PRIME position bypasses the need for vacuum. If it runs with the fuel valve in the PRIME position, then you know that your problem is that the fuel valve is not operating properly. This, in turn, would mean that either the valve itself is faulty, or that it's not getting vacuum.

If running it in the PRIME position works, I strongly caution you not to park the bike with the fuel valve in that position. Fuel can then leak through the carb and into the air filter and, worse, into the cylinder causing hydro lock.

Possibly a partially clogged fuel line? That could explain it also.

Other than that, it would certainly sound like a gunked up carb. That being the case, I heartily recommend Chevron Techron (one of those in-tank fuel system cleaners). It has never failed me, and I have had need of it many times. With the quality (or lack thereof) of fuel we're suffering from these days, I've gotten in the habit of running some Techron through my bikes every few tankfuls just to keep them from gunking up. I've noticed that several people here, including me, have had problems with the GZ carbs gumming up.

If none of the above helps, then you probably need to clean the carb the old fashioned way, or have it done.

[burkbuilds]

I know you can find Sea foam at Northern tools and Equipment, if they are in your area, 16 oz bottle is about $7 there, and I think I've seen it at Wal-Mart but I wouldn't swear to it. As dhgeyer pointed out, Chevron Techron works great too, and you can usually find that at most Auto Parts stores + Wal-Mart. Probably any fuel system cleaner that is designed to remove gums and varnish will help to some degree these are just two that I've found to be significant in improving the operation of almost anything I've used them in over the years when the problem seems to be deposit build up either in carbs or fuel injectors.

[bonehead]

Cut out the middle man and use Chevron or Texaco gas-already has techron in it.

[dannylightning]

Cut out the middle man and use Chevron or Texaco gas-already has techron in it.

there is no chevron or texaco stations where i live, hell the only shell station seems to have got up and turne in to a circle k, when i was in phoenix az i would only get gas from the chevron station. how much of that do you think they really put in there tho, that is my question.

there are no good gas stations by my house now. there is a marathon, a few circle k's, and bp

[Easy Rider]

If none of the above helps, then you probably need to clean the carb the old fashioned way, or have it done.

Yes and probably not as expensive as you might imagine. About 2 hours labor. Where I live that would be about $150.

In my opinion, Seafoam is OK but Berryman's B12 or Original Gumout is better.

From your description, it sounds like something isn't "normal" and may be getting worse.