if valves need adjustment - what are the symptoms

[GZ250]

If valves in GZ250 need adjustment what signs/symptoms the bike would show. Mine is over due but going good. It needs a little choke while starting. One more thing. I have to warm up the engine like for 2-3 minutes before driving otherwise if I drive with cold engine it dies if i don't keep the throtle open when stopping. is this normal or is this the sign of bad valves.

Thanks and a great forum.

[Badbob]

As the valves/rockers wear the gap gets tighter and the engine get quieter. Thus a little valve noise is a good thing. If it get to tight the valves don't close all the way and they burn. Then you get to rebuild the head.

[badfun]

If valves in GZ250 need adjustment what signs/symptoms the bike would show. Mine is over due but going good. It needs a little choke while starting. One more thing. I have to warm up the engine like for 2-3 minutes before driving otherwise if I drive with cold engine it dies if i don't keep the throtle open when stopping. is this normal or is this the sign of bad valves.
my bike does almost the same thing except it will idle fine once its warm. Its due for a tune up i am sure.

[Easy Rider]

Its due for a tune up i am sure.

Based just on that, probably not. It is absolutely normal to need a little "choke" for the first minute or so and for the first few minutes if you want to ride off right away.

Anyhow, with the electronic ignition, a "turn up" consists of.................a new spark plug!! :roll:

My annual tune-up consists of putting the recommended amount of "real" carb cleaner in one full tank of gas.

[badfun]

what do you mean by "real" I bought the STP junk and it inst making much difference if I had a gummed up carb. Is there a better brand that actually works? I think it needs a tune up because it jerks a lot at lower RPMs is that normal for this bike? I have never owned a 250 before. my 550 and 650 never did that and they were both carborated.

[jonathan180iq]

Have you checked to make sure that your idle RPMs are set correctly. The only time that I get a lot of jerking is either when the bike it very cold and it's not ready to rev yet, or when I put too much load on it. The second part is rare and only happen when I forget to drop down into first and I do something silly like start out in second.

Also, if you are using Dino-oil, you may be experiencing a longer warm-up time than you would if you were running synthetic.
The difference is amazing. Read up about friction inhibitors first though. There is a how-to in the "how-to" section.

[Water Warrior 2]

A lot of chain slack might contribute to the jerkiness in the lower gears. As for oil we use Amsoil 20-50 M/C specific oil. It has shear characteristics of a 90 weight gear oil which is probably very good for the transmission gears. A little spendy but well worth it in my opinion. I would like to try Shell Rotella Synthetic but there is none to be found in this neck of the woods. Shell is highly recommended by many riders and the price is hard to beat.

[Easy Rider]

what do you mean by "real" I bought the STP junk

You need something that is designated as a carb. cleaner; not fuel injector cleaner and not "multi-purpose".
Two good ones are Gumout (Original Carb. cleaner......read the label) or Berryman's B12.

Be sure the STP is OUT before you put something else IN.
Other comments about idle speed, lugging the engine and chain slack are good points too.

If it's been a while, a new plug wouldn't hurt either.

[badfun]

The first thing I did was pull out the plug it was clean. I stopped by a cycle shop today and one of the guys said Berryman's B12 as well. he said worst case carb needed to be cleaned but he doubted i needed a "tune up" as well. I check in to the chain slack also.

[GZ250]

Now I have over 13000 miles on my GZ250 and i never had the valve adjustment (just once after break in). The dealership asks around $150 for valve adjustment and I do not dare to try myself. I do not feel or see any problem in running or idle. If something is 'going on inside with valves' i dont know. That is why i asked for 'symptoms' so that i can take for adjustment when i am really there.

I do the oil/filter change myself every 3000 miles using the Suzuki brand oil and filter. After every 12 months I change the spark plug no matter what it looks like. Air filter, I changed after 24 months (old looked good, we cannot see inside). For carb cleaner I use the Suzuki brand twice a year. Can't say if it works or not as I never have any problems. Clean and lube chain when needed.

For the idle, I keep the lowest settings just enough that the bike does not die on idle and runs smooth in idle. For warm up it needs 5 minutes depending on weather but after that runs smooth without burp or jerk.

Thanks for the answers as it helps me a lot.

[Easy Rider]

If something is 'going on inside with valves' i dont know. That is why i asked for 'symptoms' so that i can take for adjustment when i am really there.

For the idle, I keep the lowest settings just enough that the bike does not die on idle and runs smooth in idle. For warm up it needs 5 minutes depending on weather but after that runs smooth without burp or jerk.



A couple of comments:
Valves being out of adjustment often do not have any symptoms.
If you don't ride "flat out" a lot, and it's running good, I think you can get by with 2X the recommended miles between valve checks but any more than that would make me nervous.

5 minutes is a LONG time to warm up. If you tweek the idle speed up just a bit, I think you will find you can ride it off after about 1-2 minutes in all but the coldest weather. A slightly higher idle speed also makes for better shifts for many riders.

[jonathan180iq]

I agree with Easy. I wouldn't use the bottom of a recommended setting for anything. Set the idle a tad higher and your warm-up time should be decreased.

I've always lived by starting the bike with choke and then riding off as soon as the bike will move.
You need to get it revved up to get the oil moving around the important bits.
simplying allowing the bike to idle during "warm-up" doesn't do that.

[5th_bike]

I I've always lived by starting the bike with choke and then riding off as soon as the bike will move.

I agree, in the cold I start it full choke, and once it revs up turn the choke halfway down, drive off, turn the choke down to 1/4 and after about half a mile the choke can be closed all the way.

When you're driving, the engine does more work and warms up faster than when it's just sitting there pumping air.

[Badbob]

I always warm the bike a little. Unless it is already warm.

Start at full choke and them slowly back it off until the idle slows then gear up. By the time I'm ready its ready. If I'm slow getting ready the rpms will go up ans the engine warms up and I back the choke completely off at that point.

Why I do this: A GZ250 only has one cylinder. If you take off in a parking lot with the engine cold there is a slightly increased chance of a miss fire. Miss fire on a single cylinder engine at low rpm equals stall. Stalling in a low speed turn equals falling over quite rapidly. I have personal experience with this.

If I must leave before the engine is warmed I leave the choke on a little for the first mile or so. I hate doing this because I'm prone to forget it until I have to stop for a traffic light.

[cleensmoke666]

sometimes in the winter i let it warm up like 10 mins....i know my idler is set a lil low asked guy at a bike dealer ...he said as lon g as not dying at lights you are ok i was always afraid of it being to high ...its my first bike and new when i bought in '07..could the long warm ups cause future probs

[GZ250]

as long as the bike is not running to high revs during warm ups its ok. as soon as your bike is warm enough to hold without choke you do not need to continue. long warm ups does not cause any problem other than you waste gas.

[jonathan180iq]

If the idle is set too low the oil pressure will not reach the proper level and you'll end up doing damage to the internal parts because they won't be getting lubed. So, yes, you can do damage by not having a high enough idle or allowing the engine to "warm-up" by sitting in the driveway and thumping at low speeds.

[Easy Rider]

sometimes in the winter i let it warm up like 10 mins....i know my idler is set a lil low asked guy at a bike dealer ...he said as lon g as not dying at lights you are ok i was always afraid of it being to high ...its my first bike and new when i bought in '07..could the long warm ups cause future probs

Hmmmmm......if you know it is low, why not just tweek it up a bit?? That's what that big knob is there for !! :roll:

Really, if the idle is set right, it will ride and shift better.

LONG warm ups are not necessary. Wastes gas and accomplishes nothing useful. Even when it is VERY cold, I can't see needing more that 5 minutes and probably less. (How cold is it when you ride in the winter?)

[Water Warrior 2]

Lynda took her GZ in today for a valve check/adjustment. With 5000 KMs(approx 3000 mi) the valves were good and did not need adjusting. I don't know if this is common but it is nice to know nothing is wearing out prematurely.

[GZ250]

With 5000 KMs(approx 3000 mi) the valves were good and did not need adjusting. I don't know if this is common but it is nice to know nothing is wearing out prematurely.

My 05 GZ250 runs great and all ok so far. Just last week I took it to the dealership and the guy told me I don't need valve adjustment as the sound looks good, only when i hear click click i should come back. He told me the valve adjustment would cost around +/- $120.

Only thing that I need to check regularly is 'Oil' and 'Chain tension'. The engine oil level goes down so I add after every 800-1000 miles. Chain gets loose and I take it to the same guy at the dealership and he adjusts it. I still have the original chain and he told me I can still go with this.

[5th_bike]

I finally checked the valves' gaps today (first check at 1150 miles) with a Kmart (Sears) feeler gauge, and they were exactly 0.005 exhaust and 0.003 intake. No adjustment needed. I just wonder to what torque the caps' bolts need to be tightened to. Checked the spark gap too, OK. And gave it a good clean (mainly oil splatters on rear wheel). Sparkle, shine :tup:

Edit (add): oh, I couldn't get the generator cap loose - any suggestions for tools ? - so I put it in 5th gear and rolled it forward until the "T" line appeared.

[Badbob]

I don't how a long warm up could be worse than sitting at traffic lights idling in 100 degree plus weather. I do that a lot in the summer. I would not worry about it. Once you have had the bike for awhile you will get the feel of how long it needs to warm up.