Some random questions about my new '06 GZ-250

[kongjie]

Just about 2 weeks ago I got my first bike since the 70cc Honda dirtbike I rode as a teen. This 2006 only had 700 miles on it. Since it had been sitting in a garage for over a year, I had it towed to a local shop, the fuel tank drained, carb cleaned and the oil changed.

It feels like it is running pretty good to me, although I have nothing to compare it to, obviously. But I do have a couple questions.

Front wheel sound
I turn off the bike and push a couple yards it when I stow it behind my cottage. When I do, the front wheel makes a sound. Can't really describe it. Kind of like a slight metal rubbing? I just wonder if this is normal--coming from the world of bicycles, I'm just to not hearing anything when I push a bike LOL. Perhaps the disc brakes produce a sound?

Oil smell
There is no leaking oil, as far as I can see; and there is no smoke from the exhaust to the best of my knowledge. But when I finish my approximately 20 minute commute, I can smell a slight burning oil smell. Not sure if that is normal.

Compressed air
I noticed, looking through the downloaded manual, that a number of routine repairs--air filter cleaning, carb cleaning--requires compressed air. As a lifelong renter, and at least for the time being lacking a garage (just a small shed), I don't have a ton of tools and certainly not a compressor. Assuming this is something necessary for basic maintenance, does anyone have a suggestion for the smallest compressor that can do the job?

[Water Warrior 2]

Congrats on the bike and welcome.
Front wheel: a disc brake will normally make a bit of noise. This is because the pads are always in contact with the disc. All is good.
Oil smell: I would assume that the engine is still trying to burn off the original shipping grease/coating. With only 700 miles on the bike it certainly wasn't ridden enough to do the job properly. You aren't the first rider to notice this.
Compressed air: A compressor is handy but not as needed as many folks would think. You can live without one just like I have. I do however use a 12 volt compressor to pump up tires but not a regular shop compressor that the manual is refering to.
I would suggest going over the bike with some TLC to check for loose nuts and bolts and lube anything that moves. Likely the bike never had it's 600 check and it needs it. The manual will help you. Make all the adjustments needed on the controls to fit your body. Of particular interest is the rear brake pedal. Adjust it to fit your leg/foot. The bikes usually come out of the factory with the pedal too high to fit most folks.
The bike most likely never had it's 600 mile valve check. This is something you should do or have done by a decent shop.
You will likely need a new battery too if this is still original. A new battery and a Battery Tender will serve you well. The Battery Tender is a small smart charger that maintains the battery when the bike is left unused for a while. It can also be used to charge up a new battery properly overnight before being put into service.
Tinkering and a little TLC will familiarize you with the bike and both of you will be better off for it. Have fun and don't be afraid to ask a silly sounding question. We all have them.

[kongjie]

The bikes usually come out of the factory with the pedal too high to fit most folks.

Thanks, I didn't even know you could adjust it. That's great. As a new rider, I'm still trying to figure out where to position my right foot while I'm riding. With the pedal in the current position, I think I might be riding the brake if I cover it.

You will likely need a new battery too if this is still original. A new battery and a Battery Tender will serve you well. The Battery Tender is a small smart charger that maintains the battery when the bike is left unused for a while. It can also be used to charge up a new battery properly overnight before being put into service..
The bike was kept on a Tender the whole time. I thought I might need a new battery but the shop said it was fine. The first day, however, I stalled and after a couple of attempts to restart, the battery didn't have enough juice to start. But after a push start and some riding it was fine, and has been since then. I got a multimeter and checked the battery, got a Tender just in case, but ended up returning it.

[Water Warrior 2]

Here is something you don't want to hear but it is for your own safety and long life. Replace the tires. At 700 miles there is lots and lots of tread left but it will kill you. The tires are at least 7 years old, maybe 8 years old. With age the rubber gets hard, loses it's ability to grip and becomes slippery. This applies to all tires. Anything over 5 years old and still in use should be tossed. I have 4 beautiful tires off my truck that are just old..........wanna buy them? I can make you a heck of a deal. They won't grip hot pavement let alone a damp surface.
There are some decent tires on the market for the GZ that will work well and make the bike feel more planted and secure. Never ride on old tires, they will eventually bite you no matter how careful you are.

[kongjie]

Well, here's the deal: when I first had the bike towed to a shop my friend recommended, I asked them to look over the whole thing, and to replace the tires. I actually even factored it in to the purchase price.

But the fellow at the shop told me that the tires look great. The bike has been garage kept the whole time, out of the sun, and he said they looked them over and they are still sticky and show no signs of cracking. He added that they were premium tires and one of the advantages of a lighter bike is that there is less impact on the tires when a bike sits for a long time.

The date code shows that they are indeed '06 or '07 tires and it was my understanding that you replace tires over 5 years old--just like you don't buy a used helmet--but here I had this guy who presumably knows a lot more than me about motorcycles telling me the tires were good to keep. So, I listened to him.

[Rookie Rider]

Ok, but sitting in a garage for a year may cause a flat spot on both tires from the wieght of the bike and from not being moved around. Your life may depend on it.

[Water Warrior 2]

If you already factored in new tires before purchase you should just do it. Either that or invest in more health insurance. I can't stress enough the value of new rubber under your butt. It will make a big difference in your safety and riding enjoyment. Riding with old tires is like fondling a loaded gun.

[Rookie Rider]

BANG !!

[kongjie]

Ok, you've convinced me. Heck, I was already convinced and let the shop talk me out of it.

An amusing aside. I didn't ride this weekend. Monday morning and the battery is dead. Push started it after a couple of failed attempts, rode it to the auto parts store and bought a battery tender (with the bike still running lol). Came back home and am charging it now. The shop checked it out, charged it overnight, said it was fine. So maybe I need to factor that in to their advice about the tires...

[Water Warrior 2]

If the battery is original I would toss it just to have the reliability of a new one. It has already surpassed it's expected life by quite a margin.
What you have is basically an new "old stock" bike. 700 miles is nothing in the grand scheme of things so a bit more invested is worthwhile in my opinion. Renewing the battery, tires, tubes and adding in some TLC will have it new new again. Make sure the chain has no frozen links from lack of use and enjoy your new bike.

[mrlmd1]

If you buy new tires, also get new tubes, and new rim strips (the strip of rubber that goes around the inside of the wheel to protest the tubes from the spoke ends).
They are only a few dollars, and then you won't have to go back in there again.

Make sure when you turn the bike off you turn the key only to the OFF position and not all the way past that to Park. That will leave the rear tail light on, and when you walk away from the bike, especially in the daytime, you may not notice it, and you come back hours later to a dead battery. This is a common mistake with those new to a GZ.

If the battery was load tested after fully charging it and it was fine, you don't have to buy a new battery because this other one is "old". If it passes a load test, the battery is fine. And remember, if you do buy a new battery, it will most likely be an AGM type, and it must be placed on a charger and FULLY CHARGED before first use, otherwise it will never hold a proper charge and you will be back at the battery shop getting it replaced after only a few starts of the bike. Do not rely on the salesman telling you the battery is good to go when you leave the store. If YOU don't charge it up first, you'll regret it.

[kongjie]

Make sure when you turn the bike off you turn the key only to the OFF position and not all the way past that to Park. That will leave the rear tail light on, and when you walk away from the bike, especially in the daytime, you may not notice it, and you come back hours later to a dead battery. This is a common mistake with those new to a GZ.

Well, you just saved me a lot of trouble. 6 hours ago I hooked up the battery to the tender and have been waiting for the green light to come on. And the whole time it was in Park. I didn't even know there was a Park position. Thanks.

[GZ250]

for the sound in front wheel. brake pads do touch the disc all the time but they should not make any sound or put drag on the wheel. if there is a (loud) metallic sound (while pushing or driving) then pads are worn out and needs replacement or touching the disc too much.

in your case the bike has low miles but something could be wrong. so if there is too much sound the caliper might need adjustment or cleaning. check if there is enough brake fluid in master cylinder.

from my experience. when I changed the front brake pads first time I cleaned everything and did everything right but I could feel some sound like pads were touching the disc. there is a caliper holder that moves in a out. you can remove that for cleaning and the ends go in the rubber dust seals. clean the seals and when you put the caliper holder back make sure it sits good and "creates suction" and when you move by hand it moves freely. another important thing that I read afterwards, for washing the brake caliper assembly only use brake fluid, no kerosene or gasoline. bleeding brake fluid is another thing that needs to be done if required.

[mrlmd1]

Make sure when you turn the bike off you turn the key only to the OFF position and not all the way past that to Park. That will leave the rear tail light on, and when you walk away from the bike, especially in the daytime, you may not notice it, and you come back hours later to a dead battery. This is a common mistake with those new to a GZ.

Well, you just saved me a lot of trouble. 6 hours ago I hooked up the battery to the tender and have been waiting for the green light to come on. And the whole time it was in Park. I didn't even know there was a Park position. Thanks.


Glad you saw that - maybe you also saved the price of a new battery. Glad it could be so simple, just remember that, when you turn the bike off and look at the rear lights when you walk away from it.

[kongjie]

Glad you saw that - maybe you also saved the price of a new battery. Glad it could be so simple, just remember that, when you turn the bike off and look at the rear lights when you walk away from it.

Now I'm paranoid. Walked back to the parking garage after my morning workout and made sure I wasn't in P. Going to have to routinely double-check this when I turn off the ignition or i'll go crazy...

[kongjie]

for the sound in front wheel. brake pads do touch the disc all the time but they should not make any sound or put drag on the wheel. if there is a (loud) metallic sound (while pushing or driving) then pads are worn out and needs replacement or touching the disc too much.

As far as I can tell, there's no drag, and I don't hear anything while driving. It's just a slight sound when the bike is off and I'm pushing it around the back of my house. Maybe I'll have the shop just confirm it is okay when I get those tires replaced.

[Rookie Rider]

Lift the front of the bike with a car jack (with kickstand down) and give the front a spin and take a listen when its quiet around you.

[jonathan180iq]

Rook's advice is pretty good. It will also let you watch for oscillation and/or balance.

It sounds to me like you're just hearing the regular rolling sounds of a single caliper disc brake. If you were paying this much attention and were able to push your car on your own, I bet you would hear the same thing.

Unless it's grabbing and sounds very metallic, I'm going to say that you are fine.

[GZ250]

Normally hearing anything from brakes while riding a bike is not easy especially if you wear ear plugs and helmet. if there is a squeal you will hear even during the day. just push your bike back and forth and you will hear that. sometimes the pads have uneven wear or the caliper is not pushed back then you also hear this. so a cleaning and grease on caliper holder can help this issue.

I get this squeal when my pads are bad.

[Water Warrior 2]

With only 700 miles on the bike there is little chance of anything but normal disc drag noises.

[OldNTired]

for the sound in front wheel. brake pads do touch the disc all the time but they should not make any sound or put drag on the wheel. if there is a (loud) metallic sound (while pushing or driving) then pads are worn out and needs replacement or touching the disc too much.

As far as I can tell, there's no drag, and I don't hear anything while driving. It's just a slight sound when the bike is off and I'm pushing it around the back of my house. Maybe I'll have the shop just confirm it is okay when I get those tires replaced.

I had something similar with mine when I first got it. All it took to fix it was a spray of brake cleaner on the pads. Some brake dust or road crap was on them. Be careful NOT to spray on any paint! Wash it off immediately if that happens.