06 gz

[seohio250gz]

I bought an '06 GZ250 with 2k miles on it from a girl at work. It sat for 3 years and once got it fired up it would idle fine but wouldn't take any gas. I put new gas and seafoam in it and it runs great now but still will not run with the choke all the way off. It's ok at speed with the choke off but dies when stopping. I have put around 25 miles on it since getting my permit last week. It's my first street bike and is a blast but learning to ride and keeping it running when stopped is nuts. I could learn better if I didn't have to keep it running. Could the idle speed be too low or maybe the seafoam needs a little longer to work?

P.S. I am new to the forum and new to bikes but feel like I got a great beginners bike. Great forum.

[blaine]

WElcome....The SeaFoam may need a little longer to work.Your idle circuit is plugged if the SeaFoam don't work you will need to remove the carb for a good cleaning. :)

[alantf]

Yes, check your idle speed. When the engine is HOT, turn the big white knob, under the carb, to give you 1200 - 1400 RPM idle. That's a lot higher than a car's idle speed, so some folk, who don't know any better, set it too low. Once you've set it high, and got used to it, you can tweak it to your personal taste. :tup:

[spldart]

Well crap. I got mine at about 1000 rpm. Didn't realize it was supposed to be faster.

[seohio250gz]

I have ridden it a lot lately and still have to use the choke. It kinda surges when letting off the throttle and it will still run only with at least half choke. I want to clean the carb but how do i know how far each jet should be screwed in after removing them to clean?

[blaine]

The only adjustable jet is the idle mixture screw.It should be set to 2 1/2 turns out & set for best idle with bike running warmed up with choke off. :)

[seohio250gz]

So i can just remove em all,clean then they just screw all the way back in except the idle mixture? Thanks for the quick reply. I love the bike but hate taking it out and having to leave the choke partially on.

[spldart]

I'm just curious.
To clarify...
Did you take off the fuel bowl. See 3 bronze colored screws *jets* clustered together towards the center under the main body of the carb. Unscrew them. Clean out all the little wholes on those three bronze colored screws *jets*. (two have quite tiny little holes) Then screw them back in firmly but not over tighten. ???
The tiny holed screws *jets* are idle/pilot type circuits. The big hole screw is your main circuit.

When I did my carb *bike wouldn't start* the two with tiny holes were the problems. One partial clog and one completely clogged.

Caveats!
Work somewhere you can find a small part if one falls off the carb. Driveway ground is not the best place.
Take notes if your worried you wont get the carb back together right. I find if I am dissassembling something complicated that some good pictures as you go on your digi cam or phone can be great notes for getting everything back the way it was. Take as many as you think you might need to get it right.
Generally this carb is real simple and in my opinion very reliable as long as you don't put it up for the winter wet.

[seohio250gz]

I just took the carb off, took off the 4 stubborn screws holding the float bowl and everything was badly tarnished.I soaked the jets and the fuel bowl for about 10 minutes in Pinesol while I ran to get allen head screws for the bowl. The pilot jet was completely clogged but after a soak and clean and reassembly, the bike is running great. No backfire, no sluggishness and no choke even to start it. Thanks to all who replied and thanks for an old post about using Pinesol. The power of Pinesol baby. :clap:

great forum.

[Water Warrior 2]

I just took the carb off, took off the 4 stubborn screws holding the float bowl and everything was badly tarnished.I soaked the jets and the fuel bowl for about 10 minutes in Pinesol while I ran to get allen head screws for the bowl. The pilot jet was completely clogged but after a soak and clean and reassembly, the bike is running great. No backfire, no sluggishness and no choke even to start it. Thanks to all who replied and thanks for an old post about using Pinesol. The power of Pinesol baby. :clap:

great forum.

I can see your grin from here. Ride safe, ride often.

[spldart]

stubborn screws.
Place whatever multitip bit that fits the screw head into the screw, with an extension if necessary. Then give a thwack to that bit/extension with something smaller than a hammer but bigger than a screwdriver handle. Sometimes I find the side of a 3/8 drive socket wrench or it's handle is good. The object is to send a jolt down into the screw head without deforming the screw head.
PS: If you have a partially stripped philips head screw then sometimes that 'thwack' on it's head can be delivered with a 3/8 extension. The blow will not only loosen the screws ninja grip but also deform the metal into the reamed out x ridges. Adding a little possible bite to your screwdriver.
Your results may vary.

[seohio250gz]

I got them loose by vice grips after stripping the heads with the screwdriver ....a lil hard but they all came out. Still cannot believe the night and day difference in the bike after getting it to run right.

[Water Warrior 2]

stubborn screws.
Place whatever multitip bit that fits the screw head into the screw, with an extension if necessary. Then give a thwack to that bit/extension with something smaller than a hammer but bigger than a screwdriver handle. Sometimes I find the side of a 3/8 drive socket wrench or it's handle is good. The object is to send a jolt down into the screw head without deforming the screw head.
PS: If you have a partially stripped philips head screw then sometimes that 'thwack' on it's head can be delivered with a 3/8 extension. The blow will not only loosen the screws ninja grip but also deform the metal into the reamed out x ridges. Adding a little possible bite to your screwdriver.
Your results may vary.
I used to curse at screw drivers and Japanese bikes. Then I discovered an impact driver with it's JIS(Japanese Industrial Standard) tips. Talk about a stress reliever in the tool box. Cheap and lasts forever.

[spldart]

I used to curse at screw drivers and Japanese bikes. Then I discovered an impact driver with it's JIS(Japanese Industrial Standard) tips. Talk about a stress reliever in the tool box. Cheap and lasts forever.

You are so right.
Love the impact... LOVE IT! :)

[alantf]

And remember that the screws are pozidriv, not philips. That means that they are shorter holes, so if you only have philips drivers you may need to grind off the tip of the driver to get them to fit without damaging the screw head.

[Water Warrior 2]

And remember that the screws are pozidriv, not philips. That means that they are shorter holes, so if you only have philips drivers you may need to grind off the tip of the driver to get them to fit without damaging the screw head.
Yeah, I did that when you mentioned that a while back. No grinder but a small file worked with some muscle. That dang hardened tip was a real eye opener. Wrapped some tape on the shaft to identify the altered screw driver.