First bike, got a KX250

[Drowsy]

Hello,

I was in the market for a new (used) bike for myself. I have been on quads all my life and have been wanting a dirtbike. I have a 2003 Honda 250EX and 400EX(quads)and one of my friends wanted to trade a 1998 KX250 for the 250.

I do realize it is a rather large bike for my first, but I do have some experience on smaller bikes and plenty of experience on quads.

My questions -

Premix the fuel at 40:1 with Benol(what was previously used) and run a 7 plug, correct?
Do the Iridium plugs make a difference and are they worth it?
Foam or paper air filter?
Anything to keep and eye out for on this specific bike?


Thanks!

 

[Bigdogdaddy69]

i wouldnt run a 7 get a ngk b8es or br8es 7 is way 2 hot.

 

[Matt Fisher]

-40:1 should be fine. You don't need to stick with the same oil he has been using, just find one that you like and keep using it.
-I don't bother with special plugs, especially when getting the jetting right.
-Foam filter (you won't even find a paper filter available). There's lots of different brands, I'll throw in a vote for the Moose ones.

Have fun.

 

[Drowsy]

OK, Thanks.
I have a few other questions -

Is there a difference between chainsaw oil and dirtbike oil?
Some of my friends run 32:1. Too rich?
What is safer, richer or leaner with premixing oil?

 

[Moto Man26]

Use premix oil made for dirtbikes. Chainsaw oil is way too cheap and not good enough...You can damage your motor by using chainsaw premix oil... And it's always better to run richer than lean. But you can solve this rich/lean issue by jetting you carb right.... 32:1 sounds great.

 

[IndyMX]

Again.. RICH/LEAN refer only to FUEL-AIR ratio, not how much oil is in the mix.

32:1 and jet properly, you'll have no problems.

 

[Jeromeo]

Do they even make paper filters?? Way to get a bike. Now hopefully you permanantly switch to bikes and sell your motorized wheelchair/couch. I would run 32:1. I would rather have too much oil then to little. I use a twinair filter. Clean it every 2-3 rides. I would suggest using BR8ES or EG instead of the BR7's. BR7 is too hot as someone had already pointed out. I would use Belray Gearsaver as well.

 

[Drowsy]

Whats the difference between the ES and EG plugs?

And not all quad riders are azzholes.....

 

[DWreck]

Whats the difference between the ES and EG plugs?

NGK makes different versions of the same heat range of plug. The difference between a BR8ES, BR8EG and BR8EV is the size of the electrode at the bottom of the plug. The ES is the least expensive of the three and should work fine. It is claimed that the EG and even more so EV will give you a little better throttle response.

Congrats on the new bike. I rode a 98 KX250 for 8 years and it treated me well. The BR8( ) is the recommended plug for that bike. If the bike is jetted properly and you are running good oil at a decent ratio it should run good.

Everyone has an opinion on oils and the rate to mix them at. Chain saw oil might be fine for it but I would not use it. (My dirt bike means more to me than a chainsaw or weed wacker)Most people run ratios between 32 to 1 up to 50 to 1. I personally used Mobil 1 MX2T at 40 to 1 but Mobil is discontinuing it so I will have to find something else.

If you are new to two strokes go buy a Ratio Rite. It will help you mix the right amount of oil for however many gallons you want to make.

 

[karlp]

I buy a good 2T oil and mix up 4 gallons at a time (Golden Spectro @ 42:1)

Works real well in my weedwacker, blower and chainsaw, too!

 

[MXSparx]

You may want to drop the pilot jet one size down from stock. That was the only jetting change mine needed before HDR made it a 265.
Make sure you squeeze the bike tight with your legs because the 98 IMO is one of the strongest 250's made and it WILL try to jump out from under you if you get lazy on the track.

 

[Drowsy]

Yea i hear this was one of the sickest bikes that was made. Did they change alot in the older years?

 

[DWreck]

In 99 they changed the plastic, seat and sub frame and made the motor a little smoother. Other than that they were nearly the same til 02. 03 was the new frame. 05 was the new motor. 07 was the end.

 

[Drowsy]

Smoother in what way?

And did the power go down in 05?

 

[DWreck]

Less hit. There were some complaints that it was a little too violent.

In 98 I think all the magazines picked it as the winner in their shoot outs. They made small refinements in the coming years. The only problem was other brands made big improvements, Yamaha in particular.

Magazines also seem to get a little upset writing about basically the same bike year after year and start to rag on it.

 

[Jeromeo]

Whats the difference between the ES and EG plugs?

And not all quad riders are azzholes.....

I never said once that quad riders are azzholes. All I'm saying is thank god for quads otherwise more dorks would be on bikes. JK. But seriously Biking is more of a challenge compared to riding on a powered wheelchair.

 

[TWRT]

When was the last time a top end job was done on the bike. How well was it maintained? Grease the linkage and swingarm and wheel bearings. Check the spokes. Repeat at least once a year (depending on how much you ride) and have fun.

 

[georgia_tom]

yeah i just got an '03 yz250 and i mix the gas and oil with a ratio of 32:1. i put 4 ounces every gallon. i also use a ratio rite, which makes it easier to get the mixture right. by the way this is also my very first bike ever.

 

[TxCr250]

Since this bike isn't new, before you go twisting fuel screws on your carb you need to first make sure the floats in the carb are set to the proper level. Then adjust your needle and fine tune it with the jets. Ideally you want your plug to have a Hershey bar "chocolate" brown color to it. If it's black and wet you're too rich, if it's tan/white then you're way too lean. 2nd, if you can push down on your kickstarter and turn your bike over with hand rather easily, I would suggest getting a compression check, it may be time for a new top end. Keep your air filter clean and you should be riding for a long time!! Enjoy the new bike and take it easy until you get used to the power delivery. Blipping the throttle on a 250 2smoke can put you on your back real quick! BRAAAAAAAAP! 8)

 

[mxcrazed]

I use the br8 iridium plug and i noticed that my bike ran smoother up in the top of the power band and gave me some more useful RPMs and I was fouling the br8eg and the iridium one seems to be holding up great but when I went to replace it I busted the electrode off the new plug (a lot easier than you would think) when I had to open up the gap a tad not a millimeter but oh well

 

[00KX250Byrd]

Yea, I did the same and broke my Irdium electrode the first time, but I know now how to be careful with them. My bike(00KX250) seems to run better with it. I also believe I got my jetting pretty good. NAPA replaced mine for free when I broke it.
They are expensive. Anyone else had good/bad luck with the Irdium? I also run the same in my Seadoo's BR8EIX.

Britton