88 CR250 Starting Problem

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and to dirtbikes in general. I bought my first bike about 2 months ago, a 79 Suzuki TS 125 which was good to learn to ride and work on. I sold that this weekend and just bought a 1988 Honda CR 250. It is in excellent shape, really clean with a recent engine rebuild and and a big bore kit so its' really a 300cc, and a Pro Series exhaust pipe with an FMF silencer. I bought it not running, but the previous owner said he had it running last season. The bike has great compression, but I can't get it to start!!. I was told when I bought it that it was an electrical problem. I traced the problem to the plug cap, and fixed that. Its now getting spark, but it still seems pretty weak. (I'm comparing this to my old Suzuki, which when kicked over with the plug out and grounded on the engine would make a big fat blue spark!) I'm using a brand new plug in the bike. The previous owner thought it might be coil. I'll be doing an electrical test on the whole system as soon as I get my clymer guide tomorrow. But it is sparking some so I think the CDI and coil are ok. I've been told it could be the stator, or the gap btwn the stator and magneto? I need a puller tool to remove the magneto to check the stator, so I'll hopefully take care of that soon. I've checked the kill switch, and that is working fine.

I took the carb apart today and cleaned it thoroughly. I took it to my neighbor, a carb expert, and he checked the floats and says it looks great, so I don't believe its a carb problem.
Now I've been kicking the hell out of it, and its making a backfiring/coughing noise every 10 kicks or so.

It had a paddle tire on the back, so I havent been able to try and running start it. I'm changing the tires tomorrow, so I'll give that a shot and see if it'll start like that.

What else should I do!!!??? Any ideas and help are greatly appreciated, I need to get this thing running for the start of the season!!
Thanks in advance!

Also is there any good Honda dirtbike or CR specific message boards or forums? I havent been able to find one!

Thanks!
Evan

Ok got some more info. I put brand new tires & tubes on the bike front and back, since it had a paddle in the back, and the front tire was shot. I tried to push start the bike this afternoon, and no luck. It will turn over and sound like its almost gonna start, but nothing. I kick it a few more times and it makes that cough/backfire again.
I spent hours last night reading through posts on here, and I'm beginning to think its a problem with the stator. A stator problem will not only affect just starting right, but also timing and the ability of the bike to run at all right???

I'm gonna pull that apart as soon as I can, but I need to get a flywheel puller so I can get the stator plate off. Anybody have one in San Diego I could borrow, or know a place to get a Honda flywheel puller?

Please guys give me some hints, tips, ideas, or any kind of help at all, I need to get this bike running!
Thanks again
Evan

When checking the spark with the plug grounded, it is still weak and inconsistent. I just got a clymer's guide and did all the electrical system tests. The stator test FAILED overall, as did the coil test overall. Here is the results of my electrical tests:

Stator:
wires checked | Tested Value | Specified Value in Book
------------------------------------------------------
Brown-White | 0 | 360-440 BAD!
Brown-Blue | 117.6 | 90-130 OK!

Pulse Generator:
wires checked | Tested Value | Specified Value in Book
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Blue/Yellow-Green/White | 100 | 94-120 OK!

Ignition:
wires checked | Tested Value | Specified Value in Book
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Primary: | 1.0 | .4-.6 UHH...maybe oK?
Secondary: | 0 | 10-16k BAD!


So because of this I'm gonna be replacing the stator, and the coil. Should I replace the CDI too? Why is one stator reading good, but the other one bad?
Where can I get a cheap flywheel puller ?

I found a good deal on all this on ****, what do yo uthink?
Will a 89 electrical system work on my 88? I'm assuming it will, it looks the same!

http://cgi.****.com/****motors/HOND...emQQcategoryZ35595QQitemZ4574138132QQtcZphoto

Thanks so much for the help!
Evan