brand new bike and problems

[Clint3240]

i just bought a brand new 08 crf250 and ill start the bike no problem cold and then if i shut it off or it stalls for some reason i cant start it back up without waiting 10 minutes. i tried kicking it with that compression lever and still nothing. also the idle seems kinda high for it to stay on...i still have not broke in the engine yet..i just rode aroud my driveway for a little bit

also i let the bike sit there and idle for a few minutes and it started spilling antifreeze out and the pipe got red hot. talked to some1 and they said any 4 stroke will do that you need to ride it to cool off radiators.

any ideas please, im about to take it to the dealer in the monring and i would like some info incase they try to stiff me.

 

[Red 250]

The pipe getting red hot is normal. Make sure you arent giving the bike any gas on the restart you will flood the bike and it will be hard to get it started again. Make sure you read your manual. It will tell you exactly how to restart the bike after you have flooded it. Also a small amount of antifreeze loss is normal.
When I first start the bike I put the choke on then give the throttle about 4 or 5 blips then kick the bike over. I let the choke stay on for roughly 1 minute then take it off the bike should stay running without any assistance from the throttle. If I have been riding or the bike is warm I will use the hot start and NO gas. The bike should start up right away. I keep my hand completely away from the throttle. Hope this helps .......................Red
It took me a while to get the feel for the newer 4 strokes. But give yourself some time to familiarize yourself with the bike. Youll get the hang of it.....

 

[Clint3240]

k thanks, but about the coolant. it was coming out pretty good and started to steam when i shut the bike off

 

[Red 250]

k thanks, but about the coolant. it was coming out pretty good and started to steam when i shut the bike off

Check the level.. I know if I run my bike for a few minutes I lose some antifreeze...Maybe a tablespoon full or so. I check the level before and during every ride. Just to be sure.....................Red
Even thought the bike is water cooled it needs the air flow to help in the cooling process. Perhaps because the bike isn't being ridden it is losing more than it would if you are riding the bike at normal speeds
Oh I forgot Congrats on the new bike.. I absolutely love my "07"

 

[Clint3240]

hey thanks, ya i think ill have some fun with this thing once i get it going right. is your bike high at idle? i dont have anything to compare it to. its almost like i have to turn it up to keep the bike running from the position that it came with and ill try to turn it down a bit and sometimes it will cut out.

 

[Red 250]

hey thanks, ya i think ill have some fun with this thing once i get it going right. is your bike high at idle? i dont have anything to compare it to. its almost like i have to turn it up to keep the bike running from the position that it came with and ill try to turn it down a bit and sometimes it will cut out.

Make sure that you allow the bike to idle for a minute or so after you take the choke off. The bike will run a little above idle until the bike is warmed up. I actually had to raise my idle a bit once the bike was warmed up in order to get her to run after the choke was taken off. It has been fine ever since no problems.

 

[Chili]

If this is your first 4 stroke then take your hand completely off the throttle when attempting to restart, place it on the bar beside the throttle. Too often you see riders unintentionally give the throttle just a slight blip with each kick and flood the bike.

That lever is a hot start lever, not a compression or decompression lever and you should use it when hot. If you flood the bike give it 5 slow kicks through then pull in the hot start and kick it like you mean it.

 

[_JOE_]

Also look into an aftermarket fuel screw. Mine gets a bit finiky to start warm if the air screw is too rich.

 

[GU Ute]

Crf

Hey, I just bought an 09 CRF250 and had the same sort of promblems, once I finally got it started I turned the choke off too early and then I couldn't start it again for ages (kept flooding it like chili said) few slow kicks, hot start lever, choke back on then it finally fired up. It did have what I thought was a higher than normal idle on the choke, but i guess it is just normal for these high tech 4's.

Header was glowing red hot (was about ten at night) but no coolant loss or steam.

The next day when I was running it in it didnt like to idle off the choke, just raised the idle speed a little and now is much better. Will prob have to put it back down once it all settles in though. Very happy with it though!!!

 

[Clint3240]

i was thinking about the jetting, how is it stock from honda, i live at sea level. only if race bikes could have an electric start.

 

[_JOE_]

My bike had a really lean pilot circuit. It was January when I picked it up, about 40 degrees out, and took 10+ kicks to get to light off. Then it would die right out a couple or three times before finally getting going. Fuel screw adjustment was 1.5 turns out, I was at 3 and still too lean. At that point I figured the bike was probly lean all around and orderd up a JD kit(does not include pilot or leak jets) and picked up a fatter pilot and a couple leak jets to experiment with. It did a great job of boosting the throttle response and cleaning up the mid range. It also starts with 1 or 2 kicks as long as you set the fuel screw for temperature changes. It still conks out once if it's below 45 or 50 degrees. I'm now really fat on the main to keep the pull strong all the way to the limiter. It gets a bit soft towards the ceiling when you lean it out.

 

[conn424]

the bike is overheating, if im not mistaking the bike also can be aircooled, dont take me 100 percent on that one. Just ride it and let it cool off. Don't try to start it giving the bike gas, also try using the hotstart when the bike is hot and choke when the bike is cold.

 

[_JOE_]

the bike is overheating, if im not mistaking the bike also can be aircooled, dont take me 100 percent on that one. Just ride it and let it cool off. Don't try to start it giving the bike gas, also try using the hotstart when the bike is hot and choke when the bike is cold.

The bike IS NOT overheating unless it's puking coolant out of the overflow. A glowing header is perfectly normal.