hey folks. I'm the proud new owner of a 78 Dt250.
I used to own a 75MGB roadster, so you /know/ I know how to work a wrench to some degree.. since those things seriously spurn owners who don't worship them weekly with tools and oils.
Anyway, I picked up a 1978 Yamaha DT250 on a lark, having paid very little for it.
the prior owner indicated he had run it recently, and the next day he couldn't start it. Since I've had it (four days), I've noticed:
Seems to be getting fuel, as the plug will be a little wet with fuel when i try and turn it over.
the original plug didn't seem fouled, and it has a fresh plug in it and still won't turn over.
has spark via a visual with the plug out and wired to a ground on the bike while turning it over.
carb interior looks clean and free from any wear or other weirdness. float valve seems to close properly and carb gets fuel, a virgin plug smelled of fuel after being put in and the engine turned.. there may have been a film of fuel on it, it was dark by then.
the battery is good, but the closer i look at the wiring, the less warm and fuzzy I feel about it being up to par. The bike, like my MG, seems to bear evidence of three or four other guys re-doing the wiring because they thought Yamaha's way of doing it was not good enough. That said, if i see spark on the plug, i would suppose that the electrical bogusness isn't affecting the ignition side of the fence.
reed valves look new, as does the inside of the tank. Also, the breaker contacts look pretty new from what i can see through the holes in the flywheel.
I would /think/ that my next concern is with the timing, but i cannot get the flywheel off to get at the points. I have a puller on order from a local yamaha shop.
Where else should I think to look for a starting problem? If i can get it to turn over, I intend on some lightwieght riding for about 5 miles before replacing the inner seals... I understand that one of these sitting for a while can lead to tranny oil blowing into the crankcase, or even a crank going places it shouldn't.
Also, I'm getting the feeling that the kick starter is inhibiting the engine from turning freely at the end of the kick-stroke.. I've never had a bike of this size, and don't know if this is normal or whatnot. Maybe I'm just not putting enough stink on it when i kick.. the only other bike I've had with a kick start was a 73 CT90, and you could kick that over by looking at it funny from across the room.
A Clymer manual is onroute, just in case you wanted to advise me of such.. aside from that, I'm all ears for advice, warning, or other lamentations.
Derek.
I used to own a 75MGB roadster, so you /know/ I know how to work a wrench to some degree.. since those things seriously spurn owners who don't worship them weekly with tools and oils.
Anyway, I picked up a 1978 Yamaha DT250 on a lark, having paid very little for it.
the prior owner indicated he had run it recently, and the next day he couldn't start it. Since I've had it (four days), I've noticed:
Seems to be getting fuel, as the plug will be a little wet with fuel when i try and turn it over.
the original plug didn't seem fouled, and it has a fresh plug in it and still won't turn over.
has spark via a visual with the plug out and wired to a ground on the bike while turning it over.
carb interior looks clean and free from any wear or other weirdness. float valve seems to close properly and carb gets fuel, a virgin plug smelled of fuel after being put in and the engine turned.. there may have been a film of fuel on it, it was dark by then.
the battery is good, but the closer i look at the wiring, the less warm and fuzzy I feel about it being up to par. The bike, like my MG, seems to bear evidence of three or four other guys re-doing the wiring because they thought Yamaha's way of doing it was not good enough. That said, if i see spark on the plug, i would suppose that the electrical bogusness isn't affecting the ignition side of the fence.
reed valves look new, as does the inside of the tank. Also, the breaker contacts look pretty new from what i can see through the holes in the flywheel.
I would /think/ that my next concern is with the timing, but i cannot get the flywheel off to get at the points. I have a puller on order from a local yamaha shop.
Where else should I think to look for a starting problem? If i can get it to turn over, I intend on some lightwieght riding for about 5 miles before replacing the inner seals... I understand that one of these sitting for a while can lead to tranny oil blowing into the crankcase, or even a crank going places it shouldn't.
Also, I'm getting the feeling that the kick starter is inhibiting the engine from turning freely at the end of the kick-stroke.. I've never had a bike of this size, and don't know if this is normal or whatnot. Maybe I'm just not putting enough stink on it when i kick.. the only other bike I've had with a kick start was a 73 CT90, and you could kick that over by looking at it funny from across the room.
A Clymer manual is onroute, just in case you wanted to advise me of such.. aside from that, I'm all ears for advice, warning, or other lamentations.
Derek.
