Tons of smoke from new bike???

[wanaride]

My new KDX200 is smoking pretty badly. I've had 2-smokes before and I don't remember them smoking this badly unless they needed a new top end.

It smokes some at idle which I expect, but when I roll into the powerband in 2nd gear the smoke just pours out. And there isn't much in the way of 2nd gear powerband either.

What could be the problem? Taking it too easy in the break-in? Dealer put too much oil in the premix? Plug fouled? Clueless operator?

Please help this newbie out!

 

[wanaride]

Sorry, I forgot...

Premix is 32:1 with Bel-Ray H1R.

Should I try different oil? Different ratio?

 

[tedkxkdx]

Take the bike back to the dealer now and make them figure it out or better yet have them give you another kdx. They may have really messed something up or the factory did when they built the engine. The dealer should have done a test ride of the bike before they gave it to you. They must have not been paying attention on that ride.

 

[Chief]

Sounds Like good advice. BTW does the kdx have any warranty? Just curious.

Chief

 

[chris kuba]

My buddy just bought one too and it is the same way. We changed up the mix a little to 36:1 and let out the air screw a little and that helped some. We also removed the airbox lid completely which helped some too. You should check your warranty card too. His had a misprint that guaranteed it for 6 months, that's right 6 months and Kawasaki is honoring them completely so take advantage of it if you can. I think his bike runs well even though it smokes a lot. It is an odd thing because his plug is clean as can be for the amount of smoke it puts out. If you find anything let us know.

 

[Zerotact]

The 6month waranty is not a misprint. The waranty card I got for my bike for some reason was dated the expire a year after I got my bike.

Anyways the owners manual says to pull the top end off of the bike after break in, the casting slag on the ports could snag a ring...... This might be what happened. The premix in my bike when I picked it up was way rich.

 

[wanaride]

OK, I just called the dealer and here is what he recommends:
- run less premix in the gas, try 40:1 and see if there is an improvement.
- run a hotter plug.

Lord willing I'll try this and advise. And Zerotact is right, the KDX200 (and 220 also, I think) have 6 month warranties standard, with extended warranties available for purchase if desired.

Thanks for your help!

 

[G. Gearloose]

whew, good thing the dealer didn't instruct to remove the airbox snorkle and drop the needle... :think:

 

[Houndog]

Hotter Plug? Nice to see a probable jetting issue on a brand new bike get 'masked' by a plug change... at the dealers request.

Go HERE and have a look around the site, pay special attention to the jetting section.

 

[skipro3]

that BelRay oil is crap. If this is what the dealer gave you or filled the bike with, who knows what he did. I've seen them add raw gas to the tank, then pour in 4 oz to the gallon of 2 stroke oil, tipping the bike back and forth, calling that mixing. This dealer can't be trusted with your bike. He could easily destroy it. Start with fresh premium fuel and a GOOD 2 stroke oil mixed 40:1. Don't mask jetting and fuel problems with plug heat range adjustments. Keep reading all you can on DRN. You will find lots of threads on how folks solved their jetting and fuel issues. Part of 2 stroke / bike ownership is learning about how it works and tuneing it for your area and riding style. That is one reason why you won't find folks telling you much in the way of specifics for jetting, fuel brands, oil brands, etc.

 

[wanaride]

Wow, I thought Bel-Ray was good stuff...

Let me do a search to see what other people use...

 

[JasonWho]

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[wanaride]

JasonWho, many thanks! The info on Bel-Ray's website is helpful. Now I don't have to sprint out and get more oil before the weekend!

I'll try the hotter plug and 40:1, and if that doesn't improve things, I'll have a mechanic look at the jetting (I'm not that brave yet, maybe when I get the service manual...).

THANKS!

 

[skipro3]

Oops! I'm so confused. My brain farted and thought of another product when I saw Bel-Ray. There is plenty of evidence to support the notion that polyol esters make a superior base stock in comparison to polyalphaolefins. Given similar additive packages the ester based oil would conceivably be the superior oil. Whether or not it's worth the additional cost over a PAO based synthetic, or you require it from a protection standpoint is your call. It's an excellent oil, so you can't go wrong from a quality perspective.

Excessive smoking is a combustion related issue, and the trick to killing it off is finding what part of the combustion process is breaking down when it appears. FWIW, Mobil MX2T seems to vaporize and burn off at fairly moderate temperatures so it tends to be a good choice for those of us who don't keep the throttle pinned all the time.

 

[Jackpiner57]

You probably fouled the plug when breaking it in.

Warm the bike up and then change the plug. Start it up again and take it for a ride. You should notice better performance!

After that you can mess with the jetting, needle position, etc.

 

[JasonWho]

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[23jayhawk]

Originally posted by JasonWho
You may need to raise the needle by lowering the clip one. A change to a smaller main jet may help also.

I'm thinking Jason meant to say lower the needle by raising the clip... but if you check out the web site he gave you, then you'll figure that out.

 

[skipro3]

" skipro3, are you high or did you take a crash course in oilism when you got through fighting ChainMan in last week's episode?? :-) "

JasonWho:
1. I am not high
2. Just pointed out the obvious elementry facts that anyone knows on oil
3. I have no idea what you are talking about referencing a fight last week.

You must have me confused wtih someone else. ;-]

 

[wanaride]

OK, switched to BR7ES spark plug and 40:1 Bel-Ray H1R. After the bike is warmed up, so long as I keep the bike in its powerband, the smoking isn't too bad. If I just lug around the yard without hitting the powerband, the smoke builds up. I guess this makes sense.

I just need to get this bike in the woods and open it up a bit and see how she does. Depending on how that goes, I'll look into jetting changes. But the service manual is a must-do anyway!

 

[nephron]

That means it's RICH. Kawasaki's are all jetted about 200% rich from the factory. This is probably so they will at least cover any potential lean winter condition at sea level, so that they don't have to fork out the dough for a bunch of motors.

My KX500 would barely run, and I mean BARELY. Before I could even ride it the first time, I had to buy a bunch of mains and pilots to experiment with, and CERTAINLY drop the needle one notch.

I don't know anything about the KDX, but I'm sure the stock bike suffers the same woes. Most people don't CARE because they don't know what a bike should run like. However, once you get it spot on, you won't be able to believe it. It's like night and day.

I use Royal Purple with synerlec, race fuel, and run mine close to detonation/seizing. It's the way I prefer it. And obviously, going from 32:1 to 40:1 on ratio will make it run RICHER. See the multitude of threads on this topic. It's not oil that fouls plugs, it's crap fuel with high distillation endpoints and/or rich air/fuel ratios.

 

[KelvinKDX]

Originally posted by wanaride
OK, switched to BR7ES spark plug and 40:1 Bel-Ray H1R. After the bike is warmed up, so long as I keep the bike in its powerband, the smoking isn't too bad. If I just lug around the yard without hitting the powerband, the smoke builds up. I guess this makes sense.

I just need to get this bike in the woods and open it up a bit and see how she does. Depending on how that goes, I'll look into jetting changes. But the service manual is a must-do anyway!

It worries me reading that you are changing the heat on your plug to fix this problem on a brand new bike.

Get some good fuel.  Jet the bike properly.  The BelRay H1R 40:1 is fine.

Some of the smoke could be from build up of oil in the pipe from the rich carb jetting.  Are you still running factory jetting?

Next steps - remove your air box lid and correct the jetting accordingly.

 

[JasonWho]

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[svmtbman]

You will have to jet your bike for it to run right. First of all, changing top 40:1 is actually making your bike run richer which is the last thing you need! On my stock '03 200, I had to remove the airbox cover and drop the pilot to 42 and main jet to 158, I kept my needle stock. I adjusted the F/A screw for the temp. when I would go ride (usually 1 to 1.5 turns out). This seemed to be about perfect for my elevation of 500'. When my bike was stock it would smoke and foul out a plug in 20 min.

 

[Jackpiner57]

Go back to the BR8ES. It is the right plug for your bike.

Are you leaving the choke on by mistake? If so, that will make it run very rich!

Clean your air filter and then get the jetting right.

 

[wanaride]

First of all, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. I'm learning tons of great info everyday from this forum!!!

I checked the BR8ES plug and it had gas all over the electrode. After I changed to the BR7ES plug and put a few miles on it, I checked it and it had a gas smell on the tip but the ceramic around the electrode was black, not white like I expected. The air filter is fine; the dealer mechanic serviced it in front of me and when I checked it today it was still oily and not dirty at all. And I'm using 92 octane fuel too; I have no idea where to get race gas at.

Should I take it to the dealer for proper jetting or just do it myself?