I bought a 2005 Ninja 250 two years ago and rode it mostly without problems. I put it the a garage for the off season. When i got it out to start the new season the battery had died. This has happened both years I've had it. Is this normal?

I charged the battery and the bike will turn over, but it won't actually start. All the lights come on, the oil appears to be at the right level, and I have the choke in the correct position. This has happened frequently. I took it to the shop last year and he said my battery was bad. $250 later i had a new battery and the same problems.

Any Ideas?

 

Welcome to KF

Check that the fuel is on and the kill switch is on.

 

Always good advice Drag! In addition to that, many bikes do not start at the start of the season, typically because they were not properly put away. The 2 biggest problems are bad batteries, and bad fuel.

The bad battery can be fixed by a $20 battery tender. It will trickle charge and maintain your battery throughout the winter, just make sure to keep the battery topped off.

Alot of people dont know that gas has a shelf life, It degrades over time, and by the time the new season rolls around the picky bike motors cant use it anymore. Stabil will help it last longer and will typically get it through the winter. Since you didnt use it, drain the gas out of your tank (you can put it in your car or lawnmower, they dont mind it) and while your there you can clean and inspect the carbs and fuel filter. then put it all back together refill with high octane and try again. Let us know if you still cant get it to work, and we can dig deeper.

Good luck with the revive, and welcome to KF!

 

Why didn't you take the bike back to the mechanic if your ride had the same problems last year?