I have a ninja 250r and recently it has had a few problems. I'll list them all here, though I am not sure if they are related.

First I bought the bike used and when I rode it around i noticed that it idled very high. So I dropped the idle adjustment screw to get the idle at about 1200 RPM.

Then the next day (today) I decided to take it out for a ride. I drive around for about 15 minutes and then stop. When i try to start it up again i press the ignition switch and all i hear is a click and all the dash lights go out. Then nothing happens when I try the switch again. After about 1 minute the dash lights come on again and I try the ignition and same thing.

So then I tried to push start it. it started up but the engine RPMs fluctuate widly and when it drives the jerks forward fast or falls back slowly. If anything electrical is pressed (turn signal, hand brake, foot brake, headlight) the tachometer rises to almost redline.

I have read other people who have had the first problem, but after a push start it worked fine. SO i tested the battery and it put out 12 volts when key is in off position and when switched to on, the volts drop to 0.

Obviously the battery is faulty, but would replacing the battery fix the other issues or do I have more than one problem on my hand?


Thanks for your time and sorry for the long post

Jack

 

I'd guess that correct battery voltage would fix most of the other issues, so you need to replace the battery first. After that you need to check the charging circuit in case that was the cause of the battery failure.

Measure the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine at about 5K rpm and check that it's above about 13V and below about 15V. Any less will cause your battery to drain. Any more will cook it.

With the battery and charging circuit sorted oyu'll be better able to see if there are still other issues.

Rob

 

That's a "ground" problem. Check your connections; make sure they're clean, tight.

Welcome to the forums, Cap'n. What year is your 250? Glad to have you aboard.
Gear up; stay safe.

 

Thanks, Jeff. My ninja is 2004.

So i just bought a replacement battery and put it in. Now the starter cranks but the engine won't catch. All the dash lights light up also.

I also checked the ground connection and everything seemed clean.

Thanks for you help so far.



EDIT:

But anyways I just push started it and it started right up but stalled as soon as i pulled the clutch. Turns out I messed up the idle adjustment screw trying to fix it yesterday. I then fixed that and it started up OK

So I rode it and when I would pull the clutch it would idle at about 1500 (which i set it at). Then when I pulled into my driveway I popped into neutral and let it idle. The engine slowly increased RPM to about 4000. If I pulled the throttle it would go up then drop back down to about 2000, but then crawl up to 4000 again.

Thanks so much for everything so far.

 

Please explain.

 

I was able to start it, refer to my edit

 

First thought is float height, adjustment and/or gunk in the slow speed circuits still.

 

Im new to all this, how to I go about checking those?

Thanks

 

In the fuel section of your manual, it will tell you the proper float height level, how the plugs should read and at what level your carbs should be synched at.

Basically drain the bowls first and look for water and debris. In order to clean the carbs, they will have to be removed. Some people try additives to the fuel first.

 

Ok, thanks

Im going to get some carb cleaner and sea foam and see if that fixes anything.