Just bought this, my first Japaneeeze off road bike in over 20 years. It`s been stood for a while, it runs really well but is an absolute pig to start. I`ve heard they can be stubborn but I think a carb clean and a check of the valve clearances wouldn`t go amiss, my technique for starting her is a bit rusty as well, ooo`er missus. I`ve not had an off road bike since 2012,(not counting the fucking frantic Fantic debacle). This could get messy.
A bit like my 83 model. This had been stood Ten years when I got it, it is a twin carb model and was a pig to start, it was very rich, after adjusting the carbs it now starts first kick hot or cold. Steve
There is a knack to starting my XR400 and I’m guessing the 250’s are the same. From cold: Fuel on, choke on full and turn idle screw up a bit. Find just before TDC and with a closed throttle, give it a full kick, not a half arsed attempt at a kick! When it starts, fiddle with the idle adjuster to find a steady tickover speed. As it warms up, you can play with the choke/idle adjuster as necessary. Mine used to spit back through the carb and stall, which was bloody annoying. It was running a bit rich so I leaned off the mixture a bit and it’s a lot better now, although to be fair it would benefit from a carb strip down and clean. Good luck and enjoy!
I can start it now usually (fingers crossed) within a couple of kicks. I stripped and cleaned the carb and re set the pilot screw to 1 3/4 turns out. The manual decompressor wasn`t set right either, I loosened the cable enough to allow the decompressor arm to go fully back and now tdc is easier to find. I want to check the valve clearances but the adjuster caps are proving stubborn to remove. Internet wisdom says the oil seals stick and this makes them hard to remove so a hammer and punch and replace is the answer. Bit early for that kind of butchery me thinks.
