stork955

Gday, air cleaner OK? Cheers, Stork

Gday, if it seems fine mechanically its probably nothing to worry about. You will get some wear and tear over the years and this is the result. Id just monitor the transmission to make sure there are no unusual noises etc and not worry too much. Cheers, Stork

Gday Cope, this bike has a brown tip in it. I cant ever remember having an issue with a black tip one. Weird... Anyway, how did your testing go Chris? Cheers, Stork

Gday, you can buy spark testers like Cope's description too. Or make one, no more than a 5-6 mm air gap though. Any of these is fine and the best way to test an ignition system. Too big a gap or a poor engine ground as with testing the "old" way can actually damage ignition components that were OK prior to the test... By the way, the Sherco I have here had a stuck float needle. carb was as dry as a dry thing. The needle had stuck right into the seat. The Dellorto needles do seem a bit soft on the end. Cheers, Stork

Gday, I have a Sherco with a Leonelli here at the moment, which its owner suspected has no spark. We tested it with one of these - http://www.toolfetch.com/Category/Automoti...rs/LIS20610.htm and it proved that spark was present. We couldnt see it by removing the plug etc. I havent solved the bike not running issue yet, but it may be worthwhile getting one of these. Its easy and safe, and you will have it your toolbox for ever. Cheers, Stork

Gday, same here, my old Techno had a light knock and I stripped it to check. Piston to bore clearance was perfect, small end and gudgeon (or Wrist pin, Piston Pin) all OK. I replaced main bearings which were not too bad and measured the rod - there was no freeplay up and down which is normal and side clearance was wide but not too bad. I cant remember how much it had but probably in the order of 18 thou (about 0.4 mm) measured between the conrod and the crankshaft. This is usually an indicator of a failing big end way off in the future. Rule of thumb says that max rod side clearance should be no more than 20 -25 thou (around 0.5 mm). Put it back together and it was the same afterwards but ran much better because everything was clean! Cheers, Stork.

Gday, the pedal should feel quite firm and move a small amount before stopping but not feel "rock solid". I think you should be able to stall the bike easily using the rear brake at a fast idle. Pedal movement can vary according to individual setup but all should have a small amount of free travel before the rod contacts the master cylinder, you should see around 1 inch max. travel . I guess the best way to tell is by comparison with another bike that has a good rear brake. They all feel somewhat similar. The Betas can be a real pain to get a rear brake bled, the only way I could ever do this is by removing the whole lot and bleeding on the bench, then refitting. Cheers, Stork

Gday, search around in the Beta forum, there is a huge amount of stuff on the rear brake. Good Luck! Stork

Gday, take your pipe to your local engine rebuilders. Most have a parts cleaning tank with chemical solutions that will clean the pipe inside like new. It is the easiest way! My local guys charge me nothing to do this. Cheers, Stork

Gday, I assume you are using wide open throttle for a longer period here, so it is probably a fuel supply issue. Check for some restriction in the fuel supply - part blocked filter on the tap, kink in the hose etc, part blocked breather or possibly incorrectly set float drop. This is the adjustment tang on the float that allow the float to open fully, not the one that sets the float height and touches on the needle. A quick test is to run the carb pipe into a bottle etc and open the tap. You should see a strong continuous flow for as long as there is fuel in the tank. If not - look for the problem. Cheers, Stork

Gday, with your rebuild clean the exhaust pipe from front to rear. Apart from that, theres not much you can do apart from practice! Cheers, Stork.

Gday, did you give the points a clean before fitting? Often they have a film of protective oil/stuff on them when new, and you do need to give them a clean with some solvent first (Just on the contact area) Also, make sure you have a small dab of grease on the rubbing block too- not too much though! Cheers, Stork

Gday, good chain and sprocket life is dependant on maintenance. Keep it clean and lubed and all chains will last well. Cheers, Stork

Gda, Ive had a look at that spring and I'm going to get one. As a fat ******* at @# stone I do bottom the bike occasionally. I've had no trouble with water getting in anywhere on mine, touch wood. Cheers, Stork.

Gday, I had a look at my 09 parts manual and it seems that 125, 200, 250 and 290 use the same stators etc so the figures above should be OK for all these bikes. Obviously the CDI's are different as they would run different advance curves, but coils etc are the same. I would imagine that the 2010 bikes are pretty much the same. These are totally different systems to the Techno's and Rev 3's as far as I know. Ticket2ride - Let us know if you need help with any of these measurements. Its not hard to do and a multimeter is cheap to buy for your toolbox. Your brake should'nt be too difficult if the bike is new, check the basic stuff first and if no good the next step would be to check the transfer port in the m/cyl is free and clear. The easiest way to do this is to back bleed the system with a syringe. If fluid flows freely to the reservior its all OK. If not there is most likely a small bit of rubbish blocking the port. A strip and clean will fix this, no parts needed. The bike is under warranty though so it may be best to talk to your dealer first. Cheers, Stork

Gday Ross, a dry looking black plug plug is too rich. I assume the bike runs OK? The next step would be drop the needle a notch (raise the circlip one spot) and see how it goes. Id leave the plug as is for now, Im always worried by going to hotter plugs to correct other issues. In fact Ive made quite a bit of money out of it over the years. Let us know what you find. Cheers, Stork

Gday, here are the Evo ignition specs. Keep in mind my bike is a 2010 250, but they are very likely the same anyway. Also, if there is no spark don't go pulling the carb apart. You have enough issues now without building new ones in as well! Source Coil Blue and Red Wires Resistance - 316 ohms. Check there is No circuit to ground. Output at kickover - 25 V AC (Measured on my multimeter using its recording function. This is RMS V AC so output looks lower than it really is. It gives a good ballpark reading though.) Trigger Coil White and Black Resistance - 336 ohms. No ground. Output at Kickover - 0.3 v AC (Same as above for the Source coil) Coil Secondary measured from plug cap to ground Resistance - 10.17 K Ohms Coil Primary White/red trace Measured between CDI connector and ground. Resistance 0.4 ohms. My meter has an internal resistance of 0.2 ohms so factor this in. If it is up to 1 ohm its OK. Less is also no good. This test also checks one connector on its trip to the coil. Ground Brown 0 ohms circuit to ground. This checks the ground wire from the CDI connector. I noticed that the ignition coil also uses a seperate ground which connects to this point. If in doubt, check the coil seperately. For the coils, check both resistance and output. There can be issues with the flywheel that can prevent the unit functioning but still measure OK for resistance checks. You may need an assistant to hold meter leads etc. Cheers, Stork.

Gday - what colour is the plug? If "wet" looking and black, it is oil fouling. Fix that and your plug problems will go away. Modern plugs are better than old plugs and are commonly blamed for other engine issues. If the plug is "dry" and black, it is fuel fouling and menas your carburettion needs adjustment. Of couse it may be perfect at idle and too rich on the needle, or vice versa, or it also could be caused by a blocked or over-restrictive air cleaner. Also, are you using the correct heat range plug for your engine? Always go with the plug recommended by the manufacturer, they really do know what they are talking about (in most cases anyway...) Let us know. Cheers, Stork

Gday, if the fan has come on its probably OK. You have been in colder weather and the fan wont kick in until the coolant is around 95 C. Keep in mind that being pressurised the coolant doesn't boil until around 110 C. It also wont run much when the bike is moving along either, as the radiator will have sufficient airflow through it. Cheers, Stork.

Gday, regards the brake issue - dont sand anything! Check that there is freeplay between the piston and the pushrod first. This is absolutely vital. 1 mm is enough. You should be able to move the pedal a small amount before contacting the piston. After that, check that the pistons in the caliper are free to return - try pushing them back into the caliper with a suitable tool like a small G-clamp. Dont force them with great pressure though. This will also cause fluid to be pushed out of the reservior, so be prepared for that - it may pay to drain the fluid until it is almost empty first. If this is no good, you need to strip and clean the calipers and seals inside. This is probably as far as you need to go, as your bike is no older that 1 year (I assume you have a 2009). Ignition - You have already disconnected the kill switch so that is eliminated. I assume you have also tried it with a brand new plug, if not do this first. Check all wiring for corrosion, damage etc. Do this very carefully! Next checks - you need a multimeter, any one will do. Set it to OHMS - resistance. At the coil, Measure between the terminal from the CDI and up inside the spark plug boot. You should see around 1000 -200 Ohms. Much more or less is no good. This will check the secondary side of the coil and the plug cap. If this is no good, have a good look for problems in the cap, and if necessary remove it and re-measure. If OK check between the same terminal and the metal surround of the coil. You should see 2 ohms or so. This checks the primary side of the coil. Check resistance between the Brown wire at the CDI connector and a good clean and bright point on the frame. You see 0 ohms. This checks the CDI grounding and wire. If OK, remove the spark plug and hook one lead to the engine, somewhere that is clean and bright and the other to the Blue wire going in to the CDI. (Be careful you dont damage the little connectors inside). There should be no circuit at all. Switch the meter to AC volts, and use a 400 volt scale if your meter does this, and connect the other terminal to the Red wire to the CDI. Kick the engine over, you should see around 70 volts or better briefly as the engine turns. This checks the Source Coil. If this is OK, connect the meter leads to the Black and White CDI wires. Kick the engine over. You should see the meter needle flick to around 1 volt (you may need to set the meter to a low scale) as the motor turns. This checks the pulser coil. If all these checks are OK, the CDI unit is at fault. I will double check these measurements on my own bike (2010 250 Evo) later today and post the results, but these figures should get you started. Cheers, Stork.

Gday, yeah -sometimes. It depends where they are leaking. Apparently the tanks are sealed with a big O ring and they are a drama to re crimp but leaks at hose fittings etc are fixable. Take it in and let the guys there have a look, they will soon let you know if it will repair. It may well be much cheaper than a new one. Cheers, Stork

Gday, take it to your local car radiator repair place. They would be your best bet. Cheers, Stork

Gday, for a quick check of all elements in the fuel supply side (Tank breather, lines, tap etc) - disconnect your fuel feed line from the carb and direct the end into a suitable container. Open the tap and let it run - you may need to run the entire tank out to check - you should see a solid flow all the time. If it dries up or slows, then the issue is in the supply area, all of the things mentioned earlier. It will help eliminate these things at least and is pretty easy to do. One area that might change doing this however is if you release a kink in the pipe that restricts flows at higher rates when the fuel line is disconnected. Just be aware of this in your test. Cheers, Stork

Gday, it sounds like you are on the right track here. FYI - a "BP" NGK is not an Iridium plug, it is the "normal" type. The smoke will be coming from the wrong oil ratio - remember you always burn what you mix in your fuel on a 2 -stroke. In our part of the world NGK 7's work well, outside temps range between about 0-35 C. I see the older plug was black - fouled - so this all fits for me. How is it going at the moment? Cheers, Stork

Gday, if you checked for spark and there was some, it isnt your stator. What colour was the spark plug that came out of the bike? Cheers, Stork