My ninja 250, 2002 starts great and runs strong as long as the choke is on when the bike is warm and i turn ?

Question

off the choke it dies ,and it wont idle when trying to ride it.i have put in a new batt drained the carb bowls, changed the plugs,put in new fuel and its the same.i have noticed #1 cylinder is very hot quickly and # 2 is cool to the touch. if any one has an idea please help ive been down for two months and have no way to get it to the shop. thank you. paul messmore. email [e-mail]

Answer 1

Your front cylinder is probably running lean. Check the the intake manifold seal where the intake attaches to the front head. (the black intake "boots") You can check it with WD-40, or an unlit propane torch. If the RPMs change when you put the tip of the unlit propane torch near the intake seal (or when you spray the WD-40 on it) then the intake seal is leaking. If it is, check the boots for holes, check that the boots are pushed on all the way, and check that the clamps are tight.

If the intake seal is OK, pull the float bowl for the front cylinder carburetor and spray out all the jets with carb cleaner, re-assemble the carb, and add some Seafoam http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpT... to the fuel tank.

If that doesn't work you may be able to find a solution here:

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page

Answer 2

You should start with the idle adjust k**b, if you haven't already.  You might have just accidentally moved it while washing your motorcycle.  It's located on the left side under the carburettor; It's black and star shaped.  Twist it one way to raise the idle speed, the other way lowers it.  You should do it when the engine is warm, you want it around 1300 +/- 100.  

You should probably check and re-adjust the valves, there is a very good chance that they are too tight, or at least getting very close to being too tight.  This always manifests itself with poor idling, among other things.  Make sure the engine is cold, you don't want to burn yourself. Afterward, you should re-sync the carburettors, so they match with the valves.  You should learn how to do it yourself, if you don't already know how.  The service manual covers it, and you can always look online at http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_is_the... . Make sure you have all of the necessary tools before you start.