New Rider - Looking for Mechanic Recommendation

[gilberto]

Hi there. I just got an 07 Ninja 250. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation for a mechanic to give my bike a look over. Thanks in advance. Anything close to the Van Nuys area would be great.

[rwalterk]

Cycle Depot is a good place to go if you can make it over to Eagle Rock.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/cycle-depot-los-angeles-2

Whatever you do, do NOT go to Burbank Kawasaki.  That is a horrible dealership from the top down and the mechanic/service department is the worst part.

Oh and welcome to the board.   

[gilberto]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have heard of Cycle Depot. I'm wondering if that might be too far for me as I am a very new rider.

[rwalterk]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have heard of Cycle Depot. I'm wondering if that might be too far for me as I am a very new rider.

Ah okay.  If you're not comfortable riding that far you shouldn't do it yet.  Is there something wrong with the bike or do you just want them to give it the once-over?

[Cammie]

Welcome Gilberto....excellent choice of bike....Robert with Socalsvriders can look the bike over for you.  I know he's in the LA area...pm if you want his number.

[gilberto]

Yeah, it's a bit far for me at this point. I don't think there's anything wrong with the bike. I am so new to the scene, I wouldn't know. The idle is a bit erratic. I hovers around 1,200 rpm but sometimes jumps to 2-3k or dies (rare). Otherwise, it seems to be fine though. It's just that I've been reading on the forums about when you get a new bike, assume it's never been serviced, so...

[Jon_W]

Welcome to the board!  If Robert isn't too far from you, he would be my choice...

If I remember right, my Ninja 250's idle was somewhat erratic (up to 3k or so) until the bike warmed up.  I think I liked to have it idle in the 1,200-1,400 range.  I imagine your bike is fine, but it never hurts to get an opinion from somebody who knows about the bike.  

How many miles does it have on it?  I would recommend changing the oil and lubing the chain if you don't have any history on those simple maintenance items (and it has enough mileage to necessitate it).  Other than that, just ride!  The Ninja 250 doesn't like sitting in the garage.  

[rwalterk]

Yeah, it's a bit far for me at this point. I don't think there's anything wrong with the bike. I am so new to the scene, I wouldn't know. The idle is a bit erratic. I hovers around 1,200 rpm but sometimes jumps to 2-3k or dies (rare). Otherwise, it seems to be fine though. It's just that I've been reading on the forums about when you get a new bike, assume it's never been serviced, so...

Sounds like it may have sat for a while (as JonW mentioned, Ninja 250s don't like to be idle).  My brother had the same bike with the same (but much worse) symptoms because the previous owner neglected it and left it outside for well over a year without even starting it.  It would die all the time and throttle response was horrible.  It ended up being the carburetor jets were gummed up pretty bad, so we took it to the aforementioned "racinteach" on socalsvriders.org for repair.

You can try a couple of things first though:
1.  Get a can of Seafoam and put some in your gas tank.  After about 1-2 tanks with Seafoam in there, you could see some improvement (the stuff works wonders sometimes).  You should be able to find it at an auto parts store.
2.  Do an oil change.  I know there are some good picture walkthroughs on the Ninja 250 boards because my brother and I were able to get it done without much trouble using one of them and we were complete noobs at wrenching.

If neither of those work or you just don't have time or the inclination, we can put you in touch with Robert (racinteach).  He's in Sylmar (if that's not too far for you), works out of his garage by appointment , is very cool, does good work and charges far below market rates for repair.

[JimT]

Welcome to the board!

I would also recommend Robert from socal sv also. He worked on my SV and I had no complaints.

Those bikes are pretty simple to work on, I don't know how mechanically inclined you are, but if you have a good service manual as a guide, I don't think carb cleaning is too complicated.

[gilberto]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. Much appreciated!

[zerog]

Hi Gilberto,  welcome to the board.  You are the one that messaged me on ninja250.org and then I referred you to this site right?  Anyways, when the bike idles erratically, does it die?   If not, does the symptom go away after you ride for a few minutes?  Have you tried keeping the choke on for the first minute of the ride?

[gilberto]

Yeah, that was me. Great site. Thanks for the heads up. When it gets warm, it seems to be ok. I adjusted the idle so now instead of dying, it gets to 3k or so at idle sometimes.

[zerog]

In that case, you should try this:

After the bike has been warmed up (like after riding for at least 10 minutes), adjust your idle so that it idles at about 1500 rpm.

Then, whenever you start your bike from cold, have turn the choke while you hit the starter, adjust the choke such that you have just enough to keep your bike idling at about 1500-2000 rpm.

Start riding, after about a minute or 2, turn the choke off.

This should work fine for you, from what you have described.

[pshaw118]

I used to let my old suzuki rev high with the choke for a good 5 minutes or so before the engine would idle smooth enough to ride out of my garage.  I'd definitely try sea foam.  I've heard some great stuff about it.  Other than that, I'd see if just try letting it warm up longer before going out for a ride.  Maybe we'll see you on a ride soon. 

[gilberto]

Look forward to it. It might be a while as I am just starting out!