Valves, plugs, and probably run some techron or gumout through a tank of gas too. But, if the valves haven't been done my guess is they are your problem.
The little Ninja seems tired..
- Thread starter OtisBlkR1
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Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
Valves, plugs, and probably run some techron or gumout through a tank of gas too. But, if the valves haven't been done my guess is they are your problem.
Heat, Staybill, MMO, are the additives this bike has gotten under my care in the past 7 years..
Valves, plugs, and probably run some techron or gumout through a tank of gas too. But, if the valves haven't been done my guess is they are your problem.
Heat, Staybill, MMO, are the additives this bike has gotten under my care in the past 7 years..
UPDATE: Im super glad i didnt tackle this job myself, I havent picked up the bike yet but i was told by the service manager over the phone that Paul (long term mechanic there, and a trusted guy) spent all morning and half the afternoon on it.. service manager said it was the worst valve jobs paul said he's ever had to do and that they were WAY, WAY OFF... i will post numbers tomorrow when i get the sheet showing what was done. Im geeked to ride the bike and see the difference.
I hope they aren't going to ream you with the bill as it really shouldn't make any difference in terms of time how far off the valves were. Frankly, most of the time in the job is the disassembly and reassembly to get at the valves--the adjustment is the easy part, assuming you have the right tools.
And shops pay 'BOOK' which is a certain amount of time it takes to do the job. Example- Valve adjustment book time might be 2 hours, they pay the tech 2 hours worth of pay even if it takes 10 hours, but then they probably charge you 10 hours @ a shop rate of $80/hour. Now you know why they call them 'Stealerships'!
That's awesome, OtisBlkR1. I'm stoked to hear if it runs any better now with the valves done.
As others have said, the cost should be the same if a valve is off by a little or a lot. The Ninja 250 uses screw adjusters on the valves, not shim-and-bucket, so adjusting them is just turning a screw and lock nut. Of course, the job seemed like a big enough pain to me that I'd be willing to pay a decent amount for someone else to do it! Some bikes are easy, they have built-in valve adjust windows (the Suzuki Savage and Yamaha XT225 come to mind). The Ninja is a little more difficult - not by much, but enough that I'd probably mess it up if I did it myself.
If you also don't mind me asking, how much did the final bill run you?
As others have said, the cost should be the same if a valve is off by a little or a lot. The Ninja 250 uses screw adjusters on the valves, not shim-and-bucket, so adjusting them is just turning a screw and lock nut. Of course, the job seemed like a big enough pain to me that I'd be willing to pay a decent amount for someone else to do it! Some bikes are easy, they have built-in valve adjust windows (the Suzuki Savage and Yamaha XT225 come to mind). The Ninja is a little more difficult - not by much, but enough that I'd probably mess it up if I did it myself.
If you also don't mind me asking, how much did the final bill run you?
The folks on the Ninja 250 forum estimate it is about a three-hour job, which I would say is probably accurate based on how long it takes me to do the job on my Ninja 500. Unless something was broken in there that required further repair. Ninja 250 costs
Picked up the bike today, i thumbed the starter in the parking lot and emediately noticed how much more quickly the bike started, I asked paul about valve adjustment numbers and he whent into a long narative that frankly i didnt get, but i did follow when he said that two of the exhaust valves were way to tight and most the rest were "off", he said my sparkplugs looked perfectly grey fro 9,000 miles and it seemed a shame to replace them but considering he was in there it was the right thing to do, He said he found nothing to lead him to believe the carb needed any attention. Paul test rode after the job and said the machine was operating perfectly. I had engine ice in the cooling system so he replaced it with the same, total bill was $259.00 Considering Paul said he spend all mornning and part of the afternoon on this bike im sure i got my moneys worth. I stopped threw the bike in the back of the truck on my way into work, so i havent had a chance to ride it. I will take it out for a spin this weekend and let ya'll know what i think on Monday.
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
The folks on the Ninja 250 forum estimate it is about a three-hour job, which I would say is probably accurate based on how long it takes me to do the job on my Ninja 500. Unless something was broken in there that required further repair. Ninja 250 costs
Ive known Paul atleast 10 years, and he's the only person local i like to work on my stuff. When Paul says its the biggest PITA valve job he's ever done.. it doesnt inspire me to try it myself.. i a decent bolt on parts changer, but im no trade mechanic.. The $259.00 i paid is im sure a steal if Pauls comlaining about it !
The folks on the Ninja 250 forum estimate it is about a three-hour job, which I would say is probably accurate based on how long it takes me to do the job on my Ninja 500. Unless something was broken in there that required further repair. Ninja 250 costs
Ive known Paul atleast 10 years, and he's the only person local i like to work on my stuff. When Paul says its the biggest PITA valve job he's ever done.. it doesnt inspire me to try it myself.. i a decent bolt on parts changer, but im no trade mechanic.. The $259.00 i paid is im sure a steal if Pauls comlaining about it !
$259 for the job?!?! Almost makes me want to take the in-law's Ninja to your mechanic!
I'm not expert, but I do know I would be very pleased to only spend $260 to get the valves adjusted and have the bike running right again. I'll pass this along to the in-law, hopefully we can get the valves adjusted there, too.
I'm not expert, but I do know I would be very pleased to only spend $260 to get the valves adjusted and have the bike running right again. I'll pass this along to the in-law, hopefully we can get the valves adjusted there, too.
Sounds like a fair price for the job--glad to hear it worked out well for you.
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Not to get off topic, but what does the Ninja 500 valve clearance get like over the service interval if you have adjusted them before? My 500 is coming up on the milage to do a valve adjustment.
On earlier valve checks the exhaust valves were generally tight by a couple of thousandths. In other words, it is supposed to be .007 to .009 and it would be like .005 or .006. I always adjust to .009 because of this. But, on the last couple of checks it has been much closer if not within range. I'll be nearing 30,000 miles pretty soon. This has taught me not to skimp on the early checks. One tip off that they were getting tight was slightly hard starting. My engine usually fires right up with just a touch of the starter. If it takes more than that, it might be the valves getting tight. Here's a good link on doing the job. valve adjust
Quote:
Not to get off topic, but what does the Ninja 500 valve clearance get like over the service interval if you have adjusted them before? My 500 is coming up on the milage to do a valve adjustment.
On earlier valve checks the exhaust valves were generally tight by a couple of thousandths. In other words, it is supposed to be .007 to .009 and it would be like .005 or .006. I always adjust to .009 because of this. But, on the last couple of checks it has been much closer if not within range. I'll be nearing 30,000 miles pretty soon. This has taught me not to skimp on the early checks. One tip off that they were getting tight was slightly hard starting. My engine usually fires right up with just a touch of the starter. If it takes more than that, it might be the valves getting tight. Here's a good link on doing the job. valve adjust
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Originally Posted By: ABerns
I'm not expert, but I do know I would be very pleased to only spend $260 to get the valves adjusted
Agreed. I think I paid close to $400 at a Kawi dealer to have it done on my Vulcan.
I'm not expert, but I do know I would be very pleased to only spend $260 to get the valves adjusted
Agreed. I think I paid close to $400 at a Kawi dealer to have it done on my Vulcan.
Well, this past weekend was worth a mention. I unloaded the bike Saturday morning and thumbed the starter, she purred just fine.. after a few minutes i toed her into first and gave it a little gas, I emediately noticed a (metal on metal) sound tapping from the top end. I killed the switch and called the service department, i gave them the rundown.. The service manager said it was perfectly normal untill the hard parts "seat" correctly to hear a little tapping ect.. I found this a bit odd. Ive had motors rebuilt and valves re-adjusted on my litre bike and ive never noticed any metal tapping.. SO ?? Shop says ride it, so off me and pretty wife went for a 150 mile ride and the bike ran well, no complaints on performance.. but im still detecting that tapping on the top end.. This doesnt worry me so much but i am curious how long i should be hearing it before it fades out ?
otherwise.. The bike is responsive again and has no trouble starting at all, Ive even noticed the bike is taking a bit longer to come up to temp now too, deffinately longer than it was taking before.. And overall idle is just a smidge faster I think Paul may have fiddled with the idle air screw.. may have to ask.
otherwise.. The bike is responsive again and has no trouble starting at all, Ive even noticed the bike is taking a bit longer to come up to temp now too, deffinately longer than it was taking before.. And overall idle is just a smidge faster I think Paul may have fiddled with the idle air screw.. may have to ask.
For what it's worth (not much)...
I've never heard about this "hard parts seating" argument. However, it's possible (probable, even) that your valves were too tight before, and the tapping you notice now is simply normal valve noise for the bike. As they say, tappy valves are happy valves.
Really, though, it may be a normal sound, but I obviously can't tell without hearing it. It's good that it runs right now, though, and the shop sounds decent, so if something were majorly wrong, it sounds like they would fix it.
I've never heard about this "hard parts seating" argument. However, it's possible (probable, even) that your valves were too tight before, and the tapping you notice now is simply normal valve noise for the bike. As they say, tappy valves are happy valves.
Really, though, it may be a normal sound, but I obviously can't tell without hearing it. It's good that it runs right now, though, and the shop sounds decent, so if something were majorly wrong, it sounds like they would fix it.
Originally Posted By: ABerns
For what it's worth (not much)...
I've never heard about this "hard parts seating" argument. However, it's possible (probable, even) that your valves were too tight before, and the tapping you notice now is simply normal valve noise for the bike. As they say, tappy valves are happy valves.
Really, though, it may be a normal sound, but I obviously can't tell without hearing it. It's good that it runs right now, though, and the shop sounds decent, so if something were majorly wrong, it sounds like they would fix it.
Oh for sure, if i had a problem after the shop put wrenches on my stuff it would be made right.. The dealer has "The largest showroom in the midwest" and i know almost everyone there fairly well, most by name.. Its one of those places that the more people you know the better off you are..
For what it's worth (not much)...
I've never heard about this "hard parts seating" argument. However, it's possible (probable, even) that your valves were too tight before, and the tapping you notice now is simply normal valve noise for the bike. As they say, tappy valves are happy valves.
Really, though, it may be a normal sound, but I obviously can't tell without hearing it. It's good that it runs right now, though, and the shop sounds decent, so if something were majorly wrong, it sounds like they would fix it.
Oh for sure, if i had a problem after the shop put wrenches on my stuff it would be made right.. The dealer has "The largest showroom in the midwest" and i know almost everyone there fairly well, most by name.. Its one of those places that the more people you know the better off you are..
The Cam chain tensioner on those Ninja 250s can get real 'tappy' and when they do they need to be replaced or at least removed, cleaned, greased and replaced.
This is not a hard job, Details here:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cam_chain_tensioner_removal
This is not a hard job, Details here:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cam_chain_tensioner_removal
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