'99 KX250 Rehab (Budget Rebuild)

[ecdeyzel]

N3Wk is what came out of my 99 KX250 carb 

that's 5 steps leaner over the N3YK....as long as the clip is in the middle it will be fine.
I'm running the N3WJ, which is 4 steps leaner over stock, in my '00, with the clip in the 2nd from top comfortably.

Will you be willing to part with it if it will work, Sandblaster?

So you recon this will work with my setup Fox? And it won't be too lean? I will be running Motul 710 at 40:1 with the PC Platinum header and the DEP silencer.

[Foxx4Beaver]

what's your ballpark elevation?
it will work...you just want to be sure you have the clip in the middle position.
these bikes came extremely rich from the factory, and going with a needle 4 steps leaner was necessary to get them to run clean. I run mine with the clip in the 2nd from top, which is a leaner setting, with no problems.   

[ecdeyzel]

Thats good news then! I have sea all around me so its pretty safe to say a few meters above sea level at most.

[Foxx4Beaver]

I run at either side of 200 feet above sea level...you're good.

[MXonaKawi]

Hey guys, here's an update...

After breaking a screw driver and small hammer, I decided to get the (semi) right, but cheap tools and get a good hammer and punch. I got the bearings out! The front was surprisingly difficult. I still have to properly clean the front hub and rim like I did the rear.




Drained tha apple sauce coolant.



Drained the tar-like transmission fluid.



Removed the header for reviving.




I upped my game with a magnetic bowl.



Go the the triple clamps off, but the bar mount are not moving at all. Seems like they are stuck in there good.




The steering stem bearings look salvageable. They turned very smooth when they where on the bike. Just needs a clean and good regrease.



Whats left.



Can anyone tell me what Kawasaki model this rear fender comes off? It says made in Italy at bottom, so maybe an Acerbis. But I think it is the wrong rear fender for the bike as it didn't look right when it was on the bike. It seemed too far back.

Great work so far. Do yourself a favor and grab yourself a map gas torch and a bearing and race removal set from harbor freight. The heat will save your life getting old bearings out and getting the new ones in. Remember to leave your new bearings in the freezer for a little while before install and then heat up the area around where the bearings will be installed with the torch. If you do that, the bearing and race driving set will get those new bearings in place in just minutes. I wish I Would have known that before I attacked my swingarm.

[MXonaKawi]

P.S. The jetting on my bike is probably a bit off. However thanks to some great advice by KevinTwoStroke at the track, the 101 octane I tried last week changed the game for me. The bike runs 10x better and there is no bog off the bottom.

[ecdeyzel]

Thanks MXonaKawi! Yea, it's going pretty slow, but I am making sure I am doing everything right and as far as my wallet allows me to go each month. That is a good idea. Have done the freezer trick before on another project and worked nicely, but will also look into the torch. Thanks! Octane? Haha, I know nothing about that, but will see when I get the bike up and running. So your baby is going sweet? You should update your thread with some pics! Need to see the final fruits of your labor.

[ecdeyzel]

Hey guys. I need more help on this carb needle business. I am struggling to find anything close to what Fox and Sandblaster suggested without many headaches. I have a good friend in the UK that can get me something on that side. He found this...but I have no idea if it will work or not. Any thoughts?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261437939226

[Foxx4Beaver]

I can't say it will work...I can't even say I'd advise it....

if you still have your old bent one, measure the length, and be as precise as you can....then see if you can find out the length of that new one. If they're the same length, that's a plus...
then you would need to measure the diameter in 3 spots...top-middle-bottom....they would have to match nearly exact to the bent one you have.

If I myself were to try it, I would set the clip in the 2nd groove from the bottom to start....but again, I don't advise it.

Try giving these guys a shout...
http://pjmotorsports.com/
I've been using them for a few years now, and they're really good people deal with.
Tell them your situation, and they may have you send them your bent needle to match up with one of theirs.

[ecdeyzel]

Ok thanks Fox. I would rather not even go there then.

Could you send me a PM with your email address, I want to ask you something. Not sure if you can receive PMs, have tried sending you one.

[ecdeyzel]

Hey guys, heres an update.

So I got that bastard bar mounts off. I had to cut the one off because it just wouldn't move. Got it off, and started cleaning. Happy with the results.






And last night I really focused my attention on getting the bike stripped fully so that I can start the rebuilding process after giving the frame, sub-frame and swing arm a fresh coat of paint. I wasn't going to do this, but I figured I would probably want to do it on a later stage, so I'd rather do it now while bike is naked and get it out of the way.



Just have the motor left to remove. Surprisingly, the linkage was not as bad to remove as I'd thought it would be. It was caked in old crap. Maybe that old crap really sealed in all the lube making it difficult to dry out.

I still have to take a shot of the reeds to show, but they look like they are still in a decent condition. So no need to replace those. Thank goodness. Only thing I noticed was that reeds where pulled up a little, enough for the fuel to return to carb, so I thought I'd just flip the petals over solving that issue. Let me know if there is some reason I can't do that. I will post a pic of the reeds when I get a chance to take a photo of them.

[sandblaster]

You may or may not have success with flipping the pedals over.
A thorough disassembly and ultra cleaning may solve that issue.
However, thinking about what those pedals do (opening and shutting how many times a minute?) you may want to replace them just for good measure.

[Foxx4Beaver]

You may or may not have success with flipping the pedals over.
A thorough disassembly and ultra cleaning may solve that issue.
However, thinking about what those pedals do (opening and shutting how many times a minute?) you may want to replace them just for good measure.

+1

[ecdeyzel]

Hi guys, I managed to get this part from ebay and they ship to SA so I took the plunge. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Kawasaki-Needle-Jet-N3WE-for-KX250-1997-2000-/171713056917

It's an N3WE and it's meant to be a stock needle for AS and EU according to the workshop manual. Hope and pray for the best. What do you guys think?

As far as the reeds are concerned. I totally understand what you are saying, but from a cost point of view I am first going to try flip it. Once the bike is running and it's really running crap I will save up to get new ones.

[Foxx4Beaver]

Hi guys, I managed to get this part from ebay and they ship to SA so I took the plunge. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Kawasaki-Needle-Jet-N3WE-for-KX250-1997-2000-/171713056917

It's an N3WE and it's meant to be a stock needle for AS and EU according to the workshop manual. Hope and pray for the best. What do you guys think?

run it...when you get it, put the clip in the middle position.