Kawasaki Ninja Forum banner

Ninja 250 airbox snorkel

6K views 25 replies 4 participants last post by  earlthepearl 
#1 ·
Greetings to all Ninjas!!

I bought my Black Ninja 250 '12 on April this year (2014) and it comes with Yoshi pipes. I am a new rider so there are many stuff concerning all technics in riding and maintaining bikes I am just learning. This bike has 2300 km when it was delivered to my house and now I added 1300 km. I started to notice a reduced combustion going on whenever I pull the throttle. And there are times the engine dies when I pull huge amount of throttle even when the engine is warmed up already. This never happens though during normal riding. I did some test riding on dealership last week and that is one thing I noticed that my bike's throttle is not as responsive as the other bikes I rode.

So after getting advice from other riders, I checked my airbox air cleaner and it is dirty. As you can see in the pictures the filter is a foam and slightly soaked with oil. Kawasaki dealer told me it is normal. So I removed all the debris I found in the airbox. Also I removed the "snorkel" attached to the airbox then I put all other parts back to where they belong and started the engine. There was no any difference.

I will greatly appreciate any help and advice.
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#2 · (Edited)
First you need to make sure your bike is properly tuned. If you've never had the valves adjusted, replaced the air filter (replace every 2 years) or spark plugs, you should have it done. One thing to keep in mind is, that whacking on the throttle is not going to illicit a good response if the carbs are dirty or the gas is weak.

Did you store the bike over the winter or let it sit for a couple of months without riding? If so, did you stabilize the gas?

Do you have fresh gas?

.....If you are a a budget minded owner and looking for a little extra pep, keep the bike rideable and easy to maintain with out breaking the bank, there are a few things you can do.

....These few improvements are easy to do, don't cost a lot and will make the bike respond and ride a little better.

1. Shim the needles with (2) two 3mm washers and remove the snorkel. Shims and a little bit more fuel to the 1/4-3/4 throttle range, a little more fuel results in better throttle response-(simple, don't complicate it)(If you have a slip on exhaust removal of the kleen air system is optional if you don't mind the popping.)

2. Replace the stock air filter with;
WIX- P/N: 49721
UNI Air Filter- P/N: NU-2303
Pipercross Performance Air Filter- P/N: MXP166 or
Hurricane Racing Performance Air Filter for the ’08-’12 Ninja 250


4. Leave the airbox in. There is no real need to replace it with pod filters unless you like unnecessary work & spending more time tuning than riding. The exact same or similar results you get with pods you can get with the stock airbox and full exhaust system

3. Install Iridium Spark Plugs-either NGK Iridium CR8EIX or The Denso Iridium IU24

4. Run 87 octane gas, it make more power. Use ethanol free if you can get it.

5. Run full synthetic oil

6. Change your sprocket set up to 15/43, it offers the best balance of acceleration and top speed.

7. If you got a couple hundred dollars, you can change your engine timing. the BRT i-DTIS offers the second most significant gains to HP and torque as far as add ons go. The first is the full exhaust.

8. Learn to ride better by practicing and reading some good motorcycling tips and advice
 
#4 ·
First you need to make sure your bike is properly tuned. If you've never had the valves adjusted, replaced the air filter (replace every 2 years) or spark plugs, you should have it done. One thing to keep in mind is, that whacking on the throttle is not going to illicit a good response if the carbs are dirty or the gas is weak. Did you store the bike over the winter or let it sit for a couple of months without riding? If so, did you stabilize the gas? Do you have fresh gas?
I bought the bike from a dealer on March '14 and delivered to me on April '14. Bike was certified. But I guess it needs some proper tune ups. I emptied my gas tank many times already but I guess next time I fill her up I will make sure use ethanol free gas. I might also look into changing the spark plugs soon.
 
#18 ·
I think unless the clearances are an issue causing a misfire or whatever, leave them alone until they are due for adjustment......opening the engine a minimal amount of times will reduce risks of oil leaks etc....these engines are pretty solid and unless you run big cams and aftermarket springs, it shouldn't be an issue.....you can tell with a trained ear if there's a problem....
 
#19 ·
Mine calls for valve shim to be checked at... depending on what book.....:facepalm:
One says 7500 miles.....
The other says 26,000.
My mechanic says it will depend on how u run ur bike.....:thumb:
Low rpms will be more miles.....
High rpms in low gears less miles....
Guess i'm the low rpm guy.....23,600 miles now n i'm having them done next week....along with plugs...:thumb:








 
#22 ·
Shims will tighten with time but much less than rockers....as you say high revs will tend to pocket the valves and close the clearances...a tight valve will not seat and produce a rough idle and popping out the intake or irregular fluffy exhaust note....I've checked shim clearances on some cars after 180000 miles and clearances had been either slightly loose or within spec.....I'm happy to be slightly loose as long as it's not rattling
 
#26 ·
Where i have a 2 cylinder I am having him change them all when he has them apart.....
Aftermarket higher quality ones.....
Not that there's anything wrong with stock, but i asked him to put a complete set of best quality he can find.....
I payed extra, but i want longivity.....
Same reason im going to a 530 sprocket setup with chain.
The stock plug will be it unless i want to go with ridiculous priced ones at 80 bucks a piece....Na......
Wished i could find a longer life tire then the pilot road 3 for a decent price....
The pilot road 4 is just to much right now for the small percentage of extra miles they claim....
Those will come down in time








 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top