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Offline auditt23

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New rider and hope you can help with some questions
« on: October 16, 2012, 03:19:01 PM »
First off thanks for stopping by, I'm new to the motorcross scene (or any dirt bike scene) and hope you can help me some. I just picked up a 2004 KX250, bike starts right up and runs great. Tilt the bike over some today to look at lt through the glass and seemed thick and grey? Also anyone who's running this bike what oil are you using for the engine and for transmission? I wanna change them and keep a eye, read some and seems water seals leak and get into oil but doesn't look milky. The clutch seems notchy, when letting off the clutch it will kinda jump.Any help will be great!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 04:00:00 PM by ' »

Offline SachsGS

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New rider and hope you can help with some questions
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2012, 06:17:44 PM »
Your KX 250 has a 2 cycle motor and requires mixed gas. The trans. oil is milky because of moisture (leaky waterpump seal, too much pressure washing, sunk the bike in a stream etc.) and grey because of clutch debris. The mix oil and trans. lubricant choice is up to you - if you read thru. the forums you'll see member's favorites. ;D
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 04:00:00 PM by ' »

Offline arnego2

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New rider and hope you can help with some questions
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2012, 07:17:18 PM »
If you just got the bike do yourself the favor and have a look at the piston, cylinder and lower bottom end. All of which could cause you mayor grief when failing. Just the piston you could just pull the exhaust pipe, all the other you need to pull the cylinder, flywheel cover of clutch engine cover.

Doing that will set you back about one hour if fast 2 if slow.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 04:00:00 PM by ' »

Offline VintageBlueSmoke

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New rider and hope you can help with some questions
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2012, 11:16:44 AM »
If you are a new rider, you are probably abusing the clutch. Not necessarily a bad thing but the grey is clutch material. For about $50 bucks you can replace the clutch plates.

You should get into the habit NOW. Change your oil after every ride (or about 100 miles). If you are trail riding, or just a few laps at a time on your local MX track, you can go longer...say once a month. I raced Hare Scrambles and Enduros and change oil after every event. Now I race Motocross and change the oil after every race weekend. I generally use Castrol GTX 20-50 but due to other sponsor commitments I use Amsoil. It is a better product but it doesn't really matter if you are changing it often. You might try different weights for your area/temprature and model. I have some bikes that prefer different oil or they become real notchy shifting.

Changing your oil often does several things. First it provides a clean and viscous lubricant. Oil breaks down with time and heat and loses it's "gooeyness". It also warns you of other problems that are occuring or about to occur. If your oil is milky white or you see excess metal for instance, you might have a problem.

The second habit to get into is change your Air Filter as often as you can and AT LEAST as often as you change your oil. On dusty tracks, I change filters between motos. I have several for each bike. I always clean them after a ride and I keep a couple oiled and ready in my tool box when I go to the races. NEVER store your spare air filters pre-oiled. The oil actually breaks down the foam over time. Clean them, hang them to dry and bag them to store. Then oil before an event or a ride.

Since you just got the bike, I'd suggest getting the top end done and the bottom end checked so your bike is fresh. Then you should be good (as a beginning rider) for about a year before you have to change the piston and/or  ring again. A KX250 is a pretty powerful bike for a beginner but since you probably won't be ringing it's neck, it should last you quite a while between repairs.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 04:00:00 PM by ' »
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Offline 2STROKEREVOLUTION

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New rider and hope you can help with some questions
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2012, 10:18:59 AM »
Don't get scared away by some of these comments. I have bought bikes and gone 10 years without opening the bottom end. They last a long time, especially if not abused. The top end is a good place to start. If it looks decent the bottom should be great. The nice thing about a 2-stroke is it always has fresh oil running through the engine. Not changing oil in 4-strokes causes fast wear.

For your premix, run a fully synthetic (amsoil or motorex are good) at 40:1 for mx or 50:1 trail riding.

Cleaning your air filter often is the best prevention of wear. And get jetting at least in the ballpark and NOT lean.

If you are not wringing your bike out and looking for every fraction of a hp your top end should be good for 150+ hours.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 04:00:00 PM by ' »