2003 kawasaki KX 250 - Page 9 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

This is general info as there are many models of kawasaki
There is usually a spring and ball bearing, or spring loaded lever,that holds the shift cam in position
The spring and ball is held in by a bolt that may look similar to a sump plug under the bike.(could be called an indent spring)
or the lever is in the rhs side cover under the clutch, if its not them. It could be a bent shift fork or worn shift drum, but these two require a major strip down.
See if you can get a manual with an exploded view of the gearbox for whatever model you have, and see what is most likely.

have u tried a hotter plug it worked on my car, also i add lead substitute to gas .try a performance coil and switch to electronic ignition also i did this to my bike and it ran a lot better.

Go to the site below then enter the serial number. The site ia a VIN decoder. The VIN will tell you all sorts of info, including the year. http://www.motoverse.com/tools/vin/kawasaki.asp

It could be caused by a worn/damaged selector or even just a clogged with mud/grit gear shift lever.

You are ok if you can see the oil in the sight glass. About halfway up the glass is about best, then you are sure that you are seeing oil and not a stained glass and that the crankcase is not too full.

Hi, you dont say what this bike is, is it. Two or four stroke engine, On a 2stroke this type of problem could simply be carbon jumping around between the gap on the plug,Or a crankshaft oil seal leaking,

The whole basket isn't all that great to take off....but if you are just changing the clutch plates, you won't need to remove the basket. There will be an outside pressure plate holding them all in there, usually 5 bolts hold that down (those 5 bolts also have the clutch springs under them) Pull that off, and inside there will be the part that your clutch pushrod moves to release tension on the plates (sorry forgot the name of it right now) make sure that when that comes off, that you don't lose the ball bearing behind it. Goodluck.

That could be the final drive bearing or wheel bearings or even a sticking brake.
If you place it on a paddock stand, turn the rear wheel by hand and you will be able to determine the fault.

Check and see if they have the same part number.

The torque specs for your cylinder base nuts are 25ft.-lb.and the head flange nuts at 18ft.-lb.tighten them in criss cross pattern,at three different stages,ex.25ft.-lb.start with 8 then15 then 25,18ft.-lb.start with 5 then 10 then 18.good to go.Hope this helps.

The kx 250 has quiet a large frame for its size, a good match up engine would be an honda xr 250/400/600 engine. This should all fit pretty neatly, with minimal welding, maybe the odd bracket. If you are wanting to stay with a two stroke, it will be very hard to find an old air cooled engine that hasn't done a lot of work and is needing money thrown at it. Sounds like a good project! Air cooled engines are your best bet, things start to get tricky with mounting radiators e.t.c

You should contact Kustom-kraft.com. They will repair yours. I've sent them 5 so far, and all have come back perfect. $65 for bore/hone.

Head nuts 18 ft-lb (25Nm), cylinder base nuts 25 ft-lb(34Nm)

there is a wierd shaped spring that activates the ratchet, when you kick, this may be installed incorrectly, if the gears and ratchet look good

try craigslist or call your local motorcycle salvage yard good luck

Same thing I had happen. Your friction disks and plates are normally joined via spring pressure and unjoined when you pull the lever. In my case, the bike had set for so long, the plates had become chemically bonded together and stayed locked tight clutch in or out no difference. What I did was remove the clutch access cover and physically separated each plate one by one and reinstalled. After that, it worked great.

Here is a generic diagram of a clutch, should explain it.

http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorcycles/2004-honda-motorcycle-crf150f/o/m2255#sch306341

bikebandit.com
look up your particular model and year.

It is not necessary to change the oil after every ride. Unless you are talking over 1000 miles each ride. A little water in the oil will not hurt. Especially if you are going to rebuild the engine this winter. And you can use any gear oil that is 80w or higher. Walmart sells some in a blue bottle. I am sure that you have a blown head gasket. You can try some radiator stop leak in the radiator also. This may seal the head gasket temporarily.

What model - year - etc>??

Selecter forks could be damaged, gear shift shaft bent, return spring faulty, clutch dragging maybe! Try rocking it backwards and forwards engine off and see if you can find that gear! Good Luck - The Yeti