Any Vintage two stroke guru's out there?

 I just bought a restored 1974 Honda CR250M Elsinore. Now I need to buy a
new right foot. The kick starter on this thing has reared up and bit me
so many times in the last couple hours, I may never walk the same again.
Is there a trick to starting these things?

I've been told the timing may be off a bit, but don't have a spark plug
hole dial indicator to correctly set the timing. Could it be the timing,
or is it something else?

Point gap is correct at .012 and look to be new. Spark plug is fine. All
electrical connections look sound.

It does have a high compression Wiseco piston, so maybe I just have to
learn to live with this? Damn, I need to get some boots with a steel
shank in them.


"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and
degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is
worth a war, is worse." --- John Stuart Mill: 

 I'm certainly no expert, but the timing may indeed be off.  If it fires off
before that piston is close enough to TDC, it can, and will kick back...

Solution?  always park it at the top of a long hill and bump / jump start it
that way in second gear?

Good luck with it...  Imagine if it was a Kawasaki H2 750 two stroke...  :)

Joe in Northern, NJ  -  V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"
http://yunx.com/valk.htm

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg


I just bought a restored 1974 Honda CR250M Elsinore. Now I need to buy a
new right foot. The kick starter on this thing has reared up and bit me
so many times in the last couple hours, I may never walk the same again.
Is there a trick to starting these things?

I've been told the timing may be off a bit, but don't have a spark plug
hole dial indicator to correctly set the timing. Could it be the timing,
or is it something else?

Point gap is correct at .012 and look to be new. Spark plug is fine. All
electrical connections look sound.

It does have a high compression Wiseco piston, so maybe I just have to
learn to live with this? Damn, I need to get some boots with a steel
shank in them.


"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and
degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is
worth a war, is worse." --- John Stuart Mill:

 Joe wrote:

The trick was to prime the carb, and give the kickstart a kick or two
with the ignition off, until it was at the point when it was at max
compression. In other words, at its hardest to push down. Then turn on
the ignition, and give it a good firm kick. That always worked for
me.

--
Wolfie

 AWR7MMSTW@webtv.net (Mike Corey) wrote:

:I just bought a restored 1974 Honda CR250M Elsinore. Now I need to buy a
:new right foot. The kick starter on this thing has reared up and bit me
:so many times in the last couple hours, I may never walk the same again.
:Is there a trick to starting these things?

I can't help with your spark plug gap and timing, but I can help
with kick-starting technique.

Before you start... Replace the spark plug with a new one.

First... Unless the bike is stone cold, you probably shouldn't add
gas or throttle. If it's cold, pull the choke all the way and leave
the throttle alone.

Next, and most important for the health of the bottom of your
foot... When you kick the thing, kick it all the way down and hold
the kicker down until you are sure it's not going to start or it has
started and it running. The kicker is disengaged at the top and the
bottom, but will bite you anywhere in between.

Third... If it doesn't start in 5 or 6 kicks, hold the throttle all
the way open and try some more kicks. That may help if you flooded
it.

Finally... If there are a bunch of guys laughing at you, make them
push.

Two strokes are very touchy about the air/fuel mixture. Your air
screw is more likely the problem than your timing. Run it and read
the plug lots of times to get it adjusted properly. Keep checking.
Different weather conditions sometimes dictate different mixture
settings.

Warning: Most two-strokes like to run slightly rich. Lean makes them
overheat and seize. Blip the throttle when stopped to avoid fouling
the plug. Buy lots of spark plugs until you know what you are doing.
--

 

The pistons usually hole first, IME.


Oh yes.


--
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