Excellent delivery when it came to specs and procedures. This is the 3rd "how-to" video I've watched and definitely the most straight to the point. Cheers
Just got a used crf250r and it’s having hard start problems, so I checked my valves today and the intakes were the exact same measurements as yours. Only difference is, mine has number 200 shims under the caps so I’m trying to figure what shuns will get me within spec on the intake valves. My exhaust valves are fine. As many others have already said, your detail in showing this procedure is by far the best one on RU-vid.
@@TepcoCycleRepair I appreciate the quick response and help. I just walked out of my local dealer and one of their techs were able to help me by giving them my measurements and current shim size. I’ll be subscribing to your channel and keeping a eye out for future vids.
Wow. I wish you could explain every mechanical project I do. The tips to look out for and details are spectacular. I think I’ll just buy whatever you do videos on so I don’t have to watch other videos and be frustrated.
This is a well thought out ( how too ) and makes it much easier for someone who's just starting out with bikes! Great tips aswell 👌 I don't even have a bike yet haha. But I've subscribed after this one! Great stuff
You can do it, adjusting valves is an extremely important maintenance item you don't want to have to pay someone to do every time. It affects the way the engine runs in many different ways.
This is so helpful! I just got this bike and I may die kickstarting for 15 minutes until it starts lol. I got a carb rebuild kit also. This bike has been given the dinner many times for sure but my kid wanted someone to ride with (his is crf250 and my crf450)
I have the exact same bike ..same year.... my valves need doing soon and having watched your vid it don’t seem so scary any more..... subscribed.... cheers
Thank you very much for that info...my 2005 CRf250r just fired up.. now I have to nail the right shim because is making lots of noise.....same thing right intake was at 0 with 1.90 in shims on it...I dropped it down to 1.74
Juct got me self a second hand crf250r man befor me spent £525 on a hot start and new shims and fall Service oil filter oil so on the bike is the nuts I’m going to put videos off it up on my channel next day or two this is stank I’m goi g to keep my eye on and do me self 👍🏻you got new sub
Thanks for the video. I have a 2005 CRF 250x that is hard to start and idles erratically. It's been sitting for years and I need to get the carb rebuilt by someone other than me and check the valves.
So many fantastic comments on truly one of the best most incredible to the point lamen videos I've seen. Find it hard to comment so I'll say THANK YOU & IM ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY AN INSTANT SUBSCRIBER !!!
I have the same exact bike, same year and everything, and it's extremely hard to start. Valves are spot on, bought a new coil (still had original equipment), carb is clean, new spark plug, can't get it to start easy at all. Runs and idles like a top once it is started, but it's 20-30 kicks to get it to fire. Pretty sure compression is good because it's a mother to kick it over (and the top end was done last year with just a handful of easy rides since). It starts easy with a bump start, and once hot it starts in 1-2 kicks, but cold it is awful. Going to move up the pilot jet to a 42 (I think stock is a 40) because it seems like it's hungry for fuel to start (though choke on doesn't seem to help). Would just like my darn bike to start in less than 10 kicks so I can get out on the track!!
I've had similar problems with a bad stator, putting out a weak spark. Tons of kicks, bump start or hot. First I would put the carb to stock settings. If that doesn't help I would personally do a leak down test next. If that passes, I would suspect spark. It should start like the one in this video, this bike had a lot of hours as well.
@@TepcoCycleRepair So today I got it all fixed up. Turns out there was a #45 pilot jet in the bike. I dropped that down to a #42 and it literally starts on the first or second kick now. However, I think I need to drop down even further, because I am 3 complete turns out on the fuel screw based on what I know on that adjustment (back it out to the point where when you pull the hot start lever the bike revs rather than dying). It is night and day though on the cold start, I cannot believe it.
I got a crf250r its also a 2004 but i had a mechanic just do valves so there good and i just fully rebuilt it and got a new stator it has great power and runs great when it is but the mechanic got it to start and start again when i was there but i was kicking and kicking but I couldn’t start it but with these tips hopefully i can start it!
This is the first place I’m gonna start my 2008 Crf250r would start pretty well and now I’m kicking and kicking and it will maybe start after a lot of kick but when it’s warm it’s starts right up
Gday. Ive got a similar issue with my 2009 crf. Not sure if this has anything to do with it. My air temp sensor isnt connected. I read something about the bikes computer default is 40°c if the temp sensor isnt working. So even thou its only 10°c outside, the bike thinks its 40°c. Im guessing this is messing with the air/fuel ratio making it hard to start. But im no mechanic. Just having a go.
Great video. Thanks. You make valve adjustment look easy. Just bought my 450x from craigslist. It is hard to electric start, but does ok kickstart. Not sure I need a valve adjustment just yet, but if I do, your video was super helpful. Absolutely love my crf450x. My son just bought a 240x from CL. That bike is more nimble and fun to ride the tough stuff, but a little (lot) less power. Both are fun. Best bike in the world is the one you are riding.
I've had a 450X in supermoto trim great bike. If it starts easy with kick but not with electric. Check battery and starter. Sometimes the starter brushes get worn and the starter doesn't crank fast enough (sounds it but it's not) or the battery is going bad.
I have 2005 honda 450r. It starts ok but im a 2010 pound man and i got to damn near stand on the kicker to push it down. All my friends 450r are way easier to kick. Any idea what that could be?
Just got a 450r you can push the Kickstart with your arm. It started by getting hard to start but it rode fine and then it wouldn't Kickstart. The clutch is also very hard to pull in
@@TepcoCycleRepair ill get a screwdriver and pull the clutch all the way in and it seems like it still doesn't fully engage because it is hard to roll. When riding the clutch won't disengage until the lever is all the way out I believe the cord is too long and stiff or heavy springs
Re-shimming will only be a short term fix , if the bike has been run with zero valve clearance the valve faces will be worn and once the surface material has gone the valves wear out even quicker . I would pull the head and renew all valves , very common issue on this model .
Good work, that intake valve always gets hammered first for some reason whenever it's 0 shimming it will last a short amount of time it needs new valves and seats
Hey just wanted to say great video man! Learned a lot from your channel already. At 3:58 you say the exhaust side is .008" - .011". But when I look in the description I notice a different spec. Am I missing something or is there a mistake?
Great video! I have an 08 450r and it only starts if I bump start it. Do you think that's the valves? When I try to kick start it there's a few drops of gas that come out of the carb.??? Thanks again for the video.
If it's dripping out of the carb when you're trying to start it, it could be flooding. First I would check the valves because it's the easiest. If they are good, pull and clean the carb checking the float needle and seat. Most likely it's tight valves though. Thanks for watching, lmk what you find.
Enjoyed the video my friend... I am thinking about buying a local '04 crf450r that's avail. for $1900 maybe lil less?. The owner had it listed $3100 but said would take the $1900 being it needs a lil work as its hard to start.... hopefully a valve adjustment is all it needs? But, still think $1900 is a lil too much for a 17 yr. old bike? WWYD Kinemaster? Thanks Buddy
I have a 79 Honda xl 500s. It has a million miles on it. It never needed anything other than oil changes and one simple timing chain adjustment. Why these honda bikes suck theses days is beyond me.
Very different bikes. Your bike makes 32hp this 2004 CRF250R makes 42hp that's 10 more hp out of half the size engine. It's a very refined engine with lighter parts that wear faster then bikes like yours. Your XL is a tank and will run forever, these bikes are race machines built for maximum power not longevity.
for you, my friend, your video is very nice, I want to ask you, I have a crf 450 r 2008, the manufacturer says to change the piston and springs every 15 hours, I don't use it as a racer, and I've owned it twice and you can see the piston that it never has the thickness on the bottom side is 95.86 what should I do, change it
Great video mate!! A friend of mine just got an 08' CRF 250, that's super hard to start. It has receipts for just having the valves adjusted (as well as a bunch of other stuff) Do you have any other ideas why it would be so difficult to start? My mate read on a forum somewhere that you should be pumping HEAPS of petrol (gas) into it when starting, like 15 throttle twists plus full choke?!? - this felt like it helped a little but seems excessive to me and I was wondering if it might have something to do with carby jetting? Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated!!
So, I would start with putting it back to stock jetting. Then normally, with the choke on, I twist the throttle 4 times then kick if it starts then stalls, 3 more twists then kick. You can richen up the pilot but then you'll have to use the hot start when starting it hot (which leans it out). But first I would check the valves. Because if the valves are sinking, they get out of tolerance quicker. So unless they were adjusted just before he got it, they may need it again.
@@TepcoCycleRepair Thank you so much for the fast reply mate!! I believe the bike is still stock jetting and I don't think the bike had even been ridden between the shop doing valves and my mate taking ownership of it. I tried your starting procedure this morning and it fired up pretty easily!!! It did seem to take maybe 5 minutes or more to 'warm up' (idle with no choke or throttle 'blipping') is this normal, maybe just the idle screw setting? I have only ever owned older 2 stroke bikes and have no idea if this is (or anything) is normal for a 'newer' 4 stroke, so thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated!!
Hi tepco, have you ever had a 450x wear out starter motors? I did an oem engine rebuild, now it is rare to kick start it to life. I road race it, had to start it on rollers. With the clutch side open and the gear reduction taken out, the starter still won’t spin over. For what it’s worth the crank takes 30 inch pounds of torque wrenching to spin through the exhaust stroke.
wow, that would get old fast. trying to start it with bad shims. exactly how long before the next shim change? 2,3,4,5 oil changes? awesome video !! 3000 thumbs up !!
Really all depends on the type of riding. Easy trail riding valve adjustments would be very far apart, motocross racing much closer. Thanks for watching!
Hi there.question I have 2004 250x with big bore kit on it.when it’s test run out last year left it till few months ago I’ve done the carb jets a cleaned it all in a ultrasonic cleaner.was told by hot cams that valve gaps should be 28 thow and 12thow.I’ve done this a bike still won’t start up a used to start right up.any help please as to what it is why won’t start.
I dont think thats my problem but I cant figure it out i have a modified dr350. increased compression mikuni flat slide carb. It starts real easy if i roll it down a hill and pop start it, but I cant get it to even try to start with the kick start. At my 260 lb I can put all my weight on the kick start and it takes several seconds to move. Ihave to get it at the top and kick it back with my leg muscles instead of down with my weight.
I have a 05 kx250f that is super hard to start when cold! It will bumpstart with ease then start easily when warm. I checked timing and it was way off. Havent had a chance to try and start it but would that be a reason or would it be valves being too tight or too loose?
I just bought the same. Bike. Been hearing stories about the valves wearing really fast and needing adjustments soon after being done. Would you recommend putting stainless or titanium valves in to add to the time between adjustments? Just wondering if it’s worth spending the extra cash to save hours in the shop
The issue is usually when they start needing adjustment, they will need frequent adjustments. I would use stainless they will last much longer. Titanium are lighter but won't last as long as stainless, usually people go from titanium to stainless. If you're racing the pro class and need every ounce of power, titanium, everyone else will be fine with stainless.
I adjusted my valves when I put everything back together I tried to start it the timing chain fell off. I aligned all the marks again but the bike still won’t start. What els could this be?
What part of nc are you form I live near Raleigh and I have the exact same bike and same problem we’ve adjusted the carb and everything but it will only bump start never really worked on a 4-stroke would much prefer someone like you to do it you make it seem so simple but Ik I’ll probably run into trouble
I have an 07 CRF250 with this issue i think. it may be a two part problem though. When i was able to get it started, I also noticed that it doesnt idle properly. I can crack the throttle, when released, it idles high, then comes back down to idle and sometimes sputters and stalls. I guess I will start with valves, and then will probably have to watch some carb cleaning videos next. Any suggestions? I dont have a leak down tester, but do have a compression tester....maybe I can use that to check compression which in turn should be a quick check on valves correct?
First tune the carb / air screw settings - also check air filter - then if doesn't fix then valve clearance if still doesn't fix then the valves and guides are gone rekt
At 9:09 where did the numbers 182 and 151 come from and how did you decide to go with a 149 ? If you wouldn’t mind explaining this math concept that would be very helpful. I have the same make and model and having the same issue so this video is just what I’ve been looking for
Also with the shims you said to measure them before putting them back in, is it best to just buy a shim kit with all different sizes to ensure you have the right size you’ll need?
182 and 151 were the thicknesses of the shims that were in the bike already. The numbers you see above those are the measured gaps before pulling it apart. The math is simple the left measured a 182 with a .003 gap, if I want a .004 gap I would look for a 181 shim so 182 + 003 = 185 then minus the gap you want, .004 185 - 004 = 181 shim. What I mean by measure the shim first is don't go by what is printed on the shim, most measure differently. The right side gap was measuring .000 so I was just picking a thickness to give me a gap to do some math with.
What is the best/easiest way to rotate the camshaft as you state a couple of times to reach TDC and at the end of the video to check the valves after replacing new shims?
Hi there. I have an 05 crf250r can't get it to start. New cyl head, valves, piston, crank, cam, carb, plug everything is brand new and it still won't run. Timing and valve clearance are all in spec. Any ideas?
Great video. Can you tell me if the two timing marks were perfectly parallel with the head when installed the chain tensioner? Mine are slightly off, just like in your video and my cam chain is installed and released. I’m wondering if the chain has stretched or bad chain tensioner🤔 I removed checked the tensioner operation and it does no compress at all when forced, so I think it’s functional. 2006 CRF250r. Thank you.
If the marks are not aligned with the head the chain is stretched. I do a timing chain every time I do a top end. A stretched chain will make it difficult to start. You need a special flywheel puller to do it but it's easy and the Honda OEM chain is cheap.
@@TepcoCycleRepair wow I just noticed all of my typos. Ok good to know, I’m going to pick up the puller and probably add a new chain and tensioner. I’ve read on forums that these tensioners can fail often.
Is it safe to assume that I can’t check valve clearances accurately with a stretched cam chain? Currently IN/0.005 & EX/ R0.08 L0.07. I should install the new one, then take a new clearance reading for the accurate #’s...
@@TepcoCycleRepair Thanks you for clearing that up. This makes sense, since were are going off at TDC. I did run a leak down test and did hear air blowing out the exhaust. The rest of the leakage test was inconclusive, due the device not being totally secured to truly measure leakage %. Side note: The OTC brand name leakage tester I used wasn’t the correct tool. I chose it over Motion Pro, because it had thousands of reviews @4/5* and the Motion Pro only had 2 reviews. This was a bad idea due to the thread length was not long enough to engage the spark plug hole. I attempted to take the o-ring and it did engage barely enough to push air in and feel it going past the exhaust valves.-Inconclusive
So I adjusted valves still hard to start but when it did I herd a clanking noise. Applied some tention to the chain and noise went away but now hard to start. Could that mean I need to replace timing chain?
Hey I just bought an 07 crf250r, it hasn’t been started in a month but it does run. I cant seem to get it to kick up but the guy sent vids of it running in warm weather. It just sounds like a really cold engine. Maybe a carb rebuild?
Check the valves, clean the carb. Make sure the jets and mixture screw are set to stock settings, new spark plug and fuel. See what it does then. When you clean the carb, make sure the accelerator pump is working.
@@quinnCS Don't get an aftermarket carb. Order the factory parts you need from rocky mountain atv or partzilla or any online parts place. OEM carbs are always better and I will always rebuild them instead of replacing with an aftermarket one.
@@TepcoCycleRepair good job on the valve adjustment . i got some schooling today . i have a honda xr150L here in the philippines [retired American expat] it seems to a characteristic of this engine to take a long time to warm even when new . there is some type of air valve added for the carburetor . its hard to get info on this motor . i wonder if this can be eliminated to help with long warm up time . it hardly ever gets below 80 degrees here and still needs a full choke . and minutes to get to no choke ,but still needs to be revved up to avoid stalling . and it can still stall still when slowing down . pretty annoying .
Absolutely could be, could also be, worn piston rings or carburetor issues. A leak down test will answer the rings question as well as telling you if the valves are sealing well. Did it gradually get hard to start or sat for a while or was it a sudden hard start issue?
I have a 2008 crf250r sat a while, cleaned the carb everything crystal clear put it back together and have this problem now. How can I find the clearance measurements and how shins are sold? Thanks
Measurements are the same as in the video. You can order them on line but I would go to a local shop with the shims you don't need and see if they can swap them out. Sometimes you can swap the ones you have around to make the gaps correct.
What if your bike had high compression and its hard to start? I have a 2010 txc250 and i just cleaned the carb and havnt tried to start it yet, but the carb was already pretty clean, do you know what the issue could be?
Lean condition on the pilot circuit or an exhaust leak at the header gasket will be you most common reasons. Make sure the header gasket is good, then you can try turning the mixture screw out a little to richen it up. If that doesn't work, try the next richer pilot jet.
.005 intake .011 exhaust in inches or .12 intake .28 exhaust in mm + or -.003 Here is a good link for info on your bike. thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/429421-honda-crf250x-faqs-in-progress/
My2012 crf 250 idles just a tad bit high a but my idle adjustment knob will not turn the bike starts good and runs like it’s supposed to should I jus leave it alone ?
The idle speed for your bike should be 2000 rpm + or - 100. Remember in your bike to turn the idle down you need to turn it in, not out like other carb bikes. Try to measure your rpm to see where it's at the try that knob again by turning it in to get the right idle. These bikes normally idle higher than most people think so you might not be that far off. Thanks for watching.
No they are not. Most common sizes are 7.48mm and 9.48mm this CRF250R takes 7.48mm your CRF450R takes 9.48mm. Double check before ordering to be sure you get the right ones for your bike.
I got a crf450r and it starts when its cold but after it runs like 30 seconds or a min and i try to go and when i stall it (new rider) i cant start it acter its been started already and i have to wait untill it cools. the valvs where just adjusted to
Intake is .15-.20mm exhaust is .17-.23mm. Many things could cause it not to start. Check the basics, make sure your timing marks are correct, check for spark, check that valves are within spec, make sure your carb is clean with the proper jets. If any of these things are off you need to fix that first. Ideally you need a leak down test done to check that everything is sealed up good.
My ktm 250sx-f loses it's spec about 10 hours after it's specked. It has become very tiring(mentaly). My bike is 12years old.Maybe it needs a total rebuild or something....
