Suzuki GN250 1989 model - won't turn over?

B

Bama69

New member
I am brand new to bikes, and recently when I pondered trying my hand at getting my Learners, I was given an old bike from a family friend. They managed to source it God only knows where, but hey, free bike right, I'm not going to complain.
I know nothing about bikes, all I know about this one is that its a Suzuki GN250 1989 model (1989 is the year written on the old registration papers).

Its most recent registration expired in January of this year and the bike has been sitting since then. It was also crashed, but from what I can tell, the crash didn't do much damage. The petrol tank is messed up, but apart from that, there really isn't any physical damage that either myself or my dad can see.

We put oil in the engine, put petrol in the tank, charged the battery... but it just won't go. I turn the key and press my finger to the electric starter button and it attempts to start, but apart from that, it just won't kick over.

ANY help anyone can give me as to what I should look at, or look for, or try, would be greatly appreciated!
 
A picture for anyone, if you wanna see it....

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Welcome. Looks like the bike is in fairly decent condition; hope you can get it to run. Where you located, mate ??

Need to clarify the terminology first.

Does it turn over....meaning does the starter run and can you hear or feel the pistons pumping?
OR
Does it turn just a tiny bit and then everything stops ??

I'm assuming that it turns over but won't fire up.
When you say "attempts to start", does that mean that you can hear or feel it fire but just won't KEEP running??

Details are important so as not to go running off in the wrong direction. :bluethum:

In the mean time, check the air filter and exhaust pipes for blockage.
You are using the choke, right ??
 
The GN250 is rare but it is the predecessor to the GZ250 (current model) and uses pretty much the same engine.

If the motor is turning but not firing, the easiest thing to check for is spark, next would be fuel. Is there a filter? I think I had a little one on my GN and it was full of sediment after a week of riding it. Just little stuff like that, check the air filter, etc. There's not a lot to the GN, if it's not turning over at all there really is only one fuse that is typically the culprit and it is under the seat. At least that was the case on mine, I can't think there was much change between 1987 and 1989.

Good luck.
 
Welcome, Moondance. Please fill out your profile so you're a bit more of a "somebody".

You got a good helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, right? That's step one. We'll get 'er rolling yet!
 
When I press the electric starter button to try and get her going...

It just kind of makes a "chugga chugga chugga" like it really WANTS to start, it just can't get that final little kick that will make the engine fire up and start going properly
 
I've got my helmet, and my boots. So far I don't have what you'd call a protective jacket, but I do have A jacket... Its an old Harley Davidson jacket, its denim. And I'm looking for a good pair of gloves. I find it really difficult to do things with my hands when wearing gloves... I have quite smallish hands and gloves just feel so cumbersome, its been hard to find a pair that fit me comfortably and still allow me full use of my hands!
 
I did have someone on another forum suggest maybe it is gummed up carbs... I've been trying to find a manual for the bike online somewhere, like a .pdf of the workshop manual or whatever, so I can learn how to clean the carbs.
 
Australia... NSW.



You can hear it trying to fire up... and it chugs and chugs and chugs. But as soon as your finger is off the Starter button, then thats the end of it.



Choke pushed down, like my dad taught me. LOL
 
Getting used to gloves takes time. It's helpful to find some designed for motorcyclists, or go with unlined deerskin. I like to buy them snug and wear them in damp.

You have to learn to relax your grip. The handlebar feels bigger with gloves on, so the tendency is to squeeze.

After riding with gloves for 5 years, I feel naked and vulnerable without them. Guess what often hits first in a crash? I know firsthand (pardon the pun) what raw palm flesh feels like.
 
There is only 1 carb, it is a single cylinder bike with two exhaust pipes.

Here is a link to an exploded view of the carb. Just pull it apart being careful to note against the pic where each part came from, clean each part carefully and thoroughly and put back together. Make sure to inspect the diaghpram on the slide for any tears/holes and make sure you do not put any in there when handling it. They are hard to find and expensive to replace.
 
For any screws or adjustable needles you take out, count the turns as you tighten them to the stops, then remove them. Record the number of turns to the nearest 1/4 from fully seated. They may not be set correctly at the moment, but you have to start somewhere.
 
I've never been a person for wearing gloves, not even when horse riding, usually I just end up when horse riding with the skin on my hands being torn apart from the leather reins.
But I am looking for a pair that fits me comfortably.

Most of the time I just get annoyed with them after about two minutes and get cranky and rip them off and throw them on the ground and go back to using my bare hands. They p*ss me off coz they feel like they're getting in my way.




Thank-you for the schematic picture there. I'll print that out and stick it on the wall next to the bike while I'm doing it for extra guidance!
 
OK, one more suggestion; I believe in taking the easiest and cheapest route FIRST. If it doesn't work, little or nothing is lost.

Before you go taking the carb apart......and possibly making matters worse....you should do two things:

1) verify that you have good spark; most often done by connecting a spare plug to the wire, laying it against the engine and looking at the gap while it's turning over. Should be blue or white; red or orange isn't very good.

2) Make sure you have enough battery voltage, either by installing a freshly charged new battery or by jumping from a known good, larger battery. The GZ is very sensitive to low battery voltage; I assume your's will be too.

Probably should also verify that fuel is getting TO the carb. If the petcock has a PRIme setting, you should be there until you get it to run. There is a drain nipple and screw on the bottom of the carb. Loosen the screw and fuel should come out.

THEN.....you can get a can of starter fluid (ether). Spray just a LITTLE bit into the air cleaner. Wait 2 seconds and the try to start. If it shows new signs of life, try it again with a tiny bit more. You are not trying to get the liquid into the carb but the gas. It doesn't take much and TOO much can cause a fire.

I REALLY think you need to some simple checks before you take things apart or replace parts based just on a guess. One exception though; did you replace the spark plug? In a 1 cylinder engine, the plug is very important! :bluethum:
 
As its currently 5am and I don't intend to touch anything on the bike at least the first time around without my dads assistance, the spark plug hasn't been touched. I can't do anything for at least a few more hours (which I think I shall sleep during so my brain is intact for playing with the bike).

First thing though is checking for a spark, that is the first thing on the list, I'm just trying to get as many ideas as possible, rather than doing one thing, and coming back to the computer and waiting for a response, and then doing another thing and coming back to the computer and waiting for a response... that would get tedious.

So I'm trying to get as many options as possible, so I can go and do the first thing first and if thats okay, move onto the second thing.


I'm pretty sure there is enough battery voltage, as I don't know if I said before on this forum or one of the others I posted on, but everytime I've tried to start it, its been hooked up to a charger, so even if the battery itself doesn't have enough power, it should still be able to pull the power from the charger.
 
A reasonable assumption......at this point.

If, however, it has spark and appears to have gas at the carb, you should revisit the battery item before you tear anything apart. Unless you have a REALLY large charger, it won't add much power while starting.

I had a GZ for a while. The electrical system can be almost freeky at time.
 
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