Mech

They can have different specs in different markets, even when the model suffix is the same in some makes, and what's one year's model in one country, can often be another year for another country too. Anyone thinking of doing it really needs to check their exact bike against the parts lists I think.

#15.. Oh ok. You're right. Good spotting. I've never seen one like that, but I'm in New Zealand. Over here all the 2WD have a stub axle as part of the knuckle. I still think you'd have to be careful to check exactly which model you have.. Some might not convert that easy. Not everyone gets the same spec bikes as America does.

Well.. Reading around it looks like that engine is a copy of a yamaha, and the yamaha says to align the dot on the gear with the key in the shaft. That would also mean that when installing it the key would be aligned with a dot on the other gear.

How do you figure the front hubs and steering knuckles aren't needed ? And I presume since Killer in the first post reckoned we needed the steering rods and new upper and lower suspension arms, that they will be needed too ?

Oh. That's a pickle then. Are the parts after-market ? And yeah the balancer will just miss the crank. That gives you some idea about where it's meant to be.

And that gear indicator sign combined with the no start the manual does say is either the PCM or power supply or earth. I'd always try to bypass/substitute the PCM to be real sure that was going to cure the problem.. But I'm a mech and have to be sure.. and parts are dearer here in New Zealand.

Ok.. Progress. And yeah, things that switch by turning the earths off instead of the power can catch us out. Bad earths can catch us out. Can you bypass/jump the pcm to see if the circuits work then ? Always best to be sure parts are the problem, and the only problem, before condemning them.

I don't have a manual for that model but other 400s also say to align the dots.. Are you sure there isn't any faded dot there. Even though it says it's a punched dot, It may have been an etched grey dot which might be hard to see now it's used. If it is a hole and a punched dot then they should be easy to spot. If the marks aren't there, perhaps they decided it wasn't so crucial anyway and dispensed with the marks. There are a few reasons they insist on aligning things like that, one is for balance and another is critical manufacturing clearances. The other likely reason for that part having marks would be because the springs aren't exactly equally spaced. If the springs were exactly equally spaced it could get a rhythmic pulse or vibration in the drive. To prevent that they sometimes make the spacing just very slightly different as it goes around. It may be that those two parts fit together anywhere, but some places only some springs will be under a lot of tension and others will be contacting lightly. If it's put together correctly every spring will be taking equal load even though the spaces between gaps is different.. I'd check that.

Thinner oil might help, and check the oil level is not too high. Either of those can make the clutch drag.

You say it has power to the relay, but are you sure the relay has an earth as well ? You say the fuses and wiring appear ok, but have you tested the fuse and wires for continuity with an ohm gauge ? Wires sometimes break inside their insulation just right where they come out of the crimped metal terminals in multi-plugs. If you use long nosed pliers and try bending each wire, one at a time, you sometimes find one that's too flexible because it's only the insulation you are bending.. the copper is broken. If the relay is getting power and earth, then you should check it's contacts are making good contact with the continuity tester of your gauge. If the relay is working and the contacts are good then presumably it has to be in the power feed wires to and from the relay. You could unplug the relay and jump the power wire terminals to feed power straight down to the pump. That confirms the fuse, wires and pump are all working .. or not. Then you concentrate on the relay's control circuit. And.. when testing for power it's better to use a test light rather than a multi-meter. The multi-meter needs so little power that it can show a voltage even with a dirty contact that won't let enough power through to run a light or pump. That can make us think there's power when there isn't really. If using a gauge you really need to do a "voltage drop test" when the circuit is under load. Using a gauge to check for voltage is often a deceptive trap..

Yeah Tihart, I reckon the the spring needs attaching to the shaft, half a turn from where it is. If your kickstart shaft has a hole drilled through it for the return spring to lock into, then I suspect it needs a half rotation. The plastic collar needs pulling out and the spring slipped out of it's anchor, then the shaft rotating a half turn the spring being set back in and the lock colour being returned. Then it will have a half a turn extra on the spring and will hopefully do it.

The spring looks like it's bent when we compare it to the pictures. It might not be and/or it might still work though. I presume that when you say the spring doesn't work that you mean it's not strong enough to return the pedal ? Have you tried taking the spring off the shaft and putting it back on with the end through the shaft from the opposite side of the shaft, like, turn the shaft a half rotation. They are normally pretty well wound up and take a bit of muscle to get them in. I'd put the shaft in and then use some channel-lock pliers to wind the spring up and into place. It will probably take a whole rotation, a half rotation of the spring won't be enough, two full rotations will likely be too much.

Yes, the cdi could earth through it's attaching bolt, or the charge windings and the trigger windings in the stator both share an earth..

I don't think the kill switch is going to last long if the capacitor is discharging through it.

Either of these ? They both seem to be availiable, but one is a ridiculous price.. https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/1986/lt250r/front-fender#next https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/1987/lt-f4wd/front-fender-model-h-j-k-l#next

I think I'd put the shaft straight in as far as possible then wrestle the spring into place. The dots are on the shaft and the sliding bendix thing on the shaft..

Ok. I think the return spring goes under that steel plate in the picture. See the lower allen key has a bit of extra plate poking down, well in the ATV250 it has the same set up and the spring hooks behind that plate and rests against aluminium.

Ha. I like linseed oil for wood and metal, but I've never thought of using it on plastic.. I'll have to remember that one.

A lot of hondas the spring hooks onto aluminium on the case, they don't always have a steel pin to hook to like some makes do.

I don't recognise anywhere in the second picture where the spring would go, could it engage in the cover ? There will be a wear mark where the spring has engaged on the case, and probably where it engaged on the shaft. That's how I'd figure where it went. The spring does look bent. This might help.. https://www.babbittsonline.com/oemparts/a/hon/506ba857f870023420a21161/kick-starter

Yup, the size of the smile is pretty much the measure of a bike I reckon. Doesn't matter if it's a little mini or some beast, if it makes us smile then it's a good one. Good idea to go right over the bike when you first get them I reckon Ugly. Take all the plastics off and grease all the bolts and screws, inspect and re-tape the wiring and check it's tied on securely, check all the hoses for ageing, Wires nearly always break right where they go into their metal terminals, and sometimes it can be inside the insulation so it always pays to wriggle each wire gently checking it isn't suspiciously flexible. Hopefully that near broken wire will be the trouble. If that doesn't fix it and you have the plastics off you could disconnect the regulator and try it. If the earth or battery power wire going to the regulator break they cause misfiring. While it's apart I'd clean every electrical plug because dirt in them if it gets wet can conduct and cause problems. I like to clean them, let them dry and then fill them up with petroleum jelly, which is vaseline.

It was a brother.. in law . If that bike was running ok till you worked on it, moving the switch and the carb, then you should check all the wiring around where you were working..

You really need to download the service manual and follow the diagnostic procedure. The battery needs to be charged. First I'd carry out the resistance tests on the cdi unit. You need the manual for that. Then I'd check all the wiring for continuity from the stator and pickup coil to the cdi and all the earths on the bike, and for any chafed wires that could be shorting to earth. The pulse sounds about right but the manual should tell you what it's meant to be. You need to be sure it and the stator are connected to the cdi though so I always test their output at the cdi plug. If there's any chafed wiring they might have continuity but they might be shorting to earth intermittently, so inspect the wiring. The spark should be fat and blue even when it's intermittent. If the sparkplug cap comes off the lead I'd take that off and test the spark. The switches earth to kill the spark and in theory shouldn't have a problem with dirty contacts but I'd strip them and check they were getting full travel of the contacts and that they didn't have dirt in them causing shorts. I'd check all the connection plugs too for dirty contacts, broken wires or dirt causing shorts. Get the manual and have a look. The models vary a little and you need to check which model you have to test things properly.

Take the bung out of the left side and use a socket to try and turn the crank..

Ha.. You're right there Gw !