Mechanic needed in New Hampshire...

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beachboysnh
On the street
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:40 pm
Country: us
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 73 GT250, Ninja 250

Mechanic needed in New Hampshire...

Post by beachboysnh »

I inherited a '73 GT250 and have not had luck getting it running. Have not tried a lot because I don't know enough to do the work myself. Would you bring your bike to just any motorcycle mechanic for work? If not, does any one have any trusted names of shops/people in New Hampshire, Maine or Vermont? I'd like to get it running again. Thanks.
Madbuffalo
To the on ramp
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Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:55 pm
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Suzuki 2-Strokes: GT750
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Re: Mechanic needed in New Hampshire...

Post by Madbuffalo »

Welcome to the forum.

Hopefully someone on here local to you will have some insights but I would be hesitant to take your bike to a typical local shop. Most of today's incoming mechanics just aren't trained to service ignition points and other 'dead technologies'. Back around 2006 I called my local Suzuki dealer to ask if anyone there could work on a Water Buffalo. The tech's response was "no we don't work on Harleys". I didn't bother correcting him just said thank you and hung up the phone. Since then I have never approached a shop to service my GT and instead rely on the extensive expertise of this community to help get me through repairs. I don't know your tools & workspace situation, or your level of experience, but while our bikes are simple to work on they do need service a little more often than their modern counterparts to the extent that taking them to a mechanic each time could become impractical.

Josh
No really... it's supposed to smoke.

1974 Suzuki Nomad 340
1975 Suzuki GT750 Waterbuffalo
2018 Kawasaki Z900rs
beachboysnh
On the street
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:40 pm
Country: us
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 73 GT250, Ninja 250

Re: Mechanic needed in New Hampshire...

Post by beachboysnh »

Thank you for the advice. The only description I have for the problem is that it won't run at anything below 3500 RPM (makes it tough to stop and go). We are stumped and need a pro. I have one possible local guy to call (he has a few vintage bikes in his shop). But if I don't try getting it fixed, my efforts will have been for nothing. Under time pressure and emotion, I put money into a new tank thinking that I'd keep it this bike forever since it was my dad's bike - I haven't even ridden it yet. Now I'm not so sure it's something that I should keep if we can't easily work on it ourselves (we don't usually have money to spend on projects like this - just keeping the other toys that are used more often running is tough enough).
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tz375
Moto GP
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Re: Mechanic needed in New Hampshire...

Post by tz375 »

The problem could be simple - like jets clogged, or more complex like blown seals, so start with the cheap fixes.

It sounds like the pilot jets or the passages they discharge through may be partially clogged. Strip both crabs and put the parts into their own container. I use cheap baking trays from the local Jewel, a race buddy of mine uses cleaned out Lean Cuisine containers.

Clean and inspect the jets and blow through each jet and each drilling with a can of carb cleaner. Do one jet form one carb and repeat on the same jet from the other carb. That way you can compare how the spray looks. It's the only way to do it. You can also clean the bodies and jets in an ultrasonic cleaner but that's a luxury for now.

when you are 110% sure the carbs are perfect inside, rebuild them and then clean up the electrical connections. I tend to spray WD450 into switches and work them back and forth until the WD40 dripping out is clean and no longer rusty or dusty. I would treat the bike to new plug caps and new spark plugs because they are fairly cheap.

Then I would clean lube and set the points gap and ignition timing. A good investment is a handbook/service manual. See if you can find a pdf copy on line to save a few more dollars.
beachboysnh
On the street
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:40 pm
Country: us
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 73 GT250, Ninja 250

Re: Mechanic needed in New Hampshire...

Post by beachboysnh »

I think we've decided to sell it. These bikes seem to need tinkering with and finding parts is likely going to be an issue any time it might need them. We're just not that knowledgeable about it all. I am pretty sure my dad would like it to go to someone that really appreciates the bike, rather than it sitting around here unused just for sentimental reasons.

Thanks for the suggestions for fixing it.
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