My wife's Ninja 250 started acting up yesterday. At first, it seemed like it was just having trouble getting warmed up (really low idle, would die immediately if you tried to move the choke setting or give it throttle at all).
After a few minutes of idling, the temp finally came up, and I was able to reduce the choke setting, and actually rev the bike without it dying. It seemed normal at this point, so she rode off for another 3 minutes, just slow neighborhood driving, and then it died again as she tried to get going from a stop sign. This time, it wouldn't run consistently at all afterwards.
It was very hard to start, but once it started, it would rev really high by itself (upwards of 6K rpm), but if you added throttle, it would bring the rpm down and eventually stall, like the function of the throttle had been somehow reversed.
I've been dinking with cars for quite a while, but I have no experience with motorcycles, or anything with a careburetor for that matter. Logically, I know to always start with the basics - air, fuel, spark. I'd guess it's NOT spark, since it does start eventually.
Air is rarely the issue unless you've somehow sucked a sock into the intake.
I'm guessing this is a carb thing? Unless there might be a simple fix, I have no desire to monkey with the carb. Should I even bother trying to change the spark plugs or wires before I drag it off to the Kawasaki dealer in Longmont? Does this thing even have a cap and rotor? *clueless*
BTW, while it hasn't been out every weekend, the bike has not been sitting completely idle. It gets out at least once every two weeks. It has just over 2,000 miles on it. The bike was dropped on its left side July 4th of this year, and it was sitting on the ground for maybe 10 minutes after the accident, but it hasn't had a running problem until now.
Any suggestions or input would be appreciated.