how do i start it?

[dream3wheeler]

my 85 250es wont start. the kick start slips and wont catch. and there is no battery. how do i start it?

[mrmello]

You can push start it.

Put it in 2 or 3rd.

Lift up the back end and take a few running steps.

Slam the back tires on the ground.

Or

Roll it down a hill and put it in gear.

[Xpress]

Roll it down a hill and pop into 1st is your best bet.

[dream3wheeler]

thats brings me to another question cause ive tried to have some pull start it before and when i kicked it into gear the back tires would skid and then the tires would spin but doesnt start but it makes whining sound. my grandfather said it could be cause synthetic oil but i know for sure it doesnt have synthetic oil in there. any other options? any tricks that can be done to electric start it with the battery?

[Xpress]

What do you mean by a "whining" noise?

[dream3wheeler]

well id be on it, kick it into gear and it would skid for a second and then it would come out of gear and its doesnt really whine but it sounds like a toy car. thats best i can describe it.

[Xpress]

Sounds like your gears may be grinding, which means they need replacing if that's the case.

[dream3wheeler]

it rides just fine when its started though. any other tips for starting it?

[Xpress]

Get a new battery, and see if that starter works.

[dream3wheeler]

it works, the battery i had just crapped out and wont hold a charge. anything else i can try. once i get it started and its all warmed up the kick start works

[matt86200x]

it works, the battery i had just crapped out and wont hold a charge. anything else i can try. once i get it started and its all warmed up the kick start works

That doesn't make any sense to me at all

[dream3wheeler]

That doesn't make any sense to me at all


what...with how i said it? or whats happening with the wheeler lol

[Slingblade]

The bike being cold or warm should have no effect on how the kick starter works.

[dream3wheeler]

i have no idea why but thats what happens. when i kick it when its cold it just clicks and doesnt grab anything. but when i ride it for awhile and it warms up it grabs better. it still slips but it will actually start

[dream3wheeler]

let me clarify that. it always slips when its cold, it SOMETIMES slips when its warmed up

[dream3wheeler]

as for the push starting concept i just went out there and tried it. i put it in 1st gear and i barely pushed on it and it started to roll. same with all the other gears. it wont start it will just roll. if anyone has any idea how to start it let me know

[mrmello]

Boost it with another battery......

[dream3wheeler]

ill go see if i have one.

[matt86200x]

what...with how i said it? or whats happening with the wheeler lol

Ya whether it's warm or not should make no difference if the kicker gears are not catching

[dream3wheeler]

i dont get it either but thats what happens. also i didnt have a battery but my father told me to just hook the cables to a battery charger set it to 12v and try and start it. well i did and the green nuetral light was on so i figured it would work. but what happened was where it says main fuse that little thing was making a rapid clicking sound. any idea what thats about?

[mrmello]

Hard to understand what you mean by main fuse.

If it makes a clicking sound when you hit the starter button that could mean that the battery isnt charged enough or the starter is pooched.

Let it charge for a while and see what happens.

[Eric250R]

Ok, here's where alot of people get lost. First, if you're going to roll start it, find a descent grade to roll it down, put it in about 4th gear, you can hold up on the shifter which engages the clutch, once you're at a good speed, let it go. Just like popping a clutch on a manual. Now comes the " lost " part I referred to earlier. The automatics have a " one-way" clutch bearing. Once this goes bad, you're kick starter won't engage, it will also cause the clutches to slip and not engage when trying to roll start it, and last but not least when it goes bad, and the machine is running, if you start down a hill or are in a situation that you need the machine to hold itself back it will disengage and cause the machine to free wheel down hills like it's in neutral. If this happens simply give the throttle a little tap and it will re-engage. But either way, your one way clutch bearing is shot and needs to be replaced.

[Eric250R]

as for the clicking sound....either not enough charge or your solenoid is bad

[dream3wheeler]

well i hooked the battery charger right up to the cables and it made that clicking sound when i hit the start button. i dont have any batteries i could use. when i had the charger hooked on the nuetral light was on, and the headlight worked. i figured it would start but that little thing with the black and red caps over it was making that clicking sound.

[dream3wheeler]

how do i fix the one way clutch bearing?

[Eric250R]

the " little thing " with the black and red caps is your solenoid, if it's clicking its bad. If you have little to no experience taking a clutch apart then you need to have someone who knows what they're doing replace it for you....it's not a hard job, but for someone who's never done it, you can get it over your head and end up costing you more in the long run

[Eric250R]

I'm sure you're looking for a quick fix it now answer, and maybe money is tight. It is for everyone, but you have 2 choices. Get a new solenoid and battery, or replace the bearing so you can kick it. You can ride it either way. The solenoid and battery would be the cheaper of the 2 choices. As I said earlier, if you feel it start to free wheel going down hill, simply tap the gas and the clutch will re-engage.

[dream3wheeler]

well ill get some money to buy the solenoid and battery, i have a few more questions though. if the solenoid is bad would that mean the battery i had is still usable? and another thing confuses me. whenever id have the wheeler running for awhile i would kickstart just fine and it wouldnt have any problems going to down hills.

[Xpress]

Check the battery voltage. for normal operating voltages it should be between 12.2 and 14v or so, and I've seen normal ranges at about 13v or so. The only way to tell is to take out a volt meter and check it, then put it on the bike and give it a go, see if the system can recharge it.

[4cfed]

as for push starting it if your tires are skidding you dont have enough weight over the rear end, roll down a hill and get you butt over the end of the seat,if still skids slam your weight down

[jeopardy98]

I just finished solving this problem on my 85 250sx. The 250es uses the same kicker/one way clutch bearing as the 250sx. The reason your kicker slips when cold is because the metal in the one way bearing has contracted and it won't grab at all. When it warms up all the roller bearings expand some and then the few good ones that are left will grab. I had the same problem and eventually they all gave out and it wouldn't kick at all.

You can replace that one way bearing in about 2 hours if you have never done it. About half that if you have. They are about $100 from service honda but you can go on ebay and buy the whole centrifugal clutch assembly which contains the bearing you need. Just make sure to email the seller and ask if it is included because some of them take them out and sell them separately. I got my whole assembly for $30 shipped with the bearing in it.

You can find a copy of the manual on here if you look around and you can use that to help you with the repair. Basically you:

drain the oil
remove the right side engine case
remove the nut on the clutch assembly- This nut is reverse thread and you will need an impact to remove it or a clutch holder tool
Pull the clutch assembly off and right behind it you will see the bearing. Pull it out and replace it. Make sure you put the new one in with the side that says "outside" facing out
reinstall the clutch assembly and the nut- remember it is reverse thread
install a new case gasket and reinstall the right case
fill with oil and ride

Now there are obviously some small things I left out but that is it in a nutshell. It's not too hard if you take your time and pay attention.

As for your clicking... It seems like you don't have enough juice from the charger to start the bike. You need to get a battery and make sure it is fully charged. I personally think your solenoid is fine and it is your starter relay that is clicking. Buy the battery, charge it fully and give it a try before you waste money on the solenoid.

[dream3wheeler]

SO! now all is figured out thats wrong with it. any other ideas on starting it without a battery, and without kickstart

[ATCrider42]

ya, roll it off a cliff while covered in gas fueled flames. Always works for me. Good Luck.

[fabiodriven]

Roll it down a hill and pop into 1st is your best bet.

I'm sorry Xpress, but that is not your best bet. That's actually not a good idea at all. First gear is the hardest to pop start anything in, not to mention he could very easily damage his transmission by slamming it into gear like that. The first guys advice was more along the lines of how he should go about it.

[mrmello]

SO! now all is figured out thats wrong with it. any other ideas on starting it without a battery, and without kickstart


Boost it with your dads Car or Truck, riding mower, tractor, anything with a battery.

[bpwinter250R]

On a side note, can you even push start a 250es with the neutral start switch working? It has been a while since I tried it on mine, but I thought it wouldn't fire unless the little green light was on. There have been several times I shut it off going down the road, and tried to re-start it with good redneck roll start technique to no avail. It was like it had an ignition cut out. I always had to put it in neutral.

[200XMichigan]

Put your old battery back in. A charger may not have enough amps to make it do anything more than click depending on the charger. Fully charge your old battery, sometimes you can cheat and add some white vinegar to an old battery instead of just filling the electrolyte with water. Then jump start it with a car. Also its got pretty cold if your oil is too thick that would not help the kicker gear engage. Change to some 5W30 or 10W30 for winter. I switched the 200X to 5W40 diesel oil. The 10W40 was to thick in the real cold temps for my kicker gears to engage, even though 200X are know for that, the thinner oil made a huge difference.

[Xfile]

Don't take this the wrong way....but seriously, motorsports...including 3 wheeling are not cheap or free. Your best bet is to fix the problem the right way. Sure, there are quick fixes to get you back to the truck or to finish out a good day of riding...but they should be considered temporary. If you don't have the funds to fix it right, push it into a corner and wait until you do....it sucks, but I have to do it sometimes. If you just riding around your house, no problem...but what if your 20 miles from home and you get it stuck bad or something. If the engine quits, there will be no push starting and if the kick starter mech. isn't working you may no be able to start it that way either. It could lead to a bad day and a long walk. The right way is the best way...just my 2 cents.

[alandrox]

one way clutch is bad.