starting problems

[mike hicks]

I'm having problems starting a honda 250 big red(87) that i recently bought from a friend.:confused:

[250sx]

what kind of problems? with the electric start or getting it to crank whatsoever?

[mike hicks]

I have found that I do have power to the starter, but the starter does'nt do anything. I removed the starter and was able to turn the shaft of the starter easily. Also, when trying to kick start, the kickstarter doesnt seem to be engaging into whatever it is supposed to.

[Stan MaN]

you might have a burnt out relay or fuse, check the easy things first, with the kick start I have no idea never worked on one.

[hrc200x]

If you want to hear it run you could pull start it. By that I mean pulling it behind something with a tow rope. Put it in like 3rd gear, make sure the key and kill switch are on, and be ready to play with the choke. If the kick start gears are stripped out all those filings of metal are in the motor somewhere, you might want to drain the oil and look for filings first before you start it.

[250sx]

let's start with the obvious...is it in neutral? There is a switch down near the shifter that lets the starter know if it is which if it's out of whack will keep the electric start from working.

have you charged the battery? (don't try and jump it with a car, big nono)

I'd do like hrc says and try to pull start it first to make sure it will run. let us know...

[Fuzzy]

Is the starter burnt out maybe?. Try turning on your headlight and then hitting the starter switch. Does the headlight get real dim when you hit the switch like the starter is drawing juice?.

[mike hicks]

I forgot to mention that my 250 is shaft driven. I didn't know if I could pull start it or not. The guy I bought it from said he tried to and couldn't start it. I'll look at the other things though. Thanx, I'll get back to you guys.

[250sx]

yeah that won't matter you can still pull-start it. just use 2nd or 3rd gear to do it. if it hasn't been run in a while drain the old gas out of the tank and clean the carb if you know how. also change the oil (with motorcycle oil) and put in a new plug.

[Dan10]

Could the engine be siezed?