Gaz and me went out for a little jaunt today around some local lanes. After 2 weeks of not riding, due to work and dark nights....damn working for a living, I was a little bit rusty. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well my bike was running......
Steve has been working on my KTM to tweak some things for me. He has bled the clutch and when he did this he said it was full of gunk.....lovely. End result - the bike has stopped lurching forward when I put it into 1st and I can finally get neutral without getting in a strop - bonus!!
Steve also cleaned out the fuel tank which also had gunk in it, tried to put in a new filter but we have had a couple that have turned out to be the wrong size...so still some more work to do. However the bike seems to have stopped spluttering and 'popping' on overrun. So maybe this did the trick??
The oil leak has been sourced and sorted, by changing the compression washer on the sump plug - this has probably also helped with the running of the bike, and possibly finding neutral and stopped me worrying about it. This was also sorted by Steve, not a bad bloke this man of mine :-)
The one thing that has vastly improved is the overall smooth running of the bike and the stalling issue. We thought had been sorted by the very nice mechanic at Triple D. I would recommend all lady riders out there to get a KTM and break it just so they can take to see the mechanic Ben, in Kendal..... sorry getting distracted somewhat.....back to the bike...
It was running better after the carb clean and balance, but we seemed to still be getting some stalling issues.
Steve turned the tick over up slightly and it just seems that the bike likes to run a bit faster. Believe me we have played a lot with the tick over on this bike..its been up and down like a yo-yo. However we seem to have on the right setting ...almost! (Still room for improvement). It handles much better now and doesn't cut out any more. End result - much happier less scary and relaxed riding - always a bonus!
It does however mean, the bike runs on a bit more and needs a bit more clutch control and rear brake on descents. This is actually a good thing for me as I now have to ride this bike properly!!
There is just one more thing I would like to sort with this bike and that is the suspension. We have softened off the front suspension but the rear shock is still rock hard. We suspect this may be making the front wheel bounce a bit. When I got this bike the suspension was set to a very hard setting and I am really unsure why.....I know I like cake and chocolate but I'm not that heavy so it definitely needs adjusting.
So all in all, the KTM is running much, much better and we had some muddy fun out on the local lanes today. It was quite good fun watching Gaz's back end tail around in the mud! He normally doesn't falter. The fords were kind to us - not too deep for the water hating KTM. It was so nice to relax and enjoy the riding without having to worry about how my bike was running or if it was going to cut out. I can see now why Steve spends so much time tinkering and servicing his bikes. A big thank you to him for all the work he has done on my bike....beers on the way!!
Steve has been working on my KTM to tweak some things for me. He has bled the clutch and when he did this he said it was full of gunk.....lovely. End result - the bike has stopped lurching forward when I put it into 1st and I can finally get neutral without getting in a strop - bonus!!
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| Lucy realising this bike has got more go in it than a 125! |
The oil leak has been sourced and sorted, by changing the compression washer on the sump plug - this has probably also helped with the running of the bike, and possibly finding neutral and stopped me worrying about it. This was also sorted by Steve, not a bad bloke this man of mine :-)
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| Steve and the trusty DR350 |
It was running better after the carb clean and balance, but we seemed to still be getting some stalling issues.
Steve turned the tick over up slightly and it just seems that the bike likes to run a bit faster. Believe me we have played a lot with the tick over on this bike..its been up and down like a yo-yo. However we seem to have on the right setting ...almost! (Still room for improvement). It handles much better now and doesn't cut out any more. End result - much happier less scary and relaxed riding - always a bonus!
It does however mean, the bike runs on a bit more and needs a bit more clutch control and rear brake on descents. This is actually a good thing for me as I now have to ride this bike properly!!
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| First day on the KTM 250 EXC-F |
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| Me and Steve - my amazing bike maintenance man! |
