Hi fellow Rebel riders, happy to be aboard the forum. I'm hoping y'all can lend me some pointers on my 2015 Rebel CMX250 as I am out of work right now (thanks to Covid) and can't afford to get the bike to a repair shop. So here's the story: I bought the bike new (old stock) from a dealership in 2017. I rode it for 3 months before being offered brief work in another state and so I put gas preserve in the tank and left it in a storage unit with only 260 miles on the clock. The job ended up being long term and I was away three years. I returned home late last year and finally wheeled the bike out of storage in March. The tank was a mess so I replaced it with another new tank I had on hand. On a warm day I cleaned up the carb and air cleaner, changed the oil, filled up with premium and took a 50 mile ride without any issues. Then we had some cold weather and the bike stood for a week. The next warm day I started it up (no issues) and wheeled her outside but as I did so I accidentally pressed the starter button for a couple of seconds (while it was running) and hit the kill switch. She started right back up though, and I took her for a short ride, but as she heated up she seemed to be bogging so I returned home, turned the engine off and left her outside. Two minutes later I tried to restart her to move her into the garage but she wouldn't start. So I wheeled her indoors, perplexed. The next day she started right up and i took another brief spin but as she warmed up she did the same thing, total loss of power and threatening to stall. I once had this issue with another bike (Harley) and it turned out to be the CDI, so I assumed I'd fried it by leaning on the starter. When the new CDI arrived I replaced it and immediately went for a good ten mile ride without any issue and I was convinced I fixed the problem. Anyway, along the road I met a friend and stopped the engine to chat with him for 20 minutes. When I went to start her up it wouldn't start and I ended up pushing her a mile home. It was a cheap CDI so I finally figured it was just poor quality, so I ordered a second one from Ricks. It arrived today and I installed it. The bike took some work to get started but I finally got it going and off the choke and she ran sweetly through warm up but when I shut her off to check the oil she wouldn't start again. Very sorry for this stupidly long post but I want all the details on the table. My question is, could I have fried a coil with a bad CDI? The right side exhaust had noticeably more white smoke than the other, so the coil comes to mind. Anyway, this is essentially a brand new bike, stored indoors, fresh oil & gas, clean carb and air cleaner, I checked the plugs and all the connections on the harness. Any ideas? Huge thanks in advance....
Reb250VT
Welcome to the forum.
Likely, all the CDI's are good! Another "normal" issue is the exhaust, both pipes will usually be different. All of this is normal. If I had to put money on it, I would say the carb is dirty. Maybe the "messy" tank had rust? You didn't state...But it sounds like a dirty carb.
Likely, all the CDI's are good! Another "normal" issue is the exhaust, both pipes will usually be different. All of this is normal. If I had to put money on it, I would say the carb is dirty. Maybe the "messy" tank had rust? You didn't state...But it sounds like a dirty carb.
It's possible that there is something in the orifices, maybe a rust speck. 3 years for a tank that has a lot of "air" space will make a lot of rust on the top of a tank.
If you suspect the coil, you can swap them with each other. Both coils fire at the same time.
I still have my money on dirty carb. Since the Reb is one of the last normally aspirated "modern" vehicles on the road, not many can troubleshoot dirty carb.
If you suspect the coil, you can swap them with each other. Both coils fire at the same time.
I still have my money on dirty carb. Since the Reb is one of the last normally aspirated "modern" vehicles on the road, not many can troubleshoot dirty carb.
Aaah, that all makes sense. RE the coils, you mean by switching I'll see the white smoke from the other side? I'm just puzzled by the fact that the issue arises when the bike gets heated up, would a blocked carb do that? Prior to shutting it off today it was fully responsive at the throttle...
The engine is an inline twin 4 cycle, so the exhaust will always be somewhat different from the other side. The coils fire on every cycle, so exhaust will look different. Honda made this engine super simple! No high tech stuff.
Every year when I first start the bike after winter shut down I need about 15 minutes until the throttle responds normally. The carb is just that sensitive. Mine from gasoline deposits, yours from rust specks. Just my theory...
Every year when I first start the bike after winter shut down I need about 15 minutes until the throttle responds normally. The carb is just that sensitive. Mine from gasoline deposits, yours from rust specks. Just my theory...
Good to know RE the exhaust. I do love the Rebels - I just sold my Rebel 450 which I promptly regretted after troubles with my 250 began lol! Anyway, it sounds like you know your stuff so I'll try switching the coils and do another carb cleaning. Really appreciate you taking to time to help me out Guba - I'll message you an update after I've tried out your fixes. Cheers!
How are you cleaning the carb? Spray or short soakings in carb cleaner won't get a dirty carb clean. Suggest you install an in-line fuel filter. How To Install a Fuel Filter | Honda Rebel Forum
Thank you flitecontrol, a friend helped me on the carb (he was visiting from another state and works at a small engine repair shop) and I inspected it with a magnifying glass and inspection light. I suspect if it's blocked it's since the cleaning with rust specks from the tank. I installed an inline at the same time as I reattached the carb so nothing but filtered gas (both from the petcock and the inline) since. I will get to tinkering with it again today and report back....
You can't see inside the internal passages to see if they are clean, and the carb won't function properly if they aren't. The best way to clean a carb is with an ultrasonic cleaner. If that isn't an option, soaking only the metal parts in Berryman Chem Dip for 2-7 days (the longer the soak, the more likely the carb will be cleaned), followed by a thorough water rinse and blowing out every orifice with high pressure compressed air is a good second. IMO, carb spray in a can is only a little bit better than spit when it comes to carb cleaning.
be aware there is a micro-screen in idle jet.. Do Not try passing needle or wire through jet as screen can be damaged..
Rotating carb once or twice a day while soaking in dip assures trapped air in passages finds it's way out..
Rotating carb once or twice a day while soaking in dip assures trapped air in passages finds it's way out..
If the needle jet, part number 2 above part number 22 in this diagram (there are two parts labeled 2) comes out during cleaning, insert the concave end into the tube first. 1985 Honda CMX250C A CARBURETOR | Cheap Cycle Parts
Okay, at last an update. I finally gave in and trucked the bike to a repair shop where it sat for 3 weeks before they were able to work on it due to the riding season being upon us. Turns out it WAS the carb and nothing electrical. Even though the carb looked spotless, it required a rebuild kit apparently (something about a valve not seating correctly) and now installed it works flawlessly. Needless to say this was beyond my limited skill set but I'm happy to be back in the saddle. So the moral of the story seems to be don't let your Rebel sit for three years, and if you do, make sure you do a carb rebuild before you start assuming there's anything wrong electrically. Big thanks to FLITECONTROL, SOAKEDKARMA and GUBA for your wisdom and advice!
![110480]( "110480")
good that it worked out
drain the float bowl before storing.. can save days of frustration..
Storing with full gas tank I add an ounce of Denatured Alcohol to absorb any moisture that may accumulate over winter..
drain the float bowl before storing.. can save days of frustration..
Storing with full gas tank I add an ounce of Denatured Alcohol to absorb any moisture that may accumulate over winter..
Good to hear it's working now. The only "rebuild kit" 95% of Rebel carbs need is new gaskets and O-rings. If the shop soaked you for new jets, a pilot screw, or needle and jet, those probably weren't needed. For future reference, removing the carb and taking it to the shop instead of the whole bike, will save you $$.
"valve not seating properly" might have been referring to the vacuum piston (or the accelerator pump or both).
![110516]( "110516")
the rubber shrinks with age and once unseated might not ever go back correctly. and its not cheap to get a new one that seats and seals correctly.
PO for mine hadn't had it registerd for 2 years and ran it for 5 min every other month, with the same gas in the tank for thoese 2 years. I got almost a month of riding in before it choked out on me. Meticulous cleaning and replacing EVERY rubber bit ($$) got it up and running better than it ever had for the PO.
the rubber shrinks with age and once unseated might not ever go back correctly. and its not cheap to get a new one that seats and seals correctly.
PO for mine hadn't had it registerd for 2 years and ran it for 5 min every other month, with the same gas in the tank for thoese 2 years. I got almost a month of riding in before it choked out on me. Meticulous cleaning and replacing EVERY rubber bit ($$) got it up and running better than it ever had for the PO.
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
