A seemingly unusual issue with Zong Storm 250GS - Page 5

AustinConnell · 01-29-2012, 10:03 PM

Today:

Remounted the engine (no small task due to the way the swing arm is designed -_- especially as a one man team.) I placed a cinderblock beneath the frame and unbolted the rear bolt from the suspension to allow the swing arm to move freely. I aligned the engine bolt and started attaching the engine from the top to make it easier to manage. Once it was mounted with the swing arm, everything was basically just reverse of removal. I remounted the carb, fuel tank, sprocket, chain, hoses, wiring, shifter linkage, and all the covers. The bike started reluctantly the first time, but after running it for a few minutes it was running very well. It seemed to have a bit more power than before. I haven't taken it down the road yet since it was already cold and dark by the time I finished. I just need to finish adjusting the shifter linkage as it is having trouble shifting up and down reliably. Once that is taken care of, I'll take it out for a ride and see if there is any oil being expelled from the crank case like before.

If anyone has any questions about this particular thread, feel free to ask! This may seem rather daunting to some (I know it did to me), but it really isn't too difficult! Just be sure to try to have a second or third set of hands to help you out. It was fairly straight forward. I had the manual, but didn't even use it at all. Just be sure to separate the nuts, bolts, and pieces and MAKE LOTS OF NOTES of what lengths the bolts are. This makes a big difference.

Thank you to all who helped with my questions!

Weldangrind · 01-29-2012, 10:39 PM

Glad to hear that it runs!

Did you ever find the feeler gauge? If so, were the valves out by much?

AustinConnell · 01-31-2012, 12:55 PM

I have not found the feeler gauges yet, but I did take the bike up the road for a test. The bike performed much better in terms of acceleration and health. I was about to rev around 9k instead of just 7k so there's an obvious improvement. I think I need to retune the carb tough. It will flood if left idling for a couple minutes on choke. There was no oil in my airbox either so that's a plus too. I suppose my theory about the valves may have been correct! The weather is great today. I think I'm going to push it and take a longer ride. I'm able to ride gloveless, jeans, and a light zip up jacket comfortably! In January... This Georgia weather will never make sense to me as it was begining to snow yesterday.. now feels about 65*f

FastDoc · 01-31-2012, 01:25 PM

It will flood if left idling for a couple minutes on choke.

That may be normal. It's best to get a bike off choke as soon as it will idle with it off.

A clogged airfilter will do that too.

Zong valves are easy to check, the inspection ports are generously large.

Enjoy the weather.

I think we've been, for the most part, blessed with a mild winter.

So far..... :roll:

AustinConnell · 01-31-2012, 01:43 PM

I did replace the airfilter so I'm going to say it was the choke that is flooding it.

I began my second ride and got a mile down the road, but at a stopsign, I put my feet down and heard a metallic cling at first I thought something had gone wrong with the motor as it was pretty loud. Luckily, I looked under the bike and saw a part of my shifter linkage rolling away. The bolts had vibrated loose. I hand tightened them back up and got most of the way back home until it fell off again. I was close enough to home to just ride very slowly and coast down the hills in first gear to my garage! That situation could have gone much worse! Now they are torqued much more than before and I hope that won't happen again. I may have to apply some loctite to ensure this.

As for winter, I would have to agree with your comment. I'm not a fan of the cold as I am a very cold natured person. I loose all feeling in my fingers due to really bad blood circulation.. I want the warmth of summer back!

FastDoc · 01-31-2012, 01:52 PM

Stuff falls off. Maybe more on CB's but stuff falls off all bikes :? .

Many years ago I lost a shift lever off my first bike, a 1980 GS1100E while crossing the Delaware River on a steel grate bridge by New Hope, PA. I had a pretty nurse on the back :wink: .

The lever went through the road surface into the river, lost forever with George Washington's silver dollar :( . I rode in second gear, I believe, to the closest town in NJ. Lawrenceville, IIRC. I bought a small vise grip and clamped it onto the shifter shaft. This helped me get home. I don't recall if the pretty nurse was impressed or not :wink: .

I still have that vise grip.

Thanks for reminding me of a fond memory of my long lost youth.

AustinConnell · 01-31-2012, 02:32 PM

That is a good story. I'm sure she was impressed. That's quick and resourceful thinking!

Luckily I was able to just keep it in my pocket

there are no bridges like that around here.

FastDoc · 01-31-2012, 02:56 PM

It was Lambertville, I was close.

Here's the bridge.

AustinConnell · 01-31-2012, 09:14 PM

That's a nice bridge, there's one near here that looks a lot like that one called Brown's Bridge. It's funny though, Lawrenceville is a metro city about 25mi from where I live!

Weldangrind · 02-01-2012, 01:24 AM

To be clear, most everything on a bike needs Loctite. Buy a gallon and just pour it over the whole bike.

katoranger · 02-01-2012, 07:56 AM

It was nice yesterday. I was wearing a t-shirt. Brown's Bridge doesn't have the metal grates though.

Remembers the visegrips, but not the nurse's reaction. Priceless.

FastDoc · 02-01-2012, 12:16 PM

She was a cutie

. A med-surg nurse at St. Peter's Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. I also knew her mother who was a nurse there too. She didn't like me, thought I was an operator, and not in the OR if you know what I mean :wink: . She didn't want me to date her daughter. Strict Catholic family. In retrospect I can't say I blamed her :wink: .

In any event the daughter was too cute and we hit it off. She really liked bikes and I rode her on that Suzuki all over western NJ and eastern PA and we had a great summer. Eventually the mom even started to like me a little. Eventually the daughter went back to school at Yale.

Except for dating me she was one smart woman. :wink:

AustinConnell · 02-04-2012, 08:50 PM

Hey guys sorry for the delay in an update.
I checked the valve clearance and oddly enough, they were perfect!
The bike is running so much better and I actually rode it a bit further without anymore parts falling off! It has much more power throughout the entire range of rpm and isn't spewing oil anymore. I think we've fixed the issues! Thanks guys! I will update with a ride report the next time I get out. I just need to adjust the chain as it is very loose right now.

katoranger · 02-05-2012, 01:15 PM

We got good weather today.

AustinConnell · 02-05-2012, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katoranger

We got good weather today.

No kidding! I want to ride so bad but I'm at work. I will be riding this afternoon.

01-29-2012, 10:39 PM	#62
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Glad to hear that it runs! Did you ever find the feeler gauge? If so, were the valves out by much? __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

01-31-2012, 01:25 PM	#64
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	It will flood if left idling for a couple minutes on choke. That may be normal. It's best to get a bike off choke as soon as it will idle with it off. A clogged airfilter will do that too. Zong valves are easy to check, the inspection ports are generously large. Enjoy the weather. I think we've been, for the most part, blessed with a mild winter. So far..... :roll: __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

01-31-2012, 01:52 PM	#66
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	Stuff falls off. Maybe more on CB's but stuff falls off all bikes :? . Many years ago I lost a shift lever off my first bike, a 1980 GS1100E while crossing the Delaware River on a steel grate bridge by New Hope, PA. I had a pretty nurse on the back :wink: . The lever went through the road surface into the river, lost forever with George Washington's silver dollar :( . I rode in second gear, I believe, to the closest town in NJ. Lawrenceville, IIRC. I bought a small vise grip and clamped it onto the shifter shaft. This helped me get home. I don't recall if the pretty nurse was impressed or not :wink: . I still have that vise grip. Thanks for reminding me of a fond memory of my long lost youth. __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

01-31-2012, 02:56 PM	#68
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	It was Lambertville, I was close. Here's the bridge. __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

02-01-2012, 01:24 AM	#70
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	To be clear, most everything on a bike needs Loctite. Buy a gallon and just pour it over the whole bike. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

01-29-2012, 10:03 PM	#61
AustinConnell Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Georgia (Gainesville) Posts: 48	Today: Remounted the engine (no small task due to the way the swing arm is designed -_- especially as a one man team.) I placed a cinderblock beneath the frame and unbolted the rear bolt from the suspension to allow the swing arm to move freely. I aligned the engine bolt and started attaching the engine from the top to make it easier to manage. Once it was mounted with the swing arm, everything was basically just reverse of removal. I remounted the carb, fuel tank, sprocket, chain, hoses, wiring, shifter linkage, and all the covers. The bike started reluctantly the first time, but after running it for a few minutes it was running very well. It seemed to have a bit more power than before. I haven't taken it down the road yet since it was already cold and dark by the time I finished. I just need to finish adjusting the shifter linkage as it is having trouble shifting up and down reliably. Once that is taken care of, I'll take it out for a ride and see if there is any oil being expelled from the crank case like before. If anyone has any questions about this particular thread, feel free to ask! This may seem rather daunting to some (I know it did to me), but it really isn't too difficult! Just be sure to try to have a second or third set of hands to help you out. It was fairly straight forward. I had the manual, but didn't even use it at all. Just be sure to separate the nuts, bolts, and pieces and MAKE LOTS OF NOTES of what lengths the bolts are. This makes a big difference. Thank you to all who helped with my questions!
	0

01-31-2012, 12:55 PM	#63
AustinConnell Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Georgia (Gainesville) Posts: 48	I have not found the feeler gauges yet, but I did take the bike up the road for a test. The bike performed much better in terms of acceleration and health. I was about to rev around 9k instead of just 7k so there's an obvious improvement. I think I need to retune the carb tough. It will flood if left idling for a couple minutes on choke. There was no oil in my airbox either so that's a plus too. I suppose my theory about the valves may have been correct! The weather is great today. I think I'm going to push it and take a longer ride. I'm able to ride gloveless, jeans, and a light zip up jacket comfortably! In January... This Georgia weather will never make sense to me as it was begining to snow yesterday.. now feels about 65*f
	0

01-31-2012, 01:43 PM	#65
AustinConnell Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Georgia (Gainesville) Posts: 48	I did replace the airfilter so I'm going to say it was the choke that is flooding it. I began my second ride and got a mile down the road, but at a stopsign, I put my feet down and heard a metallic cling at first I thought something had gone wrong with the motor as it was pretty loud. Luckily, I looked under the bike and saw a part of my shifter linkage rolling away. The bolts had vibrated loose. I hand tightened them back up and got most of the way back home until it fell off again. I was close enough to home to just ride very slowly and coast down the hills in first gear to my garage! That situation could have gone much worse! Now they are torqued much more than before and I hope that won't happen again. I may have to apply some loctite to ensure this. As for winter, I would have to agree with your comment. I'm not a fan of the cold as I am a very cold natured person. I loose all feeling in my fingers due to really bad blood circulation.. I want the warmth of summer back!
	0

01-31-2012, 02:32 PM	#67
AustinConnell Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Georgia (Gainesville) Posts: 48	That is a good story. I'm sure she was impressed. That's quick and resourceful thinking! Luckily I was able to just keep it in my pocket there are no bridges like that around here.
	0

01-31-2012, 09:14 PM	#69
AustinConnell Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Georgia (Gainesville) Posts: 48	That's a nice bridge, there's one near here that looks a lot like that one called Brown's Bridge. It's funny though, Lawrenceville is a metro city about 25mi from where I live!
	0

02-01-2012, 07:56 AM	#71
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	It was nice yesterday. I was wearing a t-shirt. Brown's Bridge doesn't have the metal grates though. Remembers the visegrips, but not the nurse's reaction. Priceless.
	0

02-01-2012, 12:16 PM	#72
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	She was a cutie . A med-surg nurse at St. Peter's Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. I also knew her mother who was a nurse there too. She didn't like me, thought I was an operator, and not in the OR if you know what I mean :wink: . She didn't want me to date her daughter. Strict Catholic family. In retrospect I can't say I blamed her :wink: . In any event the daughter was too cute and we hit it off. She really liked bikes and I rode her on that Suzuki all over western NJ and eastern PA and we had a great summer. Eventually the mom even started to like me a little. Eventually the daughter went back to school at Yale. Except for dating me she was one smart woman. :wink: __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

02-04-2012, 08:50 PM	#73
AustinConnell Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Georgia (Gainesville) Posts: 48	Hey guys sorry for the delay in an update. I checked the valve clearance and oddly enough, they were perfect! The bike is running so much better and I actually rode it a bit further without anymore parts falling off! It has much more power throughout the entire range of rpm and isn't spewing oil anymore. I think we've fixed the issues! Thanks guys! I will update with a ride report the next time I get out. I just need to adjust the chain as it is very loose right now.
	0

02-05-2012, 01:15 PM	#74
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	We got good weather today.
	0