Idle on my 1987 suzuki 250r is really rough and cant seem to adjust it. I set idle high but it still drops and motor shuts off. It also shuts off when I drop 1st gear. Help please, thanks.

I had an '87 500. Mine wouldn't idle at all either. I had a 250R and Banshee after it and they wouldn't idle. When you put an aftermarket pipe on a 2-stroke 4-wheeler they don't want to idle. My 250R would as long as you had the choke pulled. Same with the banshee but when I unchoked it, it would die. I had a DG pipe on my 500. I had to buy a new carb for it. You might try that. 2-strokes, on the UP stroke, they pull from the pipe and carb. The aftermarket pipes change the amount of presure held in the pipe making the motor pull more from the carbs. Thats my theory of why the won't idle. Try emailing Chris Grissom at Suzuki Of Paris. He used to build William Yokley's motors. He could help you. Just search for Suzuki Of Paris. I don't know the web site. Chris is the owner. He's been there for a while. Travis Wiles

Thanks for the info.

check for air leaks...for instance maybe your carb boot is tore....or it has a hole in it.....Also if your reeds arent seated right it will cause idle problems...Your reeds should sit flat and not be lifted on one side or the other of the seat.....

Another thing I forgot to mention is that when I mess with the idle crew, nothing happens. Could it be that it has an air leak?

that makes it look even more like an air leak. On the engine side of the carb.

I forgot the airbox on the Suzuki. The airfilter WON'T seal. The thing about a 2 cycle and air pulling in, 2-cycle engine are a very simple design. You won't notice a little air seeping in. Enough to notice and the bike won't run right at all. My 500 had a bad leak. The cases were warped and the back of the cylinder was pulling a LOT of air. It would run wide open. I picked the cylinder up, liberally aplied silicone to the spot and it was fine. But it STILL wouldn't idle. The only 2-stroke quads that I have seen that idle "with aftermarket pipes" have so much gas going to them that they won't clear out. Keep in mind that the ONLY ones I was around were MX bikes. I would get a new carb ($155DennisKirk) and call the place that makes the pipe you have and set the carb up to their spec. If you are worried about the boots leaking, put a heavy grease aroung the lip they clamp to. The only cure for the sh!ty air filter set up is an aluminum air box using a clamp-on filter. My main concern would be knowing that the top-end is NOT pulling up transmission oil and that the carb was right. A good set of reeds are worth the money too. If you emailed Chris, he probably told you this.

Im not sure why you think 2 stroke quads dont idle with pipes Hondachick21, but i have owned many, many honda 250r's and damn near all of them idled.

First, if you want to check for air leaks, get yourself a can of ether (quick start spray) and while the engine is running, spray it around the base of the cylinder, all around the cylinder head,in between the case halves, the intake mainifold (both front and back around just the manifold side of the carb). If the rpms suddenly increase theres your air leak.

Now, if there is no air leak, perhaps your old worn out carb is the culpret. You can try to clean it and tune it, but if all that fails its time to buy yourself a new Kiehn pwk series carb. 39mm suites the 250's and the 500.

Idle has alot to do with the pilot jet on those carbs.

I personally think Mikuni carbs suck, which is what suzuki used. Buy a keihn and i bet you will like it ALOT more

if you can't get the idle to go up at the carb- why not adjust your idle at the adjustment on your handlbars. That is what I did with mine. Just take the slack out of the throttle cable to where it idles right.