Hawk 250 randomly stalls.

[Natron118]

Hey my hawk 250 always starts and idles when its cold. But when I'm on a ride Sometimes it will randomly quit and i have to wait 10 mins for it to start again. Whenever i take out the plug it is fouled with black oil. thats the thing, when it wont start it has no spark, then 10 mins later it does. its very confusing. i can always get home because it eventually starts but sometimes i have to leave it for an hour. could it be that the oil im using is fouling the plug? Im not sure. Please Help!

[bmw111]

Check the chart and go from there. Fouled plug usually means you're running too rich. Are you riding with your choke ON? Remember, choke ON position on a Hawk 250 is with the choke lever fully UP, OFF is fully DOWN.

[Natron118]

Yeah my choke is definitely down. Its just so confusing. I have ordered a new mikuni carb for it though hopefully that fixes the problem. i hear the stock carbs are trash and will always run rich. Ill get a new plug too.

[JerryHawk250]

I'm assuming this is a new bike? Stock carb come tuned real lean. With oil on the plug you wouldn't of happen to over fill with oil? Have you adjusted the valves yet? The valves are usually set with no gap from the factory. This would cause the stalling issue when it get hot and will start after cooling off.

[Natron118]

Its actually an older bike i bought on my local classifieds. thanks for the info. i'm pretty sure the oils not over full. do you know what type of oil i should be using though?

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Natron118

Its actually an older bike i bought on my local classifieds. thanks for the info. i'm pretty sure the oils not over full. do you know what type of oil i should be using though?

Any motorcycle designed for wet clutch. Look for the JASO MA certification. 10w-40 or 20w-50 for hot weather.

[bmw111]

I second the "check the valve clearance" advice. My Hawk had no clearance on both intake and exhaust from the factory. You should find out (if possible) if the PO fiddled with the carb at all (different jets, etc.). If not, buy a new carb and start from scratch -- AFTER you make sure you have check/adjusted valve clearance and oil level.

[Natron118]

Thanks again will do. This sounds like it should resolve my problem.

[duck9191]

Are you losing spark, or it just wont start for 10 minutes? If you are actually losing spark the coil could be overheating and cutting out.

As for the carb, since its used god only knows what was done to it before so fresh start is good.

[Natron118]

Im losing spark. its very strange i wait at the side of the road for ten minutes. and kick kick kick. and all of a sudden i get electrocuted . Throw the plug back in and boom. starts first kick.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Natron118

Im losing spark. its very strange i wait at the side of the road for ten minutes. and kick kick kick. and all of a sudden i get electrocuted . Throw the plug back in and boom. starts first kick.

Probably bad coil or CDI.

[Natron118]

Could be. the wiring is a very big mess.

[BuffaloChinaRider]

Not sure if your bike is like my apollo but make sure that your coil is properly grounded and bolted on tight. If it does not have a good ground or the coil is not snug you will lose spark and power then have starting issues. Again not sure if its the same with your bike but you should check. I second what jerry said about calves too...but you said your issue might be electrical

[Natron118]

Yes, thanks. Just went out for a ride and as you could guess.... IT stalled. i was stuck in the middle of a field for 20 mins. but after a little bit of cooling it started and i was able to get home... So im thinking the coil may be overheating. not sure if i can fix it or just replace it. Also thanks to everyone for all the helpful input!!

[duck9191]

They are really cheap, I would order one to test. I would grab a cdi too just to have one on hand. But like Buffalo said make sure the mounts that are used for grounds are clean.