Letter Rip! Letter of the Week - Dirt Rider Magazine

Hard Starter
I have a 2004 Honda CRF250R. I had the top end recently rebuilt. I was riding it when it became very hard to start either by kicking it or by popping the clutch. I put a new spark plug in but it still won't start. When I kick it, it will get warm but won't start. Any help would be a great help.Jon
Lehi, UtahYour bike could be hard to start because the valves have tightened or were reassembled to the incorrect specs. It's interesting that you just had the top end rebuilt. Take it to the shop that did the work and ask them to check the valve clearances. Or, to save some cash, break out your manual, buy a good set of feeler gauges and learn how to check the clearances yourself. Hard starting is an excellent warning sign for bad things to come. Take some time to check it out. Oh, make sure the gas in the carb is fresh and you're not twisting the throttle when you kick it, too. -Jesse Ziegler