Honda Vt250 Spada problem?

[Icemaestro]

Hi all - bought a new bike (relatively speaking) about 6 weeks ago - honda vt250 Spada 1989. Loving the bike - my first venture into the V-Twin world after a thumper and a screamer...anyway, to cut it short, the day before yesterday, and again today, after being on the motorway at 110, 9-10000 RPM, about a minute after coming off and slowing to 60, the bike seems to start lurching/dying as if it's running out of fuel - pull over to the side, it dies, i turn it off, try start it once or twice, wait, flick petrol tap off and on again, try again, wait, try again, and it starts no prob.

I go on the motorway like that about 3-4x/day, and it's only done it twice in 3 days...any ideas? Diaphragm in fuel tap starting to go maybe? Running on one cylinder? George the MC Doctor is doing a basic service on it next week, but just thought I'd get peoples Ideas!

Bike was serviced about 6000km ago btw, had the carbs cleaned out and tuned by red baron
Cheers

[rustyrobot]

Hi all - bought a new bike (relatively speaking) about 6 weeks ago - honda vt250 Spada 1989. Loving the bike - my first venture into the V-Twin world after a thumper and a screamer...anyway, to cut it short, the day before yesterday, and again today, after being on the motorway at 110, 9-10000 RPM, about a minute after coming off and slowing to 60, the bike seems to start lurching/dying as if it's running out of fuel - pull over to the side, it dies, i turn it off, try start it once or twice, wait, flick petrol tap off and on again, try again, wait, try again, and it starts no prob.

I go on the motorway like that about 3-4x/day, and it's only done it twice in 3 days...any ideas? Diaphragm in fuel tap starting to go maybe? Running on one cylinder? George the MC Doctor is doing a basic service on it next week, but just thought I'd get peoples Ideas!

Bike was serviced about 6000km ago btw, had the carbs cleaned out and tuned by red baron
Cheers

Heya. I have a Spada too and I am currently having a similar problem. If you search these forums for 'spada fuel' you will find that almost anyone who has been a member of this site with a Spada has been in a similar situation. It seems that the fuel tap/petcock has a limited expiry date and at some point craps out causing various fuel related issues. From what I have read on here a new tap will cost us somewhere between $300 and $380 dollars.

Even if that turns out not to be the root of the troubles that you are having, I'd suggest this as a place to get your mechanic to check first. I'm about to attempt to fix mine myself, but have limited mechanical knowledge, so might take me a while, I'll let you know how it goes.

Do you have the user and workshop manuals for the bike? Send me a PM if you want them.

[Icemaestro]

Yeah all ones with diaphragms will crap out after a while... My cbr was crapped when I got it so I guess this is maybe how it starts? I haven't pulled the tank off this yet but the cbr one I managed to replace the diaphragm side with the same off a vtr I believe..will ask George...
Yeah, I have the manual, cheers.
When/ how much did you get our spada for? Haha do you find yourself quoting '300' much? :-D

[onearmedbandit]

I've helped two other members here with the same problem, as I had the same issue years ago too. I'm not saying it will fix your problem but what you describe fits to a t what happened with my bike. It is fuel related, and I found that the petcock assembly had got blocked. It's a 20min job to remove it and clean it out (just by blowing through it essentially.)

[rustyrobot]

...I managed to replace the diaphragm side with the same off a vtr I believe...

I wondered about that. There are so many VTs (F... R... xelvis... etc.) that surely one of them has a similar fuel system. This post has a picture of the fuel tap that someone else took when replacing theirs, does it look similar to the CBR unit?

I bought my bike for 2k at the beginning of the year. It's in okay condition, but I could probably have waited it out and found a better specimen for the same price (I really couldn't wait though!). I've thoroughly enjoyed riding it, and I reckon they are great bikes to learn on, although I have nothing to base that on as my last bike was a nifty fifty back in 1990.

Do wonder if my bike needs a more thorough mechanical going over, you said your bike sits on about 9000rpm at 100kph? That's where mine sits but it seems pretty high revving for a 6 speed. Also my bike tops out at around 120kph (+/- 5k), in supervised conditions on a closed road but other people have said they got their spada up to 155 or 160.

[MSTRS:Me]

...they are great bikes to learn on...

Do wonder if my bike needs a more thorough mechanical going over, you said your bike sits on about 9000rpm at 100kph? That's where mine sits but it seems pretty high revving for a 6 speed. Also my bike tops out at around 120kph (+/- 5k), in supervised conditions on a closed road but other people have said they got their spada up to 155 or 160.

V-twin 250s are great learner bikes. And some of them are good enough to keep some riders happy well into their full. Spadas would be top of that heap, IMO.
9k @ 100kph is correct, but something wrong with your's topping out at 120. There could be many reasons for that, but fuel tap not flowing freely would not help (if that is your other problem).
As for max speed, I know of one that was electronically clocked at 172.

[Icemaestro]

Yeah that fuel tap is the same as the CBR. Yeah, blockage is my other thought - since it's not happening every time. Will get the tank off next time I'm low in fuel and take out the filter etc. done it all on the CBR before so should be all good.

Yeah 120 is def not so good! It goes from about 100-140 in around 4 seconds so I've found :-P...and would have pushed past that if asked to...

My one was a bit on the expensive side, but it's real low km/s (was 28/9000 when i bought it), and from a dealer (frosty though) and full service history since being imported by red baron last year for 2500 :-). Yeah its definately a easy bike to ride, with still nice power at the top, can ride two up at 110 no probs, and yet still does 25/26km/L :-)

[onearmedbandit]

I'll always have fond memories of the Spada, it was the bike I taught myself to learn on after my accident that took my arm. If it hadn't been for that Spada I might have never got back into biking. And on the speedo I managed 165km/h out of mine.

[ducatilover]

Check the vacuum hose from the right hand side of the rear cylinder intake track to the fuel tap, heat can cause the pipe to leak/go loose and make sure the fitting is correct.
Keep an eye on the temperature too, Spadas are prone to destroying the electronic fan switch [left hand side of the radiator, earth it out to the radiator mount as a temporary fix if not switching fan on] a Spada will stutter and die if a bit too hot, MSTRS may remember mine doing this on the National Park Rd a few years back.
The diaphragm can leak, yes, but this is the same as a CBR/VFR unit, do not, repeat DO NOT, buy from Honda [Only as last resort and talk to EconoHonda, they rule] a whole unit will have to be ordered as honda does not supply the diaphragm or O-rings seperately and the O-ring is a queer size.
Give the bike a proper service, thermostat included. I had many, many problems with my Spada dying. Air box leaks can cause this too, but, you will notice a solid miss fire.

I had mine tuned a tad too rich when I finished with it, still have the Nitro-meth jets in my tool box also.

I've got some brake pads here I think for the front if you need them? Cheap too.
Enjoy the Spada! Great bikes, robust and super fun.

Oh, don't buy a "spada" oil filter, buy a Honda TRX500FA filter, same part, cheaper.

[gatch]

I had no problems with my spada, it was pretty much bullet proof. Until I murdered a crank bearing from having not enough oil..

Had mine up to 170 or so on the speedo. Though in reality this may translate to 155-160. Just need to watch out when you lean it over hard, you wear through the hero blobs and foots pegs fast..

[puddytat]

You could also pull out the whole tap assembly & check that the filter pipe bit thats sticks up into the tank isnt covered in grunge....
Gatch also raises a good point re crank bearings, make sure you have the oil level in the sight glass up to the top mark when its running, theyre notorious for doing bearings if oil is run to low.
You should be getting way more out of it than 120,mine'll pull cleanly to off the clock.
Seems so far (touch wood) to be able to handle a good thrashing too as I race it in streetstock & hopefully Ill get to line up against the modern twin 250's this season & see how it goes.
Econohonda is the bizzo for bits.
Paid 3 grand with 16thou on it.