Does my bike have a problem? *please no!! the bank can't take much more*

[ColonelSponz]

A few days back I was riding from CHCH to Dunedin (there was me 70 odd kg and a large back pack...maybe 15-20kg) on my CBR250R and all was going really well until I was about 30min north of Dunedin. At this point my bike seemed to start (I had ear phones in so I couldn't hear things terribly well) making a sort of throbbing noise at around 11-12RPM, this was combined with what to me seemed like an uncharacteristic loss of power while going over the kilmog. I had the throttle on full and it was only managing 100kmh. Usually I can EASILY smash it up the hill no trouble. Surely the back pack can't have made that much of a difference?

[BBzz]

Sounds like it was starting to seize, was it a hot day down there?
What’s it running like now? Still making the nose?
If its starting and running ok (no noise) suck it as see.
If not see a mechanic

[BadCompany]

When was the last service and what was done on it? K's it has done? A little history/info will help poeple answer that one.

[marioc]

earphones while riding?

[onearmedbandit]

earphones while riding?

Yip, a lot of people do it. I don't, I prefer earplugs.

[motorbyclist]

another reason not to use your ipod while on a bike, along with being able to hear car/trucks before they hit you

sounds like seizing - what was the temp guage telling you? how much oil present? how old are the sparkplugs? got a full tank of gas?

[tri boy]

Crikey fella's, don't scare the bloke too much.
It might just be an ign coil dropping out or something as simple.
Get a mechanic to do a few simple tests for a 1/2hr ($40). That should speed up the diagnostic side of things, and take it from there.
Riding with music in your ears isn't the best way to stay in touch with bike/surroundings. MHO

Good luck.

[ColonelSponz]

Okay then, here goes:
It wasn't a particularly warm day..rather chilly. Seems to be running fine now but I don't want to go on another long trip and find the same thing happening again.

If its starting and running ok (no noise) suck it as see.
Huh? suck it as what??
Last service thing it had done on it was to get a front sprocket replaced; this was done towards the end of last year. Bear (hmm which one do I use...) in mind that I haven't had the bike for all that long (under a year). When I bought it second hand from an authorised Honda dealer in Dunedin it apparently had all the checks done. The clock and the dealer say that it has done 16,000ks but whether of not you believe that is up to you. Planning to take it in for a tune up once bike shops are a little less busy.
Gas tank was more or less fullish (ooo decisive) having topped up in Oamaru. Temp gauge was adamantly sitting at about a quarter for the whole trip. How do I tell how old the spark plugs are? Last oil change was in January of this year so level is sweet and oil is as clean as me after a bath.
Thanks for the advice/tips guys *here's hoping it ISN'T seizing*

Regarding music...I totally agree when riding around town etc but can it really be said that this is the case on the open road? Especially considering the noise a bike makes at 10-12k RPM and wind noise etc i doubt you are going to hear something come up behind you anyway. (which, considering this is the open road is the only place you should be getting hit from) Having said this, my ears are open (hahaha) and I welcome and CONSTRUCTIVE argument on the case.

[onearmedbandit]

All I can say is becareful with music on a bike. Next ride on the open road, monitor what sound level you have it at. Now when you get home, sit in your lounge and put the headphones in, crank it up to that level and see what you think. A friend of mine pointed this out to me, that due to wind noise you end up cranking your ipod right up to full noise, sounds great on the bike and all. But can you actually listen to that level of noise when there are no other noises around? That's why I wear earplugs and not earphones.

[tri boy]

Take the bike for another longish (100km) ride by circulating around your immediate living district, (just in case it breaks down).
If it is something like a coil, they don't always start to fail straight away, (until they totally shit themselves).
If the fault reoccurs,pull over, lick your fingers, and touch the exhaust headers, to see if any are cooler than the others. (this will help narrow the fault down to cyclinder specific areas ....maybe).
Also check tank breather hoses, and whack some new spark plugs in, (paying attention to the colour and deposits on the old ones).
This will keep you busy over easter.

And leave the music at home.

[YellowDog]

Hopefully it was just a one off!

Could have been the result of spiders crawling where they should not.

If it happens again, hopefiully you will be able to tie it to a common link between he two occasions.

Good luck to you and your Bank account.

[BBzz]

Ha Dude check out ngk spark plug sight for ya engine's condition ngksparkplugs.com/techinfo/spark_plugs/faq/faqread2.asp